The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-03-16

hoating aud, placing some heavy rocks
over him, sank him to the bottom O
the river, whore the water was abou
four feet deep.
Brooks and l then went back Il
the farmhouse and, telling the lady
Hunt was out shooting and might moi
return, hitched up the buggy anC
drove on down the road. About three
miles beyond the scene of the murder
we divided the money! keeping the
gold and giving Brooks about half the
greenbacks, which amounted to about
1850. / afterwards hid my part near
the scene of the killing.
Neither of us then skipped.
went straight to Bolton and took
charge of Hunts store. | told people
| | bad bought it aud knew nothing OF
his whereabouts but people got
suspicious. They searched the sur
rounding country'for him, but could
not find him. Several witnesses stated
they had seen us together that day in
the buggy, driving toward Harmony
against me and knew there was no
hope:
Wednesday of the next week one
of the deputy sheriffs came after me,
and stated he wanted to arrest me for
the murder Of Hunt. We were all
alone, and l could have easily killed
him with my pistol IL I had wished !;
but somehow or other / didn't want
to. don't believe [ would have gone
anywhere if had had the chance. My
conscience was hurting me dreadfully,
and just determined to face my
punishment.
Tho next day 1 confessed Brooks
and had killed Hunt, and told where
his body could be found. They then
went and pulled it out of the river and
found about 1880 of the money in green
backs L had hidden under a pile of
rocks near the scene Of the killing.
They then threatened to kill me.
| told ,hem to kill and be damned If
they wanted to. 1 really didn't care
whether died or not, and l was not
afraid of them. They locked me in
the calaboose there, and started to
hunt Brooks, who had gone with his
money to his home in Oakway, S. c.,
about forty miles away.
AS soon as Brooks found out they
were after him, too, he gave up and
surrendered the money. They brought
him back to Jefferson and put him in
jail with me.
Last night the sheriff wanted to
know where the rest of the money was.
told him it was hidden near the
river and that | thought could locate
it; So | was chained and escorted to
the scene of the murder, where it did
not take me long to find the gold near
little oak tree, where | had buried
it.
The sheriff was afraid [ might be
lynched to-day, so the Judge sent us
here, where | suppose we will remain
until the trial. | am glad of the trans
fer, because we will have much more
convenience here. and then am famil-
lar with Fulton's Jail, for Brooks and |
have been locked in here several
times before for making illicit whis-
key.
why did kill Hunt? We'll, it
was just the devil in me, l suppose.
That is the only way | can account for
1t. God knows | regret it now, and
would make any sacrifice If it could be
blotted out. [ have been wicked
man most Of my life, and have never
had correct sense Of right and wrong.
l suppose mpI; This u 81 IL Is partly the cause"
sat an eager listener. He acquiesced
in everything his partner in crime
had said, Offering no corrections or
denials.
1t has been rumored that Brooks
claimed he was forced to aid in putting
the body in the river at the point of
Reynolds pistol. If such was the case
he said nothing about it last night.
He acknowledged he was partner to
the tragedy for the booty he could get
out of it,