Account of Trial, [], Hancock Co., IL, 24–28 May 1845, State of IL v. Williams et al. (Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court 1845). Published [ca. 30 July 1845] in Trial of the Persons Indicted in the Hancock Circuit Court for the Murder of Joseph Smith at the Carthage Jail, on the 27th Day of June, 1844, Warsaw, IL: Warsaw Signal, 1845.
any profane language; neither did I hear him say, “beard the lion in his den.” That is some of ’s filling up. The troops cheered when he was done speaking. There was likely to be a failure, until Capt. Grover said he would come alone; 60, 70, 80, or a little over came; I run them over at the jail, and think there was 84. After the troops were disbanded I was at liberty, and came within 4 miles of the jail with them. left about 4 miles from here, and came on; did not see him start; do not know whether any one came with him; that was the last I saw of him. Did not see him leave—cannot say that he came to ; do not know whether he left. Know he did not come with me. Did not see , that I recollect of, after he left the crossings, till I saw him in . At the 4 mile place, a man with a Carthage Grey coat, met us and had communication with . He gave him a line, which first read to himself, and then told the contents; he looked in the paper and read it off. The note was pretty much as published. Do not know but I have made an affidavit embodying the statement that came back two or three times after I left the crossings. Think I saw where we stopped to get a drink of milk. I did not come alone to —there were some other along whom I do not know. Two of them went straight to a house in town. We had no conversation on the way. The troops suffered me to leave quietly, without offering to put me under guard. Do not know that I said any thing at the crossings about going to . I had no gun; had put it in the wagon. Do not know whether any one knew I was opposed to killing the Smiths. Said as I was coming along, that if the Augusta troops were there it would not be so. Did not try to persuade them not to do it, neither did I try to prevent it; because I thought the people knew all about it, from that letter. Did not try to get here first, or to prevent it. I supposed from the 20 men being appointed, that the Greys knew all about it—at that time I understood the Greys were in the plot. When I got to , I went directly to the jail, where I stood outside of the fence, about the middle of the road, at first about the front. I saw a guard there, inside of the enclosure. Do not know how long the troops were at the jail, there was much confusion, and I was agitated: should think about 15 minutes, though cannot say for certain. There was a scuffle with the guard; they clinched and held them. I think the guard fired. I kept in front of the jail till called to the window, and did not go inside of the enclosure at all. A person could not get into the jail with out getting inside of the enclosure. It is 6, 8, or 10 feet from the fence to the jail—perhaps a little further. I stood about the middle of the road, but was up to the fence once near the corner, though I was then nearly as far from the jail door, as when in the middle of the road. I saw one [p. 10]