Year: 1875

He Escapes from Prison--Is Recaptured and then Ccnfesses that he Murdered . Family in Virginia.

 Fouks, the murderer of the Herndon family in Prince William county, Va, who made his escape from prison, was re- captured about five miles from the court 1 house. Upon his recapture Fouks made the following confession in the presence of MT. D. W. Whiting, editor of the Manassas Gazette : g4. l...s l.. r.a5

 stole piece of meat of Mir. Kern don, which I intended to take hon1e I stole it on Wednesday night before the killing. On Thursday evening, after I was done hauling wood, I was told to put some hay on the wagon to take to the stable. While l was at the haystack the little boy Add came and told me Mrs. Herndon had found the meat in my piece of cotton, and said stole it. When 1 I went to the house told Mrs. Herndon | I got the piece of meat from my sister, 1t was not Mir Herndon's s meat, and I wanted my piece of cotton. Mrs. Hern- don told me to wait till Mir. Herndon was done eating his supper. I then went to the kitchen and Mir. Herndon, when he was done supper, went to the meat house to see if his meat was missing. He then went back to the house. After Q while, about an hour, went back to the house and told MT. Herndon wanted my piece of cotton. Mrs. Herndon opened the door and I went in and told Mir. Herndon I wanted my handkerchief. MT. Herndon told me could nottget my handkerchief until the morning. said I must have it, I was not going to work for him any longer: MT, Herndon piok- ed up the ax and told me If did not go out of the house he would hit me with it. I told him I was not afraid of his hitting me with the ax.g l did not curse him. Mrs. Herndon showed me out of the door and said: Jesse, dop't have any fuss here.' She pushed the d6or to, but did not prop it. picked up the ax handle which set beside the door on the porch and pushed the door open, and as Mrs. Herndon was walking to her chair'I struck her on the side of the head and knocked her down. MT. Herndon was standing near the fire facing me, and as soon as I struck Mrs. Herndon l struck MT. Herndon on the head with the ak handle and knocked him down and struck him two or three licks with the ax handle. Mrs. ,Herndon had got upon her knees and I threw the ax; han de down and picked up the ak and struck her with the. back of it, knocking her back on the floor. | then struck MT. Herndon another lick with the back of the ax. Then I struck the little boy l two or three hcks with the back of the | ax did not strike either one with the edge of the ax. S'. -..

 The little boy was lying down on his blankets; he was sick. l then took the keys out of Mrs. Herndon's pocket and unlocked the drawer where the money was and took out the paper money and pulled the gold In the front of the drawer. I, did not take it. There was @ cup with silver in it in the upper part of the drawer, but did not take it. I was afraid to take it. They were all groan- ing when I was taking the money. l used nothing but the ax handle and the ax to kill them with. did not use the hickory stick. I had on pair of stock ings but no shoes. I had pulled off my shoes to go to bed. I did not pull them off to go to the house. l did not go there to kill them. I had no such idea. I got no blood on, me except my feet. When left thought they would die. I was scared and went to my sisters as fast as could. When got to MT. O'kear' s, where my sister lives, Miss Jennie O'Rear had not gone to bed. heard her. singing. When I went into my sisters cabin no one was in there except her. I did not tell my sister what I had done. I went to bed, and after that l heard the ten o'clock car whistle blow. I intended to go back to MT. Herndon's s next morning as if I knew nothing about the killing, but MT. Rear came and asked me if I would help him to. kill his sisters hogs. I told him MT. Herndon would not like it, and told him what MT. Herndon wanted me to do. He said he would see Mir. Herndon that day and make it all right with him. then said would help to kill the hogs. I went to Mrs. O'Rear's to help to kill the hogs, and on my way I hid the money in a brush pile. When Sandy Southerd came to the hogpen and told me that all of the Herndon family had been murdered I cried. Mrs. O'Rear told me not to cry. No. one saw me cry but Mrs. O'Rear, Hob Blackburn, and MT. Neal Lomax. I told MT. O'Rear had better go over to MT. Herndon's, but he said 1t was not worth while; I could do no good. When had done it was sorry; I did not go there to kill them, but was mad when I had done it., I,did not kill them to get the money; took the money to make pretence that somebody else had done 1t. When I accused Willis Tibb of the murder I done it as thought I might get clear. I did the murder my self and no one else knew anything about it. I make this as my free con fession, and I have told the truth as near as I can recolect it. have now no hope of escape and know that I must