Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-20

| ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
BIRMINGHAM, ALA, April 1e.-To-day
| the written confession Of the murderer Ben
Elsey, who was hanged yesterday, was given
to the public, and, if it is all true, as he
ably never surpassed. Elsey was born near
Dalton, Ga, and at the age of IA killed
another boy over game of cards.
For this crime he was sentenced to the
penitentiary for 20 years, but was pardoned
after serving eight months. Soon after his
release from prison he began career of
crime which continued for 10 years. First
he became thief and gambler, and at the
age OF 16 committed his second murder over
game of cards.
IN A REGULAR BAND.
Soon after that he Joined an oath-bound
organized band of robbers and murderers, who
had headquarters in Chattanooga, Tenn,
and operated in the principal Southern
cities. A white man was captain and lead
er OF the band. They robbed stores and
residences, and committed highway robbery
whenever opportunity offered. The leader
of the gang had an invention for blowing
open safes, which is described by Elsey as
follows:
"His usual way of using it is to put in a
box about the size of a cigar box, light it,
then wrap it up so as to look like bundle.
1t burns very slowly and emits no smoke
and usually takes from four to six hours to
explode, making a very slight, stif1ed
noise. About dark he carries it
to merchant and asks him to
lay it in his safe till morning, when he will
call and get it. Some time after midnight
he goes back and unlocks the door 1--WE
always have keys that will fit any lock) and
takes. the money out of the safe. He would
never let me know how he made the ma
chine. He always had q way of blowing
them open when he found them locked"
SOME OF THE MANY CRIMES.
At Fulton, Ca, 1885, Elsey and other
members of the gang murdered merchant
and robbed and burned his store. In 1886
they robbed and murdered three white men
in Chattanooga and threw their bodies into
the Tennessee river. The same year they M ur-
dered and robbed two men at Rome Ga,
and committed four highway robberles in
Knoxville, Tenn, securing several thousand
dollars. At Pinson, Ga, in the latter part
Of 1886, Elsey and three others murdered
and robbed his grandmother, Rosa McCor-
ner, a negro woman 20 years old.
Elsey mad lived with her awhile, and
knew she had s340. He planned the mur-
der to secure this money. In 1887 Elsey as
sisted In the murder of white man and
woman in Mobile. Ala. In 1888 Elsey
murdered Mrs. Hargrove, in Cobe county,
Ca, by splitting her head open with an axe.
Mrs. Hargrove had $500 in trunk, which
he secured, and then he came to Alabama.
His two murders here were the killing of an
unknown peddler and the Meadows murder,
for which he was hanged.
NO TIME TO TELL MORE.
Isey's confession concludes as follows: 81
will have to bring this to close, as can
not spare any more time on it. While I
have mentioned only a few of the many
crimes have committed, have mentioned
the most important ones. 1 have been a
gambler and thief ever since nv bovhood,
and I have been a murderer and a robber
ever since I was IA years old. 1 can remem-
Der all the crimes I have committed. 1
followed my crowd most of the time for
five years. I have been implicated in the
killing of 81 people--1S men and women.
Nineteen were white and colored. have
no idea of what I have stolen, nor of how
many burglaries have been implicated in,
nor of how many safes 1 have helped to
blow open, nor OF how many people I have
helped to rob. I have wife and children
at Atlanta. I was married to another
woman here two months before was ar
rested"