Pocahontas star herald., 1910-09-02

Charles Pickett, who was arrested
Wednesday night of last week, at the
Mack farm, about IL miles from Pc
cahontas, charged with the murder
of George Keeney for whom he was
working, and who was remanded tc
jail by Squire j. A. Allison, acting
coroner, was taken before him again
last Monday for preliminary hear
ing.
We stated last week that the law
firm of Witt & Schoonoyer had been
engaged to defend Pickett. but such
is not the case as they refused to de-
fend him and he retained Atty. T. w.
Campbell.
Pickett waived his examination and
was remanded to Jail without bail to
await the action of the grand jury
which convenes next January.
Is A CHANGED MAN
After languishing in the jail from
Thursday until Saturday evening he
began to realize the grave charge up
on which he is held and from a Drag
gadocio state he has become very
humble and penitent, weeping a
great portion of the time and writing
notes and having them passed around
town asking for the sympathy of the
citizens. He is a changed man from
what he was when arrested.
MRS. KEENEY ARRESTED
On last Monday when Squire ALI
son convened his court, the room was
crowded and there was large num-
Der OF people present from the section
where the crime was committed.
Among the witnesses was Mrs. Sue
Keeney, wife of the murdered man.
1t had been rumored that she was
implicated, and the officials acting on
this and other circumstances, war
rant was sworn out and she was plac-
ed under arrest, charged with COM
plicity in the murder and her hearing
set for Thursday and Squire Allison
informed her that he would be obliged
to remand her to jail as the law for
bid him to grant bond on a murder
charge.
PLEADED PITEoUsLY
At this she broke down and wept
bitterly and pleaded piteousy with
the court not TO send her 10 Jail but
he again told her as above. She then
asked to take her two children with
her but this was denied and then it
was that she said that if given a
chance she would tell all she knew.
TELLS DIFFERENT STORY.
Atty. Will Jackson, assistant prose
cutting attorney, was called at her
request and she was taken to one of
the jury rooms where she is reported
to have made a statement about as
follows, in fact it is the talk of the
town and has never been denied and
is the opposite to that told by PICK
EFT after the murder.
THE STATEMENT
About as near as we can ascertain,
she stated that Keeney and Pickett
had been to Pocahontas on the dav
of the murder and had brought some
whiskey home with them. About an
hour from sunset they began talking
politics and got into a heated argu-
nett over two candidates. They la
ter went and fixed some fence after
which they returned to the house and
during supper continued arguing.
When they had started to retire for
the night Pickett came in their bed
room and asked Keeney what he had
told those. d. lies in Pocahontas on
him for. Keeney replied that he had
not talked about him, whereupon
Pickett hit him with quart whiskey
bottle, knocking him to the floor. He
jumped on Keeney and she pulled him
off. Pickett then grabbed him and
pulled him out on the front poarch,
where he hit him several times with
a revolver which was unloaded. Mrs.
Keeney attempted again to get them
loose and tried to arouse the neigh
bors by ringing the bell and scream
ing, but Pickett stopped her.
Pickett then drug him to near the
side gate wher he cut his throat and
afterwards went to the back of the
house where he got large scantling
with which he hit Keeney on the
head
THREATENED MRS. KERNEY
Pickett then returned TO the house