The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1890-04-02

! to defend himself. | saw no danger,
| FIR / was too mad. and cushed upon
him with the boot-jack, and az |
came he tried TO shoot, but the gun
failed TO fire, and US he turned to the
| wall for another shell | dealt the IA
| tai blows.
( 1 then left the room q few moments,
not that / feared him, for | knew
that the work was done, but that |
might see that 1.-THE way was clear.
| When I came back be was not dead,
but in dying, condition. | then
took the pillow, about which so much
has been said, ssand placed it under
his head, together with some guano
sscks-not so much to render him
comfortable, but to absorb the blood
that was flowing freely upon the floor,
aud which / knew l would have
trouble to get off so as not to leave
any sign. His struggles were very
loud, and as knew that it was i'm
possible for him to recover. and, in
order to stop the fearful noise lest
some one might hear it, | closed my
fingers upon his throat. When he
was dead, l placed the pillow case
over his head and tied the bags over
it to prevent the flow Of blood. !
then dragged the body t, the window,
and, standing astraddle of it. lifted
his head out of the window, then
reaching my hands under his thighs
| pushed him tut upon the piazza
root. / then rolled the body down
to the edge of the roof and let it drop
upon the ground. then took the
body to the barn, as l stated upon
the trial, and, after taking the cloth
| ing off from it, laid it in the closet
somewhere near twelve o'clock that
night. On the next Tuesday night /
dug the grave in the tobacco barn
and laid his body in it. ! carried
the body on wheel.barrow, as stat.
ed on the trial. His shoes, hat and
the pillow / hid in the shuck pen I'M
; Ill Wednesday night when | left, and,
after had gotten off some distance,
I thought Of them and came back and
took them out and carried them with
. me. Istepped about two hundred
yards from the field gate and made
fire in which l burned the pillow.
but nothing else. The hat | burned
at bridge not far from Chapel Hill.
The shoes carried with me knowing
they would be brought back with me
whep / had been captured. then
went to Danville. Va, where sought
only the company OF prostitutes, 10
whose company / spent every night,
as well as part Of every day, during
NV stay at that place
Ny capture and trial are we'll known
to the public. | am sensible that j
have had fair trial, and do not de,
, sire TO lire beyond the day fixed for
, my execution ; for / regard that as
the means by which the pain aud
. torture inflicted upon my heart and
mind, from a sense of shame and deg
radiation that now rest upon me, will
, forever be at al end.
i 1t is clear TO the mind Of any one,
; that, from the statements have made,
I am my own destroyer. Had i
obeyed the KIDD aud loving advice Of
an affectionate father and mother, or
had I followed the precepts and ex-
J ample laid before me while under pa
rental protection, ! would not have
been here. Nor would q loving wife
! | 80 soon have been left to mourn the
absence Of her companion. around
whom the strongest tendrils Of her
hearts affections chung with al. their
strength; nor would my children 50
soon learn tie pain Of shame and
! disgrace resulting ffouf the crimes
, and the public execution Of their
poor, misguided father.
May God help any who may be
tempted TO indulge in similar crime
, to realize in time what must be the
/ fearful result, and may they be saved
} from the shame and disgrace that
. must Inevitably follow, and from an
J untimely aud horrible death.
II JAMES p. DAVIS
HIS ADDRESS on THE GALLONS.
II Davis said: my dear Friends;
I had intended to speak at length on
this occasion. Not that | would
, prolong my stay in this unfriendlY
,, world, but that | might by this
! means afforded some qualification u
, those who have assembled to see and
, 10 hear. But as | have endeavored
! 10 write a brief, yet correct and
} truthful history OF my life, with
0 which | hope the public will be
satisfied, and, owing TO the solemni-
=. ty Of the occasion, and to the very
I, unpleasant, yea, painful, circum-
!. stances with which l am now sur.
!, rounded, / will endeayor TO be brief
}. and deal only with the present. II
affords me pleasure, even in this sac
b and trying hour, to be able TO say
r that | attach no blame to any wht
= may have been either directly or in
D directly instrumental in bringing