The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-11-24

WHICH WAS uCIl liiS hSEA" NNNJ
no solution further than to develop
some circumstances that pointed TO
the Smith negro as the possible STAY
err, The removai of the ball from the
dead body the next day and the es- /
tablishment of The fact that it was OF
the same calibIe as to-, IT Smiths
pistol was only anotb ~. in the
and the confession OF
the negro will be of no particular sur
prise to many who have kept up with
the case.
The following is Smiths confession
as published by the Tennessean:
Oby Smith, alias CODY Newly, who
is being held in the Davidson county
Jail charged with the murder Of amos
Matthews, white farmer of Maury
county, confessed to having killed the
man to Deputy Bragg, Tuesday after
noon. He claims it was an accident,
as he could not see who he was shoot
/ ing. Jess Workman, who is Icing
held in jail with Smith, was released
from all connection with the killing
by his companions confession
Smith said that several weeks prior
to the killing of Matthews, he had
engaged in fight with another negro,
being victor. After the fight was
over. the negro that Smith had beaten
swore that he would kill Smith and
bought a gun with which to do the
killing. Smith said he had been on
the lookout for the man ever since he
had made the threat
. On the night the murder was COM
mitted, the prisoner said, he had
gone to bed early and had probably
been there an hour when he heard a
whistle outside his window, which
sounded as though some one was call
ing. When he got up and went to the
window he saw the figure of man
lowering around the yard, and while
he stood there watching he heard the
whistle again.
He said that he Immediately thought
that it was the negro that he had
beaten, come to make good his threat.
The figure in the yard was standing
near the front door, said Smith, so he
got his gun, which was 32-calibre
Smith & Wesson, and tiptoed out the
back door and around the house until
he could see the man, and then he
blazed away.
When the shot was fired Smith said
that he could not tell whether ne hit
his mark or not, as the man turned
and ran, without making any sign
THAT he had been hit.
Later in the night James T. Petty,
on whose farm Smith lived, came
:. over and told him to get some cam
, phor. Smith, thinking it was for Mr.
: Petty's child, went after the medi
cine and when he reached the Petty
home he found the dead body of Amos
7 Matthews.
Smith said that Matthews was
about thirty feet from him when he
shot and that the bullet went into the
right lung.
When questioned by the officers
: Smith said that he told them that he
: did not do it because he was afraid
: He also said that Workman was
asleep when TIE shooting took place
| and had nothing whatever to do witt
D it.
/ When the two negroes, Smith ant
> Workman were brought to Nashville
, they were placed in separate cells ant
Deputy Bragg tried to get a comics
sion. but both OF the men denied haV
ing anything to do with it. Last FIR.
= day they we're placed in the same Gel
II and Friday night Smith told Worthar
that he had done the shooting. Thi
IL was communicated to the deputy. bu
G Smith would not say anything whe
. questioned.
l. Sunday, Smith was converted by
10 preacher who visited him in the ja
III and when seen by reporter from tn
d Tennessean and American he sal
Ill that he had to set right with God an
lie he couldn't do it with that lie on hi
mind. He said that he was very so
u nv for what he had done and wa
" ready to take any punishment mete
y out to him, but that the whole a
u fair was an accident.