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

TO the house than he and beat him to
II. When he was only three or four
yards from me / raised the gun and
fired. He dropped dead in the yard
When asked why he didn't immedi-
ately come to town and report the kill
ing to the authorities, which would
probably have resulted in his being
free man, or at least, facing a charge
less serious than murder Lewis re-
Piled:
Eyes, sir. / know now that is what
l should have done. But | was so
badly scared, terror-stricken and ex-
cited when l saw l had killed my
cousin that l Immediately thought of
coneealing the body. / loaded it into
buggy, drove 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 were emil
nently proper and that he never had
uttered disrespectful word in her
presence and that he never had given
his cousin the slightest cause for jeal-
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
great deal of Mrs. Terhune and their
thirteen -months-old child. He de-
clared he thought more of the child
than of anyone else on earth while his
affection for the mother was purely
sisterly and innocent.
The officers still believe that Ter
hume was murdered in cold blood by
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
manacled. 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 woman's agony ana 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 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-
cimen 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 re-
lpeating:
Il can stand on the gallows and
truthfully say NEVER utterd dis
| respectful word drsmade an improper
remark to Mrs. Thrhune in my life. /
wish he had Killed me and beat me
with the gun. He accused me of
something of which | was innocent,
but | forgive him, although he Is dead.
How l wish ! was the dead man and
that Terhune had killed me-"
Lewis left his home at Fayetteville,
Ark, when he was but IA years of
age going to Sherman. Tex He
worked in that section, generally as q
comman laborer, for many years. He
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
70 fIVrf.a I.t ii
he had but little education, but could
read and write and he had read the
Bible considerable. He harped con-
tnualIy 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
he was sober on the day the crime was
committed.
Questioned concerning his religious
belief Lewis declared that, according
TO his understanding Of the Bible
there was no forgiveness possible for
him. de had violated the divine COM
mand "Thou shalt not KILL" and there
was nothing in the commandment
about self-defense or justliable homi-
eide Lewis said he had not prayed
since his confinement In Jail because
he did not believe 1t would do any
good. "If l thought there was any
hope for me In the hereafter" he said,
"I certainly should pray to the Al
mighty. But there Is no hope for me
and l am everlastingly lost"
Lewis commented on the fact that
none of the Roswell preachers have
been to see him, saying he always
| liked to talk to a preacher and would
like to see one now.
At this juncture the jailer came to
inform the newspaper man that the
time had arrived to close the jail for
the night, and the prisoner was left
piteously moaning: "No hope, no
hope. no hope for me, nothing but
everlasting hell. / have violated tho
commandment, Thou shalt not KILL
Oh I don't want to die, and II would
be unjust in the eyes Of men to even
send me to the penitentiary. ] could
not have kept the secret of killing Ter
hun even IL they had not arrested Mrs.
Terhune. / intended to tell IT, 1t
was haunting me / would have been
compelled TO tell IT,
COPPER BAR0NS IN
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