Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-25
THE Pu0EBUs MURDER.
August Doesn't Know Whether He
Committed II.

NEWPORT NEWS. VA. November e.
Especial Louis August. the Fort Monroe
artilleryman charged with numbering AM
NE Benedict. in her home at Phoebus
some time during Wednesday night was
sent TO await the action of tine 0"4''d
jury nv Justice J.. -. Funoss. before
whom the case was heard rms morning.
Ofhcer Williams made a visit 90 thu Fort
IN search OF the clothing which August
wore when tine murder is said To have
been committed by him. Tho officer found
the clothing hid away I'm the box used
by the accused. ana brought them To- the
Sherinrs office The garments were COW
cred with blood. when August was shown
the clothing Doe unhcsitatngiy said they
Were his. and the same that he had worn
on the night that the woman was muir
dcrod. After the hearing the prisoner
was sent back 90 jail. Shortly after tho
preliminary hearing August was visited
IN jail by the newspaper men. The man
seemed 10 Dee uncOncCrned about the ser-
Gus crime with which he lis charged and
talked freely. He now denies his confess
sion and says he docs not know whether
or not ne committed the crime. lie said
he went 20 Phocbus on Wednesday eve
ming about o'clock and after visiting
several saloons got very drunk Refer
ring 10 the crime, August said: 81 don't
know whether ] did it or not for ! do not
remember anything ! did after o'clock
until O'Clock yesterday morning. when I
found myself lying along the road across
the old Point bridge, dead drunk How
long l was there don't know.
Il went" continued the prisoner. 'tO
the fort as soon as / could ] took "a bath.
and then noticed for the first time that
nv clothing were all bloody I changed
my garments so as TO be able TO answer
reveine and placed the old clothing i'm
my box. All / know about the murder is
that they say | did IL. ] was drunk. ana
don't know what l did. i was born in
Germany, but came TO America something
like twelve years ago. When l first came
10 this country / worked In the Indian
Territory as a coal-dgger Then / went
60 Schuylkin, Pa, whore ] also followed
the coal-mning business. From Pennsyl-
Vania | went 90 West Virginia. whore ]
remained until last April when / joined a
volunteer company of soldiers and went
10 Washington At Washington I joined
the regular army as "a member of Battery
A, and was soon sent with my battery
10 Fort Monroe"
lie said be had made no arrangement
20 secure counsel and as he had no
money he did not know what he would
do. August said he had always borne "a
good reputation. and this was the first
place ne had ever gotten into trouble of
any sort lie also expressed the desir,
that no one would write 90 his people
whom he said were living I'm the old coun-
Try. and apprize them of his present c0n-
dition. August was asked If he had any
thing 10 say concerning the murder OF
Minnie Fargo. which occurred over two
months ago I'm Phoebus. He stronuously
Gisclaimed any knowledge of the murder
whatever. saying n he knew he would
tell all The authorities are more than
ever convinced that August knows more
about the Minnie Fargo murder than hC
now claims They believe 70 will De shown
that this Is only the beginning Of cvidenc,