Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-03

after his gun, but | was a little closer
to the house than he and beat him to
IT, When he was only three or four
yards from me / raised the gun and
fired. He dropped dead i'm the yard -
When asked why he didn't immedi-
ately come to town and report the kill
1 ing to the authorities, which would
probably have resulted in mis- being a
| free man, or at least, facing charge
less serious than murder, Lewis re-
piled:
Yes. sir. / know now that is what
! should have done. But | was SO
/ badly scared, terror-stricken and eN-
cited when | saw | had killed my
cousin that / Immediately thought of
concealing the body. | loaded it into
a buggy. drove a quarter of mile and
/ buried it in an irrigating ditch, after
ward turning on the water"
Lewis vehemently asserted that his
relations with Mrs. Terhune We're emil
nently proper and that he never had
uttered a disrespectful word in her
presence and that he never had given
his cousin the slightest cause for ieal-
ousY. Among those who are ac-
quainted with Mrs. Terhune this part
of the prisoners story Is generally be-
lieved.
Lewis claims to have thought a
great deal Of Mrs. Terhune and their
thirteen -months-old child, He de-
elared he thought more Of the child
than of anyone else ON earth, while his
affection for the mother was purely
slsterly and innocent.
| The officers still believe that Ter
hume was murdered In cold blood b.
Lewis because he was infatuated with
Mrs. Terhune, and hoped, with her
husband out of the way, that he could
prevail upon her to marry him. When
Lewis was first arrested Mrs. Ter
hume was brought to his cell heavily
manaced. Feigning arrest the
woman pleaded with Lewis that he tell
all he knew about the crime that she
might be cleared of the terrible charge
Of numbering her husband. She tragi-
cally protested her innocence and
claimed to be almost broken hearted
because she had been separated from
her child and thrown into prison.
Lewis could not stand the spectacle of
the womans agony anc promptly
broke down and confessed that he
alone was responsible for the death Of
Terhune. He said he had struck Ter
hume with a shovel, cut his throat and
afterward buried the body in an irri-
eating ditch.
When asked why he had lied about
killing Terhune with a shovel, and af-
terward cutting his throat. Lewis said
this story was suggested by the Off
GERS. He declared that he would have
admitted anything in order that the
woman might be freed from an unjust
charge. Lewis still believes Mrs. Ter
hume was arrested for the murder of
her husband and he does not know
that her visit to the jail was a ruse on
the part of the officers to induce him
to confess.
Mrs. Terhune. who is a woman OF
attractive appearance, Processes to
have no sympathy for her husbands
slayer
Lewis is rather an unattractive spe-
eimen Of a man and there are many
here who advance the theory that he
Is mentally unbalanced. Toward the
close of his interview with the Morn
ing Journal man, Lewis kept on rec
peating:
II can stand on the gallows and
truthfully say | never utterd a dis
respectful word or made an improper
remark to Mrs. Terhune in my life |
wish he had Killed me and beat sac
with the gun. He accused me OF
something Of which ! was Innocent
but / forgive him, although he is dead.
How | wish | was the dead man and
that Terhune had killed me"
Lewis left his home at Fayetteville,
Ark. when he was but "a years of
age. going to sherman, Tex. He
worked in that section, generally as a
comman laborer for many years. lie
also worked as a coal miner at South
McAlester in the Indian territory. He
came to New Mexico some five years
ago. He was married In 1901 to a
farmers daughter in Fayetteville, his
wife diving two years later. He said
he had but little education, but could
read and write and he had read the
Bible considerable. He harped con- |
tinually on the subject of his honesty. !
declaring he had always paid his
debts and constantly returned TO the |
declaration that he had not slain Ter /
hume that he might marry his widow. (
He said that drinking had several /
times caused him trouble, but claimed 1
he was sober Oh the day The crime was
committed.
Questioned concerning his religious /
belief. Lewis declared that. according 1
10 his understanding Of the Bible. /
there was no forgiveness nossible for /
him He had violated the divine COM
mand Thou shalt not Kill and there I
was nothing in the commandment 4
about self-defense or justifiable homi-
eide. Lewis said he had not prayed /
since his confinement In Jail because
he did not believe IL would do any /
good. "If | thought there was any
hope for me Ia the hereafter he said,
II certainly should pray To the Al
mighty. But there is NO nope Tor me
and I am eVerlastingly lost"
Lewis commented on the tact thdt
none of the Roswell preachers have
been to see him, saying he always
liked 20 talk to "A preacher and would
like 10 see one now.
At this juneture the iailer came TO
inform the newspaper man that the
time had arrived 90 close the jail for
The night. and the prisoner was left
moaning. no nope no
hone. no hone for me. nothing but
he'll. have violated the
Thou shalt not KILL
oh. | don't want 10 die, and II would
be unjust I'm the eyes of men 10 even
send me TO the pcuitentiary | could
not have kept the secret Of killing Ter
nun even If they had not arrested Mrs.
Ferhune. / intended 10 tell u. ~
was haunting me. ] would nave beeh
to tell II.
COPPER BAR0NS IN
A =