El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-29

In the Dallas News 6ccOuuG VI tu'
preliminary trial of the Hum pnrle'
lynchers the first witness te7tlheo u
follows:
my name is Polk Weeks. L live
near Cedar, in Henderson county, Tex
[ Am "a wears old. 1 have been mar
ried, my wife is dead, but L have three
children. have lived in Henderson
county since last winter, but l lived
here before that about three years ago,
l think. 1 was raised in Navarro coun'
ty. live in Henderson county, about
five miles I'll is side of Porter's Bluff.
know Joe and Walter Wilkinson and
the other defendants in this case. l
was not acquainted with Jim Hum
phries. They say that he ia dead.
Some one spoke'to me about.doing VOL
ence to the Humphries about three
weeks before their death.
THE person who spoke to me was
Mr.. Joe Wilkinson. He came there
and wanted to get up mob to hang
the Humphries. They wanted me into
it. They spoke to Mr.. Johns and Mr..
Johns spoke to me. AT first was NOT
willing to do it. They then came back
again and said that the Judge and the
officers told him if he would get up
mob and mob the HUMPHREYS tney
would see him out of it.
HE said that they ought to be kill
ed: that they were running the country.
He said that they killed Bergman al
ready and we're now harborlng Patlson.
Finally 1 agreed to 60 with him, as ne
said the officers would see US out OF It.
I'VE met one night and made plan.
They set the night to do the MURDER
ing. 1t was to be Tuesday night. We
were to meet about 200 yards from the
place where Rhodes. the man who was
Ia l. 81 1iVRd- We
were to meet there at 10 O'Clock at
night. We met there and discussed
how we were going to do 1t. Ihey
were going to claim they were search
ing for Patison and were going to take
the Humphries with them and make
out like they did it to keep them from
notifying Pstison.
I'VE went on from there. The next
place where we stopped was on Sandy
creek, at least 1 suppose that is what
thew call it. It ls the first little creek
YOU come to. We all got together.
We passed house where there was
man standing in the door in the light.
I don't know who lived there. L was
riding with John Greenhaw then and
as we passed the house he said that was
bad. He meant that it was bad that
the man should be standing in the door
and see the crowd. The next time we
stopped was when we got right close TO
the corner Of Jim Humphries. We
rode up on the right and were sworn"
"What do you mean by that" in
terrupted Mr.. Morris
1--WE rode up and were sworn" re-
peated the witness. "Mr. Johns swore-
us. We swore that if any of US gave
the hanging away that night that Inc
fret man of US tina. heard Of it would
go out and kill him, and not walt to
get the crowd together.
"Then we went from there aud cir
culated around through the woods
near Jim Humphries' house until we
got back pretty close to the road that
leads to the corner of their field.
there we left the horses. Well,
two men stayed with the horses and
the rest went up to Mr.. Jim Humph-
ries.'
"Joe Wilkinson and Arthur Green
hsw stepped with the horses, ana all
the rest as 1 said. went up to Mr..
Jim Humphries. 1 think myself and
John Greenhaw went to the back OF
the house to guard the back door.
They got Jim HUMPHREYS up and car
the house, and while we were waiting
there l went around the house and sat
down on the gallery.
''Mrs. Humphries asked me to have
q chair and 1 would not take 1t. Then
1 wentsback to where John Greenhaw
was. | told her Mrs. HumDhries) that
nv name was Jones and that l was an
officer.
"After while we circulated off and
went back down the road and we met
them right about the crossroads. They
went down to John Humphries' and
got him and carried him out to where
= Thou had carried
Jim Humphries there, and this was
John Humphries.
s'Then we went up to George
and me and Mr.. Johns and
Mr.. Mahan went in, the house. We
got MIR. George HUMPHREYS and took
b i'm up there. We pretended we were
looking for Patison. They carried him
Off and left me and Greenhaw to guard
the house. We stayed there fifteen
or twenty minutes, maybe"
"Why was the house guarded?" was
asked.
s'To keep the women from giving an
was the reply.
''Then we went back down to where
the, people were. When we got there,
as well as recollect, Wilkinson was
lying a rope around George Hum
phries' neck. Then they stopped and
talked u little and tried to find out
where Patison was
You say when you came back all
three of the Humphr .es were there
With the crowd?"
Eyes sir, Mr.. Joe Wilkinson was
,rying a rope around the neck of one of
The Humphries. Then they said some
hing to the HUMPHREYS about stealing
Joe Wilkinsou's horse, and he was cur
sing them for stealing the horse. and
hey denied that they had done it.
Then he talked about the killing of
R,rryp,on md than he said. tYou ara