The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-12-29

In the dailies of last week an article
appeared in which the slayers of Mr..
Ben Pettigrew and his children made
clean confession, but at the same
time set out to obtain the mercy of
the court and the sympathy of the peo-
pie by playing ignorant No man not
well read in the laws could compose
such a statement. The article in toto
follows:
Decaturville, Tenn, Dec. 21.-(Spe-
cial) Confessing that they killed Ben
Pettigrew and his son and daughter,
written statement has been address
ed to the public by George Shelton and
John Bailey, now in jail here. j. M.
Hill, mentioned in the statement, is
fellow prisoner charged with arson.
He is being held in default of $1,000
for his appearance before the supreme
court at Jackson next April. The
statement is as follows:
December the 14th, 1911.
Decatur, Tenn, Decatur Co.
To The Publick, and, the, honor,
cort, of decaturville, Tenn, we was
associated with Mr.. ]. NJ Hill he read
the Bible, to us, and talked to us,
about our, soles, and, all so Read To
us, in st. Mathews the, 10th Chapter,
and, The, 26 VERGE, that thire was
nothing covered but, what would, be
uncovered, and nothing hid what
would be knowen and he talk to us
about telling, the truth at the blessed
Jesue3, said that to tell the, truth
would make us, free and we do know
that we did great rong but
god has forgive us as Mr. Hill, had us
go to god an, he has forgive us, and
Know we with up stretched ormes,
ask tho clemences and mercies of
the, People, and, the, cort, to do all
they cane, for us as we air both mar
led boyes, and, i George Shelton aire
onley Is Yares, old, and, never, Had,
the chence to go to school and, was
raised up by a Good Fother, And, Oh
My, Der, OLE Mother, and my, Wife,
/ and, Little Baby, if, Had, Onley, of,
| Knowen at the start what all this
would of, cause, me, would Not, of,
done, it, for, aney amount of, Money,
But, Mr.. Lige, Scott, tole, me, to,
That ole, Ben ort, to be, Killed, and,
got out of the neighbor Hood, and
John Pailey, it, A Brothenlaw of,
George Shelton and, is, "a yares, DID,
and His, Parints, Died, when he was
a little Boy, and he, was raised up
heare and, yonder, and, xix from Pill
Ter, to Post and, we, Both, have, no,
Egacation, and, never, erlised what a
black Path, of, sin we had been trav-
ling, till Mr., ]. M. Hill, Read, the
Bible to us, And, Praid, for, and with
us, and, then, we begin to Relise what
we had done, and Ben Pettigrew Mis-
streated Me Georg Shelton When l
was a Boy, and, | had. it laid, up in
store for him up till | Shot, Him and
John Bailey, had, this gintes the
Nigro he Tole a Seamless, Lie, One
My Sister, Some. Few Yares Back and
, my Older Bro, Worne, Baily Jumped
Ben, Pettregew, bout it, and, he
knocked, My Brother, in the He'd, and
Give Him a Good Thumpen and,
then said if oDerturnety ever. come
in nv favor ! would, fix him and
: me aid my Brotherenlaw Georg, Shell
ton, Pfter Finding, out, that others
, one the Branch in Fact all of. The
People was Anxious, to get, Red Of
: The Nigros, We, One DECEMBER
1st, 1911, after noon went, over tc
Beeus Field and Saw him and, his
son and, Daughter Picking, cotton
and His. Son Fred Tole us, The first
Of, The Weak That He was going
j home a Friday morning, and, if, Fried
Had, tole, The Truth, and of gone
home we would of not of killed him
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