The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-27
SENT T0GALLOWS BY MONKEY
A. VERY CURIOUS TRIAL FOR
MURDER
In Which the Dumb Evidence of an
Ape Was the Determining Factor.

satlOn IN jurisprudence that has neVe
/, been equaled in modern history sal
+ Julius McGreath of New Orleans
= what do you think of a monkey as
!. witness in a murder trial? Oh, that /
5 not all of 1t, for his testimony led to thu
conviction of the man and woman
2 charged with numbering his master
= The man will be hanged unless Cover
nor Foster intervenes, and the woman
has been sentenced to the penitentiary
, for life. The evidence in the case was
all purely mstantial-except thai
: given by the monkey, for If ever an an
imal spoke that monkey did.
, 1T is simply one more tragedy of the
! old Mississippi, whose turgid waters
have been Redeemed more than once
with human blood The story sounds
more like narrative of the ante-bellum
days on the river so replete is it with
incidents reminding us of bygone times
perhaps you know that the house
boat has not quite disappeared from the
Mississippi AS usual thing they
start in below ST. Louis fitting out
either at Memphis, Cairo or some other
point not too far from the scene of their
operations. They are equipped with
groceries, provisions, small farming i'm
plements, notions, calico prints, in fact
everything which one would expect to
find in the stock of country store.
They drive down the current of the riv-
er. stopping at hamlets and houses on
the banks, driving shrewd bargains
with the inhabitants, who sometimes
find the inland store too far away, or
too rtH tfN rrnt hot
want.
Sometimes a rude sail is hoisted
when it is desired to cross the river, but
this is not often done. The tublke
craft is steered and half propelled by
means of long sweeps, or clumsy oars,
from the stern. 1t Us wonderful to see
the evolutions the houseboat will per-
form when the sweep Is In the hand of
an experienced riverman. These trav-
cling emporums used to do thriving
| business a good many years ago, but
lately the railroads and other auxiliaries
of civilization have forced them to the
rear. 1t is very rare thing to see one
nowadays. They belong to a past
epoch.
"A few months ago man by the
name of H. N. Alderman, more fire.
quently known as Bill Alderman, came
down the river in one of these house
boats. He was a shreWd fellow, and
had realized that there was little profit
In a mere huckstering enterprise
His scow contained a regular MENACE
rie, consisting Of trick ponies, perform
ing dogs, monkey and merry-go-
round. I have forgotten where he
came from, but he stopped at every
town and village along the Mississippi,
and he made money, for the country
people have few amusements, and al
most anything serves to furnish diver
sion for them.
"At one of the landings, about one |
hundred miles above Baton Rouge, he |
picked up a man and woman who gave
the nome of Starr, claiming to be man
and wife. Alderman said that he need
ed help in his show, and agreed to give
the pair a certain percentage Of the
profits. the woman to do the cooking
and the man to help with the perform
ance The trio led sort Of Huckleber-
ry Finn existence, going wherever they
desired, stopping to fish, and tying up
to the bank at night.
1T would be hard for the average
person to understand the attraction
such an entertainment, poor at the best,
would have for the simple-minded peo-
pie who live along the banks of the
stream In many cases a railroad does
not come within, fifty miles of them,
and about the only amusement they
have is to watch the steam packets 60
ng up and down the river. The major
ty of them never saw circus, and few I
If them have ever been inside the
smallest theater. Ackerman's show,
With its merry go-round, its ponies and
logs capable of performing unheard- !
If tricks, set the rural denizens Wild {
With delight P. T. Barnum's name {
would have not been one-half as great
|, talisman as that of Alderman, He !
lbsoIutely owned the community wher- I
,ver he went. |
The prize Of the whole combination q
vas Jocko the monkey. Ponies and Il
logs were ordinary domestic animals, a
nut this simian, with its almost hui r
nan face, was something irresistible. b
t furnished the people something to o
ak about for days to see him leap n
rom his masters shoulder, take Off his f
an, and make his tour of collection. o
OGkO WI uCNOleo W AthSi eiiiN r
,as his constant companion. Acker-
ian never left the boat without taking II
Is pet with him, for Jocko would have r.
cen inconsolable in his masters abb a
snce. The monkey had more fidelity n
ven than dog, and was most in CT
.l1igent representative of his species &
1.-THE houseboat continued down the G
yer and at its approach was heralded 81
Y word of mouth, for Alderman de- 81
ended on a well-satisfied public as his fc
1vance agent When the show left OF
evalls Landing in April Alderman 7
as with it, but he did not appear at re
e next stop. The people asked for sa
m, and Starr said that he had gone pi
orth on packet to attend to some ST
lsiness in southern Illinois. Several &C
ope who had seen the show farther
the river came to see it again, and nj
ey pursued their inquiries, which were ne
ct with contradictory replies when 1T eli
me to details The actions of Starr bt
d his wife grew more and more suspi- be
Jus, and an investigation was made SO
Finally the suspected pair were ar of
sted by the authorities at West Baton TO
,uge parish, in which Devalls Land al,
? is located. The evidence was purely lo'
IT was true that Ack- a