The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-11-17
NEGRO SWEARS
CONTINUED From Page Cne)

together with George F. Wedegin,
one of the operators of the burned
factory, was indicted for arson.
Confronting Williams, when he had
and was turned over to the state for
cross examination, were a couple of
affidavits, made and signed by him
self, in which he admitted knowing
that the factory was to be burned on
!, the night that it was destroyed, and
in which he stated that Wedegin was
to do the burning
He admitted that he had sworn to
the statements, one of which was
made to ]. A. Chambers. superintend-
ent of the Southern division of the
Pinkerton Detective Agency. The
other was made in the presence of w.
c. Batson, a young attorney of Wig
gins, and Sheriff A. z. HARRISON. He
said, however, that he had signed
these statements under instructions
the first coming from Chambers, who
had threatened to beat my -
brains out with his pistol" and the
second from Batson, who had prom
Used to defend him when he came to
trial, and clear him of the charge
Refused to Burn 1t.
In the statement, the negro swOre
that Wedegin at first tried to force
him to burn the factory saying that
he and Rosengrant wanted the insur-
ance on it. This, he said, he refused
to agree to do. Wedegin then tried
to induce the negro, he continued, to
latter had been told of the plans to burn
had been told of the plans to burn
the factory, and had objected to it.
The negro also declined to do this.
/. The statement also contained an
alleged description of how Wedegin
had burned the building, how he car
ried oil or gasoline from the base
ment Of the structure. to the main
fpart, and had set fire to it, and then
had disappeared.
THE detective" the negro con-
tinued, visited me in Jail several
times, and tried to get me to state
that Mr. Wedegin had burned the
building | refused. Finally one day
he told me that if ] didn't make the
statement which he wanted me to
make, he would take gun and beat
my brains out I believed that he
meant it, and I agreed to it.
Later, I was taken to the Hotel
: Hattiesburg by Sheriff HARRISON and
MI Batson, where l made a second
+ statement Mr.. Batson told me that
if | would make another statement
he would represent me when my case
9 was called in court, and would see
I that I was cleared. | then agreed tc
+ make the statement"
District Attorney Hall then asked
the negro if he knew the contents OF
the statements to which he had al
fixed his signature. after he had beer
sworn. He said that he did
"Are the statements true or false?
he was asked
"They are false" he replied.
Odd you know they were false
when you swore to them?"
Al did.
4 Q.-Are you telling the truth now
2 or did you tell the truth then?
Al am telling the truth now, ana
lied then.
Q.-Why did you lie then?
Al was afraid of the detective
and l saw a chance to save a $3.50
) attorneys fee.
> Williams, who once was student
of the Fiske University, in Nashville
and who had gone to school at sew
eral places in Mississippi and Lou
isiana, admitted that he had read law
to some extent His testimony was
at variance with practically all OF
that introduced by the state, and With
many of his own witnesses.
He declared that he did not burn
the factory, that he had no idea who
did burn it, and that he was absent
from his home up to midnight on the
night of the burning.
Wedegin will be placed on trial as
soon as this case is disposed Of. He
is charged with burning the structure.
| The negro is represented by E. A.
Anderson and IT, B. Parker, of Wig
| Gns, while District Attorney Hall,
County Attorney Claude Hill, James
I'M. Vardaman and w. C. Batson, are
Representing the state.