Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-24
! THE PARDON OF KREBS AND PRESTON BY GOVERNOR n

AE&&Hs COURT VI ANNNAl1t - 90 oAN
Ben Krebs vs. the State OF Texas, $
court Of appeals. p. /, and come to
any other conclusion than did the juries
and court OF appeals. J pay Gov. Hogg
the compliment OF thinking that n he
I ever read them at all he did it hastily
and casually.
Who Had Motive.
Before answering the question as 10
''who did IT, I wish first TO inquire
/ who had n motive for doing II. and had
any one threatened 10 do the deed2
II was not necessary that all three OF
| these defendants. Preston. krehs and
/ Taylor. should have made threats or
had motive for the deed, though a mo-
! live and threat was shown for two OF
them, for II krbl was there ANA help
cd to XIII or II serious threats and a
motive are shown nEainst krebs alone,
II equaly convicts the others. Their
own declaration and the testimony OF
their witnesses settles this beyond all
controversy.
Who Threatened Murder.
Who had u motive FOR killing tine En-
sland'a and who had threatened 10 do
go! Let us refer TO the testimony.
Harvey Taylor the main witness upon
whom Gov. Hogs relies for his action
in pardonlnE Preston aud Krebs. testi-
Hes upon tbs point as follows: About
month before the murder OF the En-
gland fnmHny. william England, Mrs.
England and witness were down at
IArebs cornneld, putting up the fence,
so that Il would keep EuE'and's live
Stock out Of krcbS field While there
they heard boss squeui,ng and dogs
barking and went 10 gct the hogs away
a diilcuhy occurred between William
England md hon Krobs. England
pointing out % lSrchs some cracks 10
the fence, KreD5 got angry ana pick
ed up a fence stake six feet long and
approached England Ia an angry and
threatening manner with the stake
raised and IN striking distance OF Eng
land, Mrs. England interposed and told
Nrebs 10 talk TO hcr at which he
backed OH and came again, several
times. In a threatening manner, ana
Cd d--n you, Il YOU come down here
any moro Will XIII you
on cross examination the witness
said that Krebs then took him doyn
the creek and talked with him long
time and said. ~ England Is a Chris
tan and does this way. 1 have no use
for Christianity; he'll is boiling for such
men rs he IS" When the threatening
gesture was made by Krebs the fence
was between them. Isaiah Taylor was
not present then Page $50, vol. 8, court
OF appeals.
W l. NIX anu AlDell hammond Tor
the state testified that two or three
weeks before the murder OF the Eng
land family they, Ben Krebs and sew
cral others We're at the blacksmith
shop in the town OF Montague. krebs
seemed to be mad; he had a stick and
was showing how a difficulty between
him and William England had occurred.
krebs said England had indicted him,
and before he would be sent to the
hon tlH lta.
That Id Rascal.
Jonathan Stroud testified that in Ju-
Is. 1876, ne was travelling IN. cad near
krebs' place and met Is 4iah Taylor aAd |
Bridgewater, and while talking With !
them Krebs and his wife came up.
Isaiah and Br.dsewater went o.. short !
distance and witness had talk with /
hrebs about tr. sher, when kctbs I
commenced talking aeOut his aim ulty |
With the England family and po.nt- /
ing his finger at l4llan chr Il glands /
styp-son) said, III ever I get a chance =.
at that Did rascal. ! viii c.ean m .
up" CHOW well he kept lis wo d LET /
the night of August 2jth. 1876. tolD |
krebs spoke about their a.noy Ing hiM 4
and SAID ne had been run over an out us |
much as he Intended to allow a his /
much for MIR, hrJOs and his motive .
and threats. Now a lite about Pres
ton.
John Crier testified that o time
before Ne murGe Ae. ames traston,
ana others, wet on a buffalo hunt tina
Preston Spike ang as,u. ths EA,-
land family and said thy had zen
witnesses against his son: but witness
could not remember his words.
W. w. Richie tcs id d mat about
sundown August 20, 1876 Con the night
et wh!cn day the muruers were co IL
matted), he and his son were at Ben
hrebS' house and saw uhere tlreth IF
Ben krebs. James Prast TN and A. X
Taylor-the latter had shotgun and
a httie boy wlth him a pis.ul; they
started on and said thy We're goI. z
nundng.
Now, Who Did Itf
asserted In these trials that the
direct evidence agdi-si these uen was
5ulhelent 70 hang them without The
and tlat tie cir UNI
stantiai eNiuence was strong tnou -,h to
hang thern without the direct and
rep sat that asseruo1.
ience.
The direct evidence comes from tie
Witnesses, Mrs. Selma Il 81 ma ana hcr
'oh harvey Iaylor. Was uneir testl-
nony true? Was 1t wcr.hy of balefq
/ Will state one fact here that do,s
lot appear IN the record | believe. blt
which can be cstab shed by my MN
yer or better wl,ne SIS than ,uu h for
vhe thinBa set forth IN Gov. H3sgh
,ardon proclamation, and that is ms
hat never, from the time when s0e
cached the slolter al her .rienl. Ma
les house. TN her last * 4irl. q breath
id she utter one hsr4h word m rep,,ri
q the murdercrs Of HERSELF. her tus-
'and and her two childr n. On IN
ohlrary, She continual prav.d %.
hem IN her dying MON nts and all
hlNugA her suffering. Noe, when Won
cad her dying deelarauon ana her
tatements "a TO krebs and Preston.
low careful she " TO state the ,xtrf
ruth. In only one ? lat IL thers al
pparent conflict between Nor ana
tHN} Taylor and upon this Gov
q ~ builds his main ar.ument. she
vas IN the house and not out on ~,
oich where Harvey was. She nrv
tW A. n Taylor, hut sac could ana
"a see ISAIAH, VINO was Standing In IN
our, ana wnen lsa.nn was shof dom
ma Immediately afterwards Krebs
ushed into the room she very NAT raj
thouget that It was Krebs Who TAI
hot Isaiah. 49,
What They saw.
a. X, Taylor never came whore eItbar
lrs. England or sus e could see IN,
" eouptless followed Isaiah out 10
mere ne was finally found in the road. I
sae 9nH SAW krybs ana Pres on ami
Sthr@uy concluded that Krebs had