Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1859 — Interesting Piece of Evidence. [ARTICLE]

Interesting Piece of Evidence.

The testimony of Henry Hunter, one of the party of men who took the prisoner Thompson out of the parlor of the Wager House, and killed him on the railroad bridge, was not fully reported in our previous numbers. We therefore subjoin a verbatim report, premising that the witness, a Very intelligent young gentleman, apparently about twenty-two years of age, is a son of Mr. Andrew Hunter, who conducts the prosecution. Mr. Botts, counsel for the prisoner Brown, having proposed to introduce testimony as to the killing of Thompson, Mr. Hunter, the prosecuting officer, objected that it was irrelevant, and intended by Brown only for out door effect. He added, however, that if it were shown that Brown was informed of this killing, and still continued to exercise forbearance towards his prisoners and the citizens, he would not object. Mr. Green, counsel for defense, contended that they had a right to infer that Brown had been made aware of it, as it was already proved that communications passed between him and the citizens several times after the killing of Thompson. Judge Parker decided that all the transac tions of that day constituted a part of the res gestcc, and might be inquired into. Henry Hunter called—Examined by counsel for delense. Q. Did you witness the death of this man Thompson? A. I witnessed the death of one whose name 1 have been informed was Thompson. Q. Tiie one who was a prisoner! A. Yes, sir. Q. Well, sir, what were the circumstances attending it! A. Do you wish my connection with it, or simply a deserption of the circumstances —shall I mention the names? Mr. Andrew Hunter —Every bit of it, Henry; state all you saw. Witness—There was a prisoner confined in the parlor of the hotel, and after Mr.

Beckham’s death he waa shot dow-n by a number of us there belonging to this sharp shooting band. Mr. Andrew Hunter—Will you allow him to state, before proceeding further, how he was connected with Mr- Beckham? Mr. Green—Certainly, sir. Witness—He was my grand-uncle and my special friend—a man I loved above all others; after he was killed, Mr. Chambers and myself moved forward to the hotel for the purpose of taking the prisoner out and hanging him; we were joined by a. number oTother persons, who cheered us in that work; we went up into his room where he was bound, with the undoubted and undisguised purpose of taking his life; at the door we were stopped by persons guarding the door, who remonstrated with us, and the excitement was so great that persons who remonstrated with us one moment would cheer us on the next; we burst into the room where he was, and found several around him, but they offered only a feeble resistance; we brought our guns down to his head repeatedly, myself and another person, for the purpose of shooting him in the room. There was a young lady there, the sister of Mr. Fouke, the hotel keeper, who sat on this man’s Up, covered his face with her arms, and shielded him whengyer we brought our guns to bear; she said to us, “For God's s.ike, wait, and let the law take its course;” my associate shouted to kill him; “Let us shed his blood!” were his words; all around were shouting, “Mr. Beckhm’s life was worth ten thousand of these vile abolitionists.” I was cool about it, and deliberate; my gun was pushed up by some one who seized the barrel and I then moved to the back part of the room, still with purpose unchanged, but with a view to divert attention from me, in order <o get an opportunity; at some moment when the crowd would he less dens', to shoot him; after a moment’s thought, it occurred to rue that that, was not the proper place to kill him; we then proposed to take him out and hang him; some persons of our band then opened the way to him, and first pushing Miss Fouk aside, we slung him out of doors; I gave him a push, and many others did the same; we then shoved him along the platform and down to the trcssle work of the bridge, he begging for his life nil the time, very piteously at first.

By the by, before we took him out of the room I asked the question what he came here for; he said their only purpose was to free the slaves—that he came here to free the slaves or die. Then he begged, “Don’t take my life—a prisoner;” but I put the gun to him, and he said, “You may kill me, but it will he revenged; there are eighty thousand persons sworn to carry on this work.” That was his last expression. We bore him out on the trestle work with the purpose then of hanging him; we had no rope, and none could be found; it was a moment of wild excitement. Two of us raised our guns—which one was first I do not know—and pulled the trigger. Before he had reached the ground I suppose some five or six shots had been fired into his body; he fell to the railroad track, his back down to the earth and his face up. We then went back for the purpose of getting another one (Stephens,) but he was sick or wounded, and persons around him, and I persuaded them myself to let him alone; I said, “Don’t let us operate on him, but go around and get some more;” we did this act with a purpose, thinking it right and justifiable under the circumstances, and fired and excited by the cowardly, sav-'ge manner in which Mr. Beckham’s life had been taken. Mr. Andrew Hunter—ls that all gentlemen. Mr. Butts—Yes, sir. M~. Andrew Hunter (to the witness) — Stand aside. j(flT’A Western cattle dealer, who rarely had the privilege of sitting down to meat with a family, and had never been in a minister’s house in his life, was not long ago benighted and lost in his ride across the prairies, and compelled to a> k for lodgings in the first house he could find. Happily for him it proved to be the house of a good man, a parson, who gave him a cordial welcome, and, what was especially agreeable, told him supper would soon be ready. The travelers appetite was ravenous, and the moment he was asked to sit by,he complied; and without waiting for a second invitation, he laid hold of what he could reach. “Stop, stop!” said the good man of the house, “we are in the habit of saying something belore we eat.” This bin’ to wait till the blessing was asked the rough customer did not understand; but, with his mouth lull,he muttered:) “Go ahead, say what you like! you can’t turn my etoipKch now!”