Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-03
HapIeSS Murderer Held in Cha
YES County Jail Sees Nothing
but Visions Of GaIIowS and
Eternal Punishment,
CLAIMS KILLING WAS
DONE IN SELF-DEFENSE
Officers Trick Prisoner Into a
Confession by Bringing Wife
of His Victim Before Him In
Chains.
Especial Correspondence Morning Journal l

tndlnS,
Especial Correspondence Morning journal. !
Roswell, n. M, Aug. 31.-Unlet-
tered, uncounth and uneducated, there
Is hapless murderer in the Chaves
county Jail who has no hope of es-
Gaping the gallows and no hope of es-
Gaping eternal punishment in the here
after.
This man is Moses L. Lewis, who
slew his cousin, Leland S. Terhune,
buTying the body of his victim in an
irrigating ditch. Lewis does not as
sumo the attitude of many murderers,
and especially condemned prisoners, in
claiming that as soon as their souls
are released from their bodies they
will be waited to the realms of eternal
bliss. Lewis is penitent and does not
say he is going to perdition in the
Dragging manner of many condemned
ing utter Indifference to death and the
hereafter.
Contrast to Harry Orchard
The story Of Harry Orchard is in
striking contrast to that of Lewis. Or
chard is now calmly baskng in what
he calls divine forgiveness for the
numberless murders which he claims
he committed for hire. Unlike Or
chard, Lewis feels that his crime in
taking the life of a fellow being is
beyond forgiveness He feels that God
will not forgive hisl for killing his
cousin. notwithstanding the fact that
he claims the killing was done In self
defense Lewis is not anxious to die,
but declares he would rather be in
the place of his dead cousin than in
the county Jail with the terrible charge
of murder hanging over him.
The prisoner when a boy, back in
Fayetteville, Ark, attended Sunday
school. and had some ideas of his
own in regard to religion. He is the
child Of poor parents and was born in
Fayetteville in October 1878.
His Remarkable Story of the Murder,
The story of this murder is as re-
markable as any in the history of
American criminology, and undoubt-
edly many mind experts" will come
here from the east to study the pris-
oner.
The remarkable part of the mans
story Is that, while he claims the kill
ing was done i'm defense of his own
life. he yet processes to believe that
there is no hope for him, either here
or in the hereafter. He reasons:
There is no hope for me when / die.
The Bible does not say anything about
killing a man in self-defense. | have
violated the command, Thou shalt not
kill | killed this man and l must go
to everlasting punishment when
die"
At his preliminary hearing, lie yis
waived examination and was re-
manded to the county Jail without
bail to await the action of the gi1nd
Jury. He was seen later in the jail
by representative of the Morning
Journal. who interviewed him at con-
siderable length and obtained good
photograph of the prisoner.
AT first Lewis received the newspa-
per man coldly and seemed dlslnclined
to talk. but after a little time changed
his mind and concluded to relate his
version of the crime for which he
now lies within the shadow of the gal
lows
When arrested and confronted with
his victims wife. who was handcuffed
and apparently a prisoner accused of
the murder of her husband, Lewis con-
fessed that he had knocked Terhune In
the head with a shovel and afterward
cut his throat. At the inquest 1t de-
Veloped that the dead mans head was
filled with buckshot. When confronted
with this fact, Lewis admitted that he
had shot his cousin In the head.
The Prisoners Story.
The story of the murder, as told by
the prisoner, Is as follows:
"T have never told the truth about
this yet. did not intend to until
got into the court room or on the gal
lows, but you have struck me right,
and | VIII tell you for the first time
how It all happened.
1
cousin. and / have wished ten thous-
and times over that l was the dead
man instead of him.
I'VE had always been friends. and
since we were boys had gotten on fine
together. There had never been a Sc
rious rupture between my cousin and
myself beyond the little ordinary diff
ferences until three or four days be-
fore the killing occurred We had al
ways been friends and worked to
gether IN Texas before We came to
New Mexico. We came to the Pecos
Valley about five years ago and were
partners. We were partners in the
farming Of 220 acres Of land belonging
10 Mrs. America Bowman and 32O
acres belonging to Bud Wilson OF Ros-
well. About fifty acres was under cul-
tivation, In Kaffr corn and alfalfa.
We had a half interest In the alfalfa
and one-third interest in the
Kafhr corn on the Bud Wilson land.
We had full interest In the crop on
the Bowman place, Mrs. Bowman be-
ing Terhune's grandmother.
I'VE could not make a living In this
way and both Of us worked out for
wages For three or four days be-
fore the killing. my cousin seemed un-
usually cool toward me. One day
when his wife WAS on the homestead
ten miles away. he and ! were In the
yard and he accused me OF wronglnR
his wife. Upon my denying the aecu-
satlon. he shouted.
"1'il Kill yon
"He then started toward the house