Year: 1878

WAS crazy. L rose ana started toward her
She was much larger than am, and she
leaned forward and caught me by the
hair. She fell forward on me, dragging
me with Ter. After that do not re-
member anything else until found my
self in mothers room, where my husband
and my husband were washing the blood
OIL my hands. had a severe cut on the
back of my right hand. They told me
that ! had killed Siss Fowler. They saw
told them / was glad oft. suppose /
did. do not remember anything dis
tinctly until found myself in the open.
air with my husband and one or two
friends hurrying over to Gilmer county,


We were then trying TO escape"


''Did you have a knife in your hand
when Miss Fowler spoke to you?"


II think l did. / had borrowed a
Knife from my father about two hours
before that. / bad done this without
thinking of any difficulty. really want
I'd 1t to pare my nails with. While the
feeling between Siss and myself was as
bitter az it we'll could be-, and while 1
knew she had frequently threatened to
take my life, did not think W. would
have any fight l was IN no fix TO en-
courage such thing"


WHO USED THB KNIFE?


"Do you remember cutting the wo-
mas?"


81 don't. I don't know that 1 cut her.
A great many believe that my sister
Amorelli did 1t. She was standing by us
when Siss Fowler caught me by the hair,
and she at once caught her by the back
and commenced trying TO pull her off Of
me. 1t may be that Amurelli got the
knife from me and did the cutting"


YOUNG, BUT NOT AFRAID TO DIR.


In reply To questions Mrs. Southern
said:-"I am just nineteen years old.
will he twenty next July If l live till
then. For two years before my ma rriage
] was member of the Baptist Church
and was in good standing HI the people
all tell you. when the killing occurred.
was earnestly trying to have good
life, and feel now perfectly at peace with
myself; am not afraid TO mse6 God.


my character? Why, there is no
man living who can say anything against
my character. l was as proper girl as
there was In the country, and when Bob
southern married me he found me as
pure as 1 wa' tho day was
born. Siss Cowart, did start a scandal
about me by saying that | had been
caught In the big swamp with man, but
this was disproved and Withdrawn and
nobody would father it. 1 never loved a
man in nay life until L met Bob, and
married him. There Is nothing that can
DO said against my character


WAS sHK MORALLY REsPoNsIRLB?


cam 1 sorry for the killing? or
course l am. wish 1t never had hap
pened; but l cannot blame myself for
what did. Twas crazy when 1 did it.
l had three epileptic tits on the Monday
before the killing, and 1 was terribly sick
from the effects Of them. And then, yeu
can never know how much l was pro-
voked by Slss Fowler. Even before my
marriage Bob told me she was dsinx her
best TO make him marry her. She said
she had quit her husband for him and
that she would not give him up-that
he should not marry me. She went to
his house shortly before the marriage,
and tiuding that he had come over to sss
me. shs broke up the furniture apd tore
things all to pieces. She went to him
with all sorts Of stories about me and
tried to make him Disguised with me
She even came to me, just before the
wedding, and told me ali about her low
ing Bob and her having quit her husband
for him, and begged anu begged me to
break on my engagement with him.
She FIRST begged me, and finding would
not do 1t, she began to threaten me.
insisted l would marry him, and she lett
very angry. When she came up 10 aIe,
sick and nervous and half crazy as was,
sitting by my husband, aud defed me, l
just lost my head. 1 did not know what
[ was doing, and solemuly declare that
| do not know whether or not l killed
her"


After our conversation with Mrs
southern WAS over, she was taken back
to the cage, her baby was handed to her,
the heavy door swung baok, closed re-
luctantly on it's hinges, and peepIng
throegh the bars OF the cage, We saw ths
wretoned woman stumble back to her
miserable bed, clasp her baby to her
breast and fall down upon 1t. AS we
were going ont of the door, she asked the
Sheriff to let her know when he receiy cd
an answer to her petition to let her hus-
band stay In the cell with h.r That was
the last we heard from her.


But let me say one thing In closing.
Commulati or no Communication |
have no idea that Mrs. Southern will
ever be hanged. The pen of man can
not describe the feeling that exists upon
this subject in the rough, mountainous
country in which the jail is situated.
The feeling is simply unanimous against
the gallOws In this case. MIR. Fowler,
the father of the murdered woman, was
10 sign her petition for commuLatIon The
day left Jasper. Her brother and her
mother (the Fowlers) are strongly in
favor Of cOmmulatiOn, and will work to
secure il. But in any event the people
are determined that Kate Southern shall
not hang. They do not hesitate To say
so openly. II Is rough, brave, impul-
sive citizen that rules the mountains OF
North Georgia. They are fighting forks,
who like nothing better than a row.
The religion Of the Southerns and the
HombriGks is TO resent an insult with
blow or a pistol shot. They fight at lbe
drop Of the hat. Illicit disrilling is car
ried TN very largely in that section, and
the "moOnshiners" are adventures,
daring and reckless by profession. The
families of Southern and HOmbrick are
very popular and powerful throughout
all the up-country. They were OH what
is known even yet as the "rebel" side,
while che Fowlers are le ,ding Unionists,
or, AS they are contemptuously called,
'hog backs" The Southerns and HON.
bri, ks went into the Confederate army
and made good soldiers. The Fowlers
refused to lend their aid to the Southern
cause. This iniensiies the feeling for
Kale Southern, and as the Fowlers do
not try to rally tue old Unionisis against
l., - Co. ,ui i,b ha fn