The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1895-08-30
.Nesr .Idreyfisen,enn
CARD.


OF lllc Ciatks netltiOn 10 the Tower
uor for pardon tor the crime of tramp
killing. He claims that he was convicted
on the unsupported evidence of Charlie
Tagert. We will take the evidence of
Mr.. Alfred E. krebs, Mr.. j. A. Miller and
Mr.. Robert Cline, who arrested Willie
Clarke at Horn Island befOra he knew
that Charlie Tagert had been arrested or
informed on him; he said he would get
even with that - and Bob
Cline said calling Charlie Tagert's name.
In this he virtually admitted the crime.
In regard to the statement made by
Clark, that Charlie accused Clark of kill
Ing the ramp to save himself from being
lynched. is false, as Charlie told Mr.. +.
II. Lewis, the sheriff, Immediately after
being arrested. Nj. Lewis never accused
Charlie of the killing of the tramp, brit
asked him If he knew anything about it,
and Charlie readily told him that Willie
killed him. The whole petition is exas-
Grated and is false from beginning to end.
Mr.. Hubert +. Krebs, who was mayor of
P~ascagoula ut the time (Wlliie's uncle
in-law) stated that lie was satisfied at the
time who did the killing, was the reason
he did not push The Investigation. lie
stated this after Willie's conviction.
In resard to Willie Clark's good cha,ac-
ter, | will say to begin wit h, his father
was II professional gambler, aud during
the dark days of reconstruction under
Republican rule, and while Ames WAS
Administrator, he was sheriff of This
county. Afterwards he owned and kept
"A negro bar-room, and his two youngest
sons grew mp to be perfect terrors to the
town and once, years back, went by the
names of Frank and Jesse James, and
seemed to glory in the nam,s, rs the y had
well-earned 1t by their meanness. There
were very few boys here that associated
with them and stunned them as being
too bad to keep company with, and their
mother upheld hem in NIL their meanness,
abnsing any one that dared to complain
Of her sons, and many was the complaint
taken to her against them. She would
never believe anything any one told her
about them. Ii Willie had been punished
long years ago Tor unlawful acts he did,
this last and worse affair would never
have happened.
Only II few years ago they threw a
stone, brickbat or other missile and hit II
minister on the head as he came ont of
the church after preaching Zone of the
best men that ever lived aud had never
harmed them in the least) ANA he blei all
the way 10 Scranton, rs he was riding up
at night, but in the goodness of his heart
he did not want them punished. but the
people of Pascag0ula were tired of their
unlawful acts and had them arrested
aud they were fined in coult, aud all the
way home they were vOwing revenge ON
The parties that had them arrested. The
minister was the Rev. D. d. Bowen, now
at Ellisvllle. That was ano Their of their
title acts Just for fun. And their only
%sis,er, Julia Clark, is Just as low as Il
woman ever gets TO be. and she has been
for years, aud lived in the same house
with those boys and their mother. amp
some few months ago got into Il drunken
row in il negro bar-room, so | understand,
with some negro women and had to leave
TO escape trial, and is living with the
lowest class of negroes in Mobile and
passes herself AS colored. This is what
the Picayune calls of good family and
good reputation.
| have spoken TO Il great many men
who say they never read thai petition OF
Clark's, aud if they had and seen the
style it was gotten up IN they never,
never would have sigred it.. Us they feel
too sure that Willie did commit the crime
he WAS accused of. Moreover, those boys
were the cause of our boys trouble, as
we feel sure that If it had not been for
Smiths knowledge of Charities part in
the tramp trouble he c0nld never have
influenced Charlie into that terrible af-
fair. Charlie was not n bad boy. but I'M
fortunately he went with those bad boys
ana ina ieao 10 All tne 'F'aeis. NN'ti!e
was an lnans'gi0us oov, ana whtn lie
came home from !, days WORK one OF 'hosc
boys wonld he hnhi'hg MN peiofe ne
could hnlsh hissnPper. -,
Though we advised n'm NOT 10 go WIN
them, Charlie was only II when All tins
happened, aud It was not us II he was II
man to know aud understand what ii ter
rible thing it was, but men that were
boys themselves once, can realize what
bad companions can do. 1t Is very much
against my wishes to bring up this sad
affair agaiu and bring mp peoples family
affairs and history, but even after Gov.
Stone has made the horrld mistake OF
parloning such Il ~well-known villain the
Clark family should not be satisfied, but
keep harpln. on the subject and trying
to bring Charlie IN for the whole thing.
even claiming that Charlie lever admit