The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-14

COLUMBUS, Jan. Especial. THE trial
OF John F. Pettilcrott-who pleaded the
insanity dodge without effect-who was
just tried and sentenced to life imprison-
ment for killing his wife in this city July
4, has revived the history of some of the
early murders committed in this county
for which John Jones and Kades Herring
were ~hung-being the only legal hangings
that ever occurred in the county.
John Jones and John Ray were fast
friends, and lived near each other; both
had been drinking and started home on
horseback. accompanied by James Pleak.
A dispute arose, Jones called Ray a liar,
when Ray struck him, and Jones then
stabbed Ray to the heart, he falling from
his horse dead in the road. Moss Ray,
Johns father, was q soldier of the war Of
1912, and helped to capture Tecumseh's
mattress at the battle of the Thames, in
which was hid Tecumseh's picture, which
is still preserved as an heirloom. This
murder occurred OF Saturday, June II,
1881. Jonesfled but was afterward arrested.
Jones was twice tried, convicted and SEN
fenced to be hanged, and as often the case
reversed by the supreme court and sent
back for new trial. For over two years
he laid in jail, here and at Vernon, Frank
lin ard Bloomington. In September. 1888,
he was convicted the third time and SEN
fenced to be hanged, and prejudice ran
so high that perjury and subornation of
perjury was resorted to on both sides to
convict and acquit. Tie Rev. William
son Terrull was foreman of the
last jury that tried the case.
At the same term of court Kad Herrings
was convicted and sentenced to be hanged
for the murder of John Conner, Sunday,
July Is. 1888. Conner was an elderly man
and an uncle of Herring's wife, visiting
them. Herring happened to exhibit a
cow-bell, which he said be had found;
Conner claimed the bell, when Herring
few into a passion and abused Conner so
he took his wife and started to leave.
Herring grabbed his rifle, when Conner
started TO run, and when climbing over
the yard fence was shot by Herring; run
ming a short distance he fell dead. The
alarm was soon given and abouttwenty-five
of the excited neighbors arrived on the
scene, but Herring had reloaded his rife
and, standing over the dead body of his vic
tim. refused to allow anyone to come near,
threatening to shoot any person who made
the MISUNDERSTANDING in his madiened
frenzy to watch the body until it was fly
blown. JOIN Richardson offered to shoot
Herring, but was persuaded to desist.
Herring final V left OF his own accord. and
hid himself for d VS. in a sink-hole, and
was finally captured while eating dinner
at a neighbours, and brought here ard
jailed. When his trial approached the
plea OF insanity was set up as his defense,
but the jury didn't take much stock in
such lodges. Herring was convicted and
sentenced TO be hung. The doomed men.
both Jones and Herring, were executed
from the same scaffold bv
Sheriff John Mckinney, father of
the notorious Buck Mckinney, who alter
ward killed Martin Risbrecht, for which
he vas sentenced to Ii e imprisonment,
but was pardoned by Governor Hendricks
after serving twenty-one years.
The prisoners were taken from the Jail
by a squad of militia detailed by Col. T.
g. Lee and Lieut.-Col. James McFall and
Maj. Samuel Beck, and, preceded by a file
and drum, marched slowly to the scaffOld.
Jones was grOggy and weak, and seemed
to fully realize the awfulness of the stu
alton. Herring was sJo!idly indifferent
to his fate or the surroundings. After
prayer on the scaffold by the Rev. Joshua
Mcqueen, Jones responded with much
emotion, but Herring made no reply. Fol-
lowing this were two or three perjury
cases on account offalse testimony given at
the trials. In n case 1t was developed
that Jesse Williams was suborned to swear
falsely IN order to saw Jones, by paying
him $40 cash, a horse and saddle and a
slxty-doliar note. Jones was ~fiitv-six
years OF age when hanged in October, 1888.
He formerly came from South Carolina.
He C engaged in a deperate plot to
break Jail, but was frustrated.
These were the second and third mur-
ders1n Bartholomew county and the only
legal hangings which ever took place in
the county up to this date.
The first murder was that of Gen.
Samuel Downing, whowas shot by Abram
Ireland in March, 1881, the killing of
which was witnessed by only three men.
Downing was drunk and had threatened
Ireland, but turned to go when Ireland
shot him dead on the street near the
courthouse. Ireland, more fortunate than
Jones aud Herring. was acquitted.
In this cary day the stores nearly all
kept whisky and treated their customers.
On muster days treating was very common
and sometimes a good deal of drunkenness
was INDUCED in. On one occasion Gen.
DenniDg, who was then brigadier Of the
militia, poured a barrel of whisky and a
half barrel OF sugar in a public we'll on
Westinghouse. and invited all to twist
the pump handle and help themselves to
Rrog woolly as a hairy dog
On one occasion in these pioneer DAYS
the whisky gave out and there wasn't a
''drap OF the critter in town." and wagons
were dispatched to Madison for a supply,
and when word was received that the
wagons were coming the people went out
with flags end martial music fife and
drum to escort the whisky in, and there
was then a general rejoicing. This was in
the days when there were no railroads
Madison was hen the metropolis of In
diana and everything was hauled in
wagons from there, to which point it was
shipped by steamboat from up or down
the Ohio river.
PACKED IN A TRUNK,