The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-03-03
BATS0N TELLS
HIS OWN STORY.
Saws Real Murderer took Ad-
vantage of his Leave
taking.

Princeton, Mo-, March ED
ward Batson, in Jail here charged
with the murder of the EARL
family of Welsh, La, has made
the following statements:
Il left Ward Earll's farm on
the morning of Wednesday, Feb
ruary IL. l left because | was
discharged. Ward had been out
all night. He said when he
started that he was going to a
dance, and l suppose he did. He
had been drinking and was not
in a very good humor. 1 started
to clean the stable out and harm,
ess the mules, just as l did every
day, as my work was driving a
team of mules. Gin, one of the
mules, acted the fool and plunged
forward and l jerked her. Ward
said that won't do. I guess l
won't need you any more. Then
he paid he s11.223 that was com
ing to me, and left. said,
| good bye but he did not answer
me. I tramoed across the fields
to Welsh, which was only
| three miles away, and got there
about ten o'clock. I stayed
around Welsh until night, sleep
ling under a box car on a side
track, A passing train woke me
iabOut midnight. ] found it was
going 20 Beaumont, Tex, where
wanted to go and l got into an
empty freight car. l rode IN
this car to little town between
Lake Charles and Orange, Tex,
II caQ't remember the name, but
| can locate 1t On the map OF the
| Southern Pacific. think it was
the last station in louisiana, and
the first water tank beyond Lake
Charles. / got there at day light
and as soon as any Of the stores
opened I got in one of them.
Thai was on Thursday, the 18th
the day ! was charged with com
hitting the murders, / stayed
there till afternoon, when
caught another freight for Beau
mont. l got there at sundowr
the same evening and went tc
the oil fields. That night l bull
a bonfire and slept along side o
it near the Texas and New Or
leans railroad tracks. Next NOR
ming. Friday, the 14th, crossed
a trestle to where the PittSburE
| and Gulf tracks cross the South
ern Pacific. [ stayed over ther,
until earlysthe morning OF oatu1
dry, the 18th. That is the da,
the newspapers say Ward Earl
!. was seen alive. Early that morn
ing l caught a Pittsburg an
Gulf train north. l followed thu
road till l reached Kansas Glty
But 1 travelled by short stages
always in empty box cars. ] wa
q ditched atOrangelate on the lot
and didn't reach Shreveport III
til the evening Of Sunday, tn
10th. l stayed there until tt
next morning, Monday, the LIT
when l got train for Mooring
port, Ark, leaving there u
- same evening. l remember
was No. 80, and went to Men
'e Ark, getting there at 6 p. m.
g the 18th. From there l went
Stillwell, l. T., getting there
the morning Of the 10Th.
stayed there only little viii
when L got d train to Pittsbul
Kan, getting there the night
~ 10Th, Wednesday. From Pit
burg went to Kansas City, 6
20 ting there on the evening
k ~ Thursday, the goth. / stay
60 90 that night at the Pittsburg a
s Gulf round house. 1 put up
e as good talk to the night watchm
- ~, and gotto sleep by fire. NJ
- ~ morning I got breakfast at Be
S p res taurant. Then / walked oV
Vs. u, the bridge and caught Hanni
zsa and ST ice train to Kearney
" Clay county. l stayed there
re til 9 o clock on Friday night wi