Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-28
SELF-DEFENSE IS
THOMPSON CLAIM

Chapel on March 15Igave his version
of the killing Thursday morning in
his cell in the DeKalb county jail at
Decatur.
He was captured by county officers
late Wednesday in a secluded spot in
the Dawson county mountains,
where he was said to be assisting
in the operation of a liquor still. Two
mountaineers aided the officers in
making the arrest. They escorted
Deputy Sheriff i. S. Henderson to
the still and introduced him as one of
their party.
Henderson aimed revolver at
Thompson and told him to hold up
his hands. Instead, the alleged muir
derer reached for a, shotgun, but the
deputy quickly stopped him with two
bullets. One took effect in his left
knee, and the other entered the calf
of his right leg. He was still weak
from his wounds when seen in his
cell Thursday morning.
The prisoner was fairly composed
and calm as he talked with report
ers, but his face was marked with
lines of worry and suffering. He
told his story in simple and well-con-
nected language. He said he shot
Brown while the young farmer was
advancing on him with his hand at
his hip pocket.
Thompson is charged with having
shot and killed Brown when he dis
covered him in the road near Wesley
Chapel with Eula Putnam. Brown
was to have been married in less
than a week when he met his death.
Two days later the woman was ar
rested and placed in the DekaIb
county jail, but Thompson had been a
fI1C rif i've fnT NIyhn
was arrested Wednesday.
County officers say Eula Putnam
at the time of her arrest declared
that Thompson shot Brown ''abso-
lutely without cause" After Thomp-
sons arrest, however. she said he
shot only in self-defense.
His Story
"On the night of the killing he
declared, 81 went home after dark
and found Eula gone. A negro girl
told me she had gone down the road.
went at once to try to find her,
dred yards [ came up on her and
Brown. When he saw me coming,
Brown started toward me. He said
not a word, and I did not open my
mouth, either. He had his hand on
his hip pocket and when he began
advancing on me, I pulled by pistol
and fired once.
on back to the house. Then 1 left in
my automobile and went straight to
the mountains. I have been at the
still near DaWsonville ever since the
killing.
ct want to say, too, that several
days before the killing, reports came
to me from several sources that
Brown was making threats against
me. I heard he had said he could
shoot a gun just as fast as I could,
and other remarks like that"
The prisoner said he had not en-
gagged an attorney. He did not know
whether he would retain one to rep
resent him, he said.
Woman Talks
While Thompson was telling his
story, the Putnam woman sat in an
adjoining cell and begged the officers
to let her see him.
IF they hang him for what he's
done, 1 will know there is no Justice
in the law" she declared. between
sobs. She is being held without bond
as a material witness in the case.
1.-THE first thing 1 want to say is
taht the newspapers lied about me
when thhis thing first happened" She
that the newspapers lied about me
that Thompson shot Brown without
cause. What I did say was that he
shot him without word"
She frequently stopped during the
interview and wiped the tears from
her eyes.
"The night the killing occurred
was darR. I was at home by myself.
Two little negro girls who lived
down the road a piece came up to
borrow some kerosene. ] gave it to
them and they wanted me- to walk
back with them to their house. It was
dark and they said they were scared
- o1- +IoY
to their house-about 300 or 400
yards down the road.
"When I came out of the house,
somebody grabbed me from behind
1t was so dark 7 couldn't see wheth-
err it was white man or negro.
1 had got almost to the road.
pulled away from him and when he
spoke 1 recognized his voice. 1t was
Ernest Brown.
HE said he wanted me to kiss
him, but 7 wouldn't do it and kept
trying to get away. Finally I pulled
partly away and just then I saw
somebody coming down the road. 1
said, Somebody's coming; and now
I reckon you'll turn me loose He
whirled around and started toward
Thompson with his hand on his hin.
l don't know what he was going to
do, but Thompson pulled his gun and
shot one time. Brown fell.
Jake (Thompson) turned around
after he shot and walked back to-
ward our house. I followed him and
told him he couldn't leave me there.
So we got in his car and came back
down the road past Browns body,
which was lying close to the ditch.
Jake took me to his fathers house
and I stayed there for day or two
before I went en- TO my own folks"
Details of Capture
Several DAYS ago Sheriff J. A.
McCurdy received information as to
Thompson's whereabouts. Deputy
Sheriff Henderson, with w. M. Fos-
ter and John M. Swami, both of Stone
Mountain but formerly residents Of
north Georgia, left Tuesday for Daw-
son county in an effort to capture
the fugitive, for whom rewards to-
falling $500 had been offered.
The three men arrived at their
destination Tuesday night and visited
whom Thompson was supposed to be
living temporarily. They posed as
liquor runners" desiring to pur-
chase a quantity of lincolnshire" and
say they successfully negotiated for
the trade, agreeing to return We'd
nesday morning, get 80 gallons of
whisky and make their way back to
On Tuesday night, while at
the home of the mountaineer owner
of the still, they saw Thompson, but
were unable TO seize d 1aVOrdple
moment to arrest him.
Wednesday morning, after consid-
cradle roaming through the hills,
Deputy Henderson and his two COM
panions located the still and say
they found Thompson at work there,
with two other men. Surrounding
the still, the raiding party ordered
to throw up his hands,
covering him with their pistols. He
obeyed, but when an attempt was
made to handcuff him, he broke and
ran toward a pile of shotguns lying
near the still. Deputy Henderson
and one of his companions fired,
bringing Thompson down with bull
lets in both legs. He~was then man
acled, placed in an automobile and
taken to Gainesville for medical at
tention, after which he was brought
to the DeKalb county Jail at De-
catur.