Evening journal., 1914-10-31
|. B. LEGG BRANDS
sweeney MURDER
CHARGE AS FALSE
IContlnued from First Page.l

aHdlf occurred, ana was nowhere
near. have never borne any i'll will
against Hugh Sweeney. and so far as
| know we are the best of friends
have heard that he charges me with
striking a blow. which resulted in the
death OF a man by the name OF Davis
which resulted in his conviction.
did not know this man, nor his name.
until told at the time Il occurred. I
wish you would tell the public in an
swer to what has been said that the
accusation against me is false, and as
have said before, was nowhere
near the scene, nor did I see the blow
struck"
It also was said at Legg's home that
Sweeney was frequent caller several
years ago at Legg's home, had remained
there over night, and within week had
stopped 81 the doorstep and had talked
with Legg for some time.
"Wil MIR. Legg institute legal pro-
ceedings against Sweeney Mrs. Legg
was asked today.
u do not want TO say anything
cannot say what my husband will do
was the reply. "Mr. Legg had issued a
statement, so the newspapers will have
to be content with that"
Sweeney's declaration against Mr..
Legg is as follows:
I'm the summer Of 1872 Lew Legg
and I worked in Philadelphia. on
August 13 Of that year We came to
Wilmington to go with the Fame
Hose fire company, Of which we
were members, on a steamboat ex-
cursion to Bridgeton, n. J. On the
way down on a train We removed
our coats. saw a blackjack in
Legg's coat pocket and tried to get
possession of it. l wanted to throw
It from the car window, fearing he
might get into trouble IL he carried
1t. Lew and I tussled good-natured-
ly for the weapon, but was unable to
get IL. Let me have It, he said, i
may have use for 1t tomorrow.
"The next day. August "A, a fight
began in a diningroom Of o. o.
Davis hotel. Bridgeton. A young son
of the proprietor was struck in the
head with a blackjack by Legg. I
saw him do It. Legg escaped to the
steamboat and hid In the pilot house.
was arrested. The victim lived two
days. When he died, / was charged
with murder. At that time the feel
ing between Delaware and New Jer-
sey was bitter because of the Della
ware river fisheries disputes.
realized that IL Legg was caught he
would hang, while / knew the worst
/ could get would be sentence for
manslaughter. l was kept in the
Cumberland county, n. j., jail for six
months and during all that time I
said nothing The sheriff and prose-
cutor tried to put me through the
third degree, but they had their
work for nothing. I kept quiet.
The sheriff even placed a detective II
| an adjoining cell 20 try and pump me
soon caught on and told the sheriff
/ TO take his 'stool pigeon away. A
the trial, John Mcclure, a fellow fire.
man, and Mary Baker, also OF vii
mington, testified that / did not strik
/ the blow. When / was called to tn
stand, said nothing. l admitted moth
| ing. Legg's name was not mentioned
/ District Attorney Hoagland told tn
| jury that if / could remain in jail TO
six months and keep quiet l should b.
/ allowed TO rot there. This was really
what convicted me. I got six years a
I Trenton.
81 got one year and seventeen day.
off for. good behavior. When was
| leaving the prison, General Mott, the
superintendent, said; Sweeney, 1 an
glad you are going out OF here. Yot
should never have been here
"When I returned home in 1873 thI
members of the Fame Hose Fire Com
pany, some of whom knew / was limo
\ cent, gave me a reception at my house
I Legg, who had never written me no.
| come 20 see me, was an unlimited guest
He wanted to shake hands, but / re
fused. 4 am done with you l said
You did not have manhood enough Il
let me hear from you His answer wai
an outburst of tears.
"All the years since then, whenever
we met, ] simply nodded my head, and
he did the same. I undoubtedly saved
him from hanging by taking lesser pun
ishment myself, but he showed no appre-
citation. Poor Legg. have suffered for
him. I have sent him word by mutual
/ friends several times TO admit the crime
in order TO remove the stain from my
4 two surviving children. He has done
I hpAuAhA- 0oN hhpWr \ Qtu uob Nttk ul1
notoriety. II would never have beer
told by me had it not been necessary
in court for me 60 save myself"
Sweeney said that just before tn,
victim died he told his mother that "ths
man under arrest was not the one who
struck me-" The mother did not testify
at the trial.
Sweeney today denied that he had
ever slept in the Legg house or that
he visited there.
Sweeney also denied that he hac
said Legg was dead, and some per
sons in the courtroom must have mis-.
understood his statement
Sweeney's statement in court may
enable him to cast his ballot in Tues.
days election, as Deputy Attorney
General Chaytor has been informed
that manslaughter Is not felony IN
New Jersey. Judge Rice is not hold.
ing court today, but a decision in the
Sweeney registration case is expected
on Monday morning.
Some Democratic workers, eager /,
try to make political capital out OF tn,
Sweeney registration appeal, have beer
circulating story that Isaac r. Brown
Republican candidate for register o.
wills, was instrumental in working M
the appeal. As a matter Of fact Mr.
Brown did not work up the case. Tn,
appeal was worked up by part,
worker, and it happened that il wal
made on blank signed BY MIR. Brown
who didn't know OF the Sweeney cas-,
until after it came up in court. Under