The Indianapolis journal., 1890-10-28
THE FACTS SWORN TO.
The Afhdavit Made by Harmon in Relation to
the Killing of Blount

The Afidavit Made by Harmon in Relation to
the Killing of Blount.
Harmon was discharged on Saturday,
Oct. 1S, and went at once to his hoiue at
Bentonville, Fayette county, remaining
there. however. only over Sunday. His
mind was made up. and on Monday morn
ing he proceeded to Muncie. where he knew
Blount had formerly been engaged in the
practice of law. Seeing the old sign,
'Templer g. Blount," he sought Clay
ton b. Templer, and finding him at
the courthouse, told him the story
briefly. So improbable did it ap-
pear that Mr.. Templer was reluctant
at first to accept it, but Harmon was ter
ribly in earnest, and informed him that if
no one else pushed the matter he would
do so. In tact, he had at first thought of
laying the case directly before the Wayne
county authorities, but had concluded
Mr.. Templer could accomplish more to-
ward seeing Justice done than he could
and. therefore. went to him.. That gentle
man hesitated no longer, but had the court
stenographer of Delaware county take
lannon's statement in detail. the latter
making affidavit to it. lannon's statement
is as follows:
State of Indiana. Delaware county, SIS.
James Harmon. being duly sworn, de-
poses and says: My name IS James Han
non; live in Bentonville, Fayette county,
Indiana, Posey township; | am forty years
and have family; have six children liv-
ing and one dead. / have been an inmate
OF the Asylum for the Insane at Rich
mond, Ind; | went there. l think.
about the 22d day of September, 1850; it
was on Tuesday that / went there, and
think that that was the 22d day of the
month; Thomas j. Blount was an inmate of
that institution when went there; l went
to the asylum on Tuesday, and got there
about dinner time; 1 had not been there
they were all sitting down to the table to
eat, and Mr.. Blount kept talking inces-
sanity; did not pay much attention. from
the fact that WAS stranger then and
supposed some of the patients had some
sense, and didn't say anything. Mr.. Blount
kept talking that way all the time that
day and that night until he went to bed;
he did not sleep IN the same room with me.
The next day he talked on III the same
way, and that night he talked some, bnt
The next morning he got mp and
washed his face. and / went to HIM and
says |, How do you feelf' and he says Il
1eel first rate" and l spoke few words to
him; didn't speak very much to him. for
the reason that thought wouldn't bother
his mindt thought it would be better for
him. That afternoon he kept getting kind
70 worse, and ramDled Off in his language q
little; that was Friday, i think-and that
night, think it was, he got worse in his
talk. getting wild and rambling from one
thing TO another, and the attendants
put him in his room. The room where the
patients slept was a room, suppose. about
forty feet long. and there were two rows of
beds. and there was passage between
them of, think, about eight feet wide: off
to the north of that was where Mr.. Blount
was in private room. His room was. /
expect, about eight feet wide and ten or
twelve feet lonk; it had q door to it, there
were two panels taken out of the door;
there WAS a strip up through tho middle of
the door. and on each side of that strip the
panels had been taken out; those panels,
thiuk, never had been put in. in fact. Mr..
Blount was in that room locked up then;
seen them lock him mp. think, TO the best
of my knowledge, IL was about IL o'clock
at night He was standing there in front
of that door in his room. talking. and tho
night watchman came thero and tried to