Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-03-05

him to find things out, but ] wash I
What good would it have done me
if | had found out things? ] never
could have done anything with EN-
If | found a gold mine, somebody
would git it away from me an accuse
me of tryin' to steal it. But Bill de
clared | was his hoodoo. lie said
was nightmare, an it made him
shiver only to see me around. he
must have felt like when he see a
yaller dorg, he wanted to throw
stones at him. He swore he would
kill me il / didn't keep out OF his
way, an every time he come across
me on the street, not thinkin' of him
at all, he just up and fought me an
| allus got the worst of it.
"WeH, this evenin', along late in
the afternoon, he run into me as
was turnin' a corner, an he swofe
did it a-purpose, but how could l!
| couldn't see around corner, could
| l? Then Bill says: Damn you, I've
got you now where thar amt nobody
looking, an I'll just kill you an fee
easier With that he draws his gur
an says: Say your prayers If you've
got any, afore you git sent over the
range whar you'll never come back
to bother me- | didn't keer much
about whether | was dead or alive
| but just at that moment | felt as u
| wanted to live, so | stopped dowr
without thinkin' an picked up a rocl
that happened to be lyin' thar, an
dashed it at him. Maybe he was tool
by surprise an thought / was gittin
on my knees to pray. | didn't have
no gun nor anything else about me
an / had no thought to kill Bill.
Just threw the rock for luck, an II
| happened to slam him in the face
! That's all thar is to it, Judge
sheriff, where's Bill?" inquired q
bystander.
"Ob, he's dead, all right enough,
replied the sheriff. Hes lyin' oui
there where he fell, most likely as
stiff as a pick handle by this time. :
Jim, was Bill dead when you left
him?" asked the judge.
Il don't know, Judge" answered
jim. 'He fell down when the rock
struck him; that's all l know about
it. / amt no doctor, but | opine he
was unconscious or he'd a-shot."
81 suggest that we visit the res
gestae," said the clerk of the court
Second The notion" said a town
councilman. Lets take suthin' hot
first; it's on me. What you goin' to
have, Jim?"
In few minutes the party re-
turned to their position around the
hot stove, and after quiet was re-
stored, the judge spoke:
"Mr. Sheriff, open court"
This having been done in the usual
fashion, with the preliminary com
mand: "Hats off, gentlemen; court's
in sassia,a', ;, .he--I~-I- li-' .i---~-.ss'
of "the people against james Burley,
charged with the murder of William
Jackson"
A jury of 70 was then impaneled,
and the defendent interposing no OBJ
lection, the prosecuting attorney ex-
amined witnesses, who testified to
the finding of the corpus deficit and
the defendants admissions. Where
upon the judge. turning to the pris'
oner, requested him to tell his story,
after cautioning him that he could
not be compelled to give any evidence
! tending to criminate him..
81 told YOU all | know awhile ago
Judge" said Jim. Il hain't got moth
in more to tell"
We'll, tell it again" insisted the
| Judge. II guess it won't hurt you
any; besides, the court wants the in
! formation"
jim repeated his story, and volun
teers on his behalf testified that q
careful examination of the res ges
fac disclosed the fact that a big rocE
Law beside the dead man, and that il
his hand was a gun, on the trigger
of which was still pressed a frozen
finger, one cartridge of said gun be
ing empty-that is to say, the one
/ upon which the hammer had falleI
when the trigger was pulled.
Joe Bowers, policeman and q
former COW puncher from Arizona
after qualifying as an expert, testi
| fed that Bill jackson must have
been ready with his gun before the
rock was thrown. for the reason that
the gun could have been drawn
/ quicker than STOPPING to pick up {
rock from the ground. That it was
impossible to tell whether Bill Jack
son was killed by the rock thrown by
| the prisoner or whether he had froz
en- to death while lying unconsciou:
! opinion. it was special dispensatior
of Providence that Bill Jackson wa:
to die before Jim Burley, and thai
it was n mere accident, if not cleal
case of self-defense.
The testimony having been all ad
duced. the Judge charged the jury
! who returned verdict of mo
guilty" without leaving their seats.
"And so say you all, gentlemen
added the clerk, who was punctiliou
about forms and ceremonies.
After shaking hands with the pris
oner and congratulating him rpol
his acquittal. arrangements wer'
made to bury Bill Jackson, and tn
Judge and sheriff resumed their in
terrupted game of billiards, with jim
/ Burley as referee.-Chicago Record
Herald.