The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-15
A COOL ASSASSIN.
MempAls scimitar.

Memphis Scimitar.
 Turner Lane, the young man who walked into the Peabody hotel, Mem- phis, the other night, and murdered a man who happened to look at him, is thus quoted in an interview with re- porter of the Ncimitar;
 "Have you read the morning pa. pers?" the reporter asked.
 "No. What do they sAy?"
 "They make it look very bad for you"
 "What do the people say?"
 "Well, If they had gotten hold of you last night they would have hung you. expect.s
 Here Lane paused a moment, and then musingly inquired: "So they were excited over it, were they?"
 "How did you come to do its" asked the reporter, to seo if he would give different version from that of last night.
 "Well, you know I'm crazy" he said. al have been that way for long time, and there is no accounting for what crazy man will do. He Is not responsible for h;s .ct!cns. felt like any other man with a mental screw loose might, that wanted to kill somebody. I did not have any idea who, and didn't have any idea e to where to go till about thirty minutes after I lett home. Then 1t struck me that could kill man better up at the Peabody hotel than anywhere else, and got on . car and came up town"
 "Did you go straight to the Pea- body?"
 "Yes, pretty straight-I walked back in the rotunda, and then came forward again and did what the spirits told mew
 "Did you ses the man you killed as you went back?"
 "No, l didn't notice him. might have seen him with the others in bunch, though"
 "How close were you to him before you observed him particularly and picked him out?"
 "About ten feet, I reckon"
 "Why did you want to kill him?"
 "I didn't care about killing him par ticularly. He just happened to be the man picked. Just like you'd shoot into crowd if you wanted to kill 6 man. If you had been there might have killed you. It would have made no difference to me. I couldn't help it's being him."
 "Are you sorry he is dead now2"
 "I don't know whether l am or not"
 "Well, if you could put forth your hand and raise him, would you do it?"
 "I don't know"
 "Well, would you mind his being alive?"
 "No, I wouldn't mind his being alive. can see that plain enough"
 "Don't you think you ought to have given him some chance to get ready to die?"
 "I hope he went to heaven. reckon he did. God took care of him."
 "Do you think you will want to kill any body else2"
 "I don't know. may. You can't tell what crazy man will do."
 "Did you ever want to kill 6 man before?"
 "I can't remember"
 "Don't you think it is horrible thing to shoot an innocent man in cold blood?"
 "Oh, it's just like If war were to come along, or yellow fever, and kill somebody. Of course it is a different cause, but it produces the same effect"
 "What do you think they will do with you?"
 "I don't know. What do they do with crazy people-send them to the asylum, don't they?"
 "Yes," said the reporter.
 "Where is the asylum?"
 "In Nashville"
 "How long would they keep fell low there2"
 "If they take you there they will keep you for life."
 "What do they do when a fellow gets well?"
 "They let him out, but they'd never let you out, don't think"
 "They'd be afraid I'd kill somebody else, would they?"
 "Yes," said the reporter, and as Lane remained silent, asked: "Doa't you feel afraid that you will be hung?"
 "Oh, no," he ssid, with perfect as- surance "they won't hang me. have too many influential friends in town.'