The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1906-10-23
MAN HANGED FOR
AN0THER'S CRIME
Truth Brought to Light By The
Confession Of the Murderer

A correspondent of the n. o.
Picayune ays:-In thinking of
the past my mind wandered back
to the good old days before the
war between the States, and
while cogitating, my memory re-
called a tragedy that was en-
acted at Holly Springs year or
SO before hostilities between the
North and South were actually
inaugurated, and will give you
the facts concerning the crime.
the principals, the trial, etc., as
near as it is possible for me to do
after the lapse of many yers, and
| was quite q youngster.
Ia the year 1856 there dwelt
near Holly Springs two families
of que stionable repute, named
respectively Smith and Mask,
and these two families were near
neighbors, farmers in a small
way. The principals in the trag-
edy were young men, sons of the
families just mentioned; had be-
come enemies, but the cause
therefor / am unable to say.
However, they had freq cent
fsticuffs. One evening late, as
Mask was riding by Smiths
home, he was hailed by the dat
ter who began abusing Mask. and
Mask replied in kiud. Smith put
his hands on the fencing, as if
be intended jumping over it into
the road, when Mask drew a
small pistol and fired at Smith,
but the ball did not take effect on
the intended victim, but hat the
effect of stopping Smith from
getting over the fence, and Mask
proceeded on his way home.
Mask was out riding the next
morning, as was his won't, and
net some ladies, who told him
Miss Smith (the sister of one of
the principals of tbs narrative)
was dead. Mask replied that he
was unaware Of her sickness.
The women then told him he was
accused OF numbering or killing
her. This he emphatically de-
MED, stating at the same time
that he fired only one shot, and
that was some distances from the
Smith house, and that none Of
the family OF young Smith was
IN the vicinity of the trouble be
tween himself and Smith, Mask
however, remembered to have
heard a shot in the direction of
of the Smith domicile after he
mad gone a short distance on bis |
journey home after his trouble
with Smith. At the instiga-
ton of Smith Mask was arrested,
the former having sworn out a
warrant accusing the latter of
being his sisters slayer. He
was incarcerated in the Marshall |
County Jail, and there he re-
for four long years. He
was during this time, given sew
eral trails, and each time was
convicted of murder in the first |
degree. Smith, the brother of |
the girl, swearing point blank
that Mask killed her; that he saw
him commit the deed. Mask, on
the other hand, 5toutly denied !
his guilt, and public opinion was
divided on. the matter. The case
was tanen to the Court of APP
peaIs, Supreme Court, for final
and that tripuna
the findings of the
over court, and date fixed for
he execution of poor Mask.
Mask made no more effort to
rec himself from the mandates
If the law, out become reconcil-
sl to his fate but still strenuous
" denying his guilt.
Mask when put in Jail could
leither read nor write, but went
% work to master an education
md in this determination he was
assisted by the kind iailer Cabel
Furr aud his family and before
lis execution be had become
airly educated; SO much So that
le had become enabled to write
pamphlet giving q history OF his /
rouble with Smith, but denying
hat he had any connection what