Birmingham age-herald., 1895-02-08
The Sentence of the Law Will Be
 Carried Out, and
EUGENE BYARS WILL HANG
He Has a Lengthy Talk With an Age-Heraid Reporter.
 Denies Being Guilty.


 talk with Eugene Byars, the condemned latter vehemently denied murdering Eu- gene Walker.
 Byars contracted a cold Wednesday night and was suffering considerably from it yes- terday and last night. He frequently com plained of being sick at the stomach and occasionally vomited. He got very hoarse and by night was hardly able to speak above a whisper.
 The reporter informed Byars that the columns of the AGE-HERALD were open to him and any statement he might make
 would be published. He accepted tbe offer and made the following statement:
 "I am absolutely not guilty of murdering Eugene Walker, and if l hang tomorrow, which know at F o'clock will, it will be for something of which I am as innocent as the angels around the throne of God. don't fear death, but 1 am not willing to be put to death for something I am fnno- cent of.
 "I have been charged with many crimes that know nothing on earth about. am not near as bad man as people think am. Cowards and liars have caused my conviction. I feel confident that some of the witnesses against me know all about the killing of Walker.
 "Coroner Dusenberry testified that tried to steal ring off Walkers finger at the nndertaker's shop. went In there to see Walkers body. l asked MT. Dusen-
 berry what was found on the body and he replied nothing but ring, and it was so tight he couldn't get it off. He being the coroner and making that reply to my question, l thought there was nothing wrong in taking it off and giving it to him, which 1 certainly would have done.
 took hold of his hand and turned the ring and saw it was very tight. then laid his hand on his breast and told Mr. Dusen berry would go and telegraph Walkers father, who lived near Eldridge, h Marion county. went to the telegraph office and sent tel egram to Will Skelley and told him to no- tiiy Thad Walker that Eugene Walker had
 been murdered, and 10 come on the first sent by Thad Walker from Carbon Hill stating that he would be here on the morn- ing train and asking me to meet him at the depot. l was arrested about or 5 o'clock
 and was in jail when the telegram came. 'sI felt confident all the time that the true murderer would be arrested and that would not have to suffer death for some- thing of which am innocent. As it is, have no hope of escaping the gallows and paying the penalty, which is wholly un- just.
 My conscience is clear, and have hope of eternal rest and happiness. l feel that God has forgiven me for all my sins, and don't fear death, but it seems to me that it is very unjust proceedings of the laws of Alabama.
 "I bid farewell to all my friends and hold no prejudice against any one, and trustand pray that no other poor man will ever be persecuted and prosecuted by as isgraceful a set of witnesses as swore against me. Such has never before dis graced a court of justice. There were a great many witnesses that I don't think had anything in the world against me, and told just what they knew, while others swore the most unreasonable lies on earth.
 "Bright Musgrove testified that he saw me get on the car with Eugene Walker, which is true, but it was either between 12 and 2:30 o'clock or between 2:30 and o'clock. got on the car near First ave-
 nue twice that evening, and one time stopped at grocery store near Avenue C and employed young man to get some
 freight had at the Kansas City depot, and
 l gave him the money to pay for 1t, and
 also paid him for hauling 1t for me at the same time.
 WEugene Walker owed me S5. 50. That morn ing he gave me a S10 bill and told me to keep it all, bull told him l didn't charge him any interest. l gave him x5 bill, but we couldn't make the exact change. While at the store he gave me 50 cents.
 "The character of the witnesses who swore against me is very bad. t'In regard to Smithson and Watkins, who were indicted for perjury, instead of them being prosecuted it ought to have been some of the state witnesses. They told the truth. They were with me at the times they claimed to be and left me when they said they did. Smithson's recollec- tion of papers was that he had heard H0me- body say something about it. ''Chariey McKleroy testified that he never saw me that night until about Il: :15, and swore that he was at Warble's saloon from to II o'clock and that 1 was not tn ere. John Marble and others say was
 there three or four times between and 10 o'clock. McKleroy was not there or would have seen him. Marble said he saw me at his saloon the last time about ten minutes to 10 o'clock and that said was going to see friend of on the Kansas City train.
 Hilary Conway testified she was Mary Caldwell and swore her father was Jack Caldwell and that he had been dead | four or five years. Her mother's brother, Mir. Vandiver, swore her name was Con- way, and not Caldwell.o
 MANY VISITORS. Byars had great many visitors yester. | day. He was not alone in his cell at any | time from 10 O clock until night. Dr. J. c. Morris was with him from 10 | until nearly 12 o'clock, and as soon as he | left Byars' mother and brother aud Rev. | Mir. Lee were admitted to his cell. l Ine bCcue DttNecu DydTS uuQ Hl5 | mother was one of the saddest ever witt
 messed. Tears freely flowed from eyes that l perhaps had been strangers to tears for a | long, long time. Hardened criminals | sought solitude in some corner of the jail | and wept in silence.
 | As bis mother turned to leave the cell | Byars cried out: ''Farewell, farewell! I'm innocent.' A row of men, inmates | of the jail, could not restrain the tears. MIR. THAD WALKER. MT. Thad Walker, father of the murdered man, was in the city yesterday, having | come in on the early morning Kansas City train. He was seen at the sheriff's office yesterday by an AGE HERALD reporter, to whom he stated that he had not come to witness the execution, but had merely come along with some friends. He said he had no doubt of Byars' guilt and thought he ought to confess it. on the gallows | today. - PRIVATE EXECUTION. & The laws of Alabama require that all ex- | cautions of parties condemned for capital | crimes shall be in private, and stipulate that they shall be witnessed only by certain parties therein mentioned.
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