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.
left the troops and came into town first. Do not recollect seeing after he left the Railroad, until I saw him in . remained with me until we got within four miles of here, when he left. Did not see at all, after I left the Railroad. I saw Grover until we got within four miles of , where they turned off the road. The wagons kept straight on—the men turned up the hollow. I do not know whether came back again with the baggage wagons. It is prairie where the troops turned off up a hollow, in the direction of a point of timber. I came back on to ; had no gun. I got here before the men sometime, but can not say how long. I do not recollect that I saw any of the Defendants till the mob came up. I went right to the jail; do not know who was there; spoke to no one. I went to the jail to see what they were going to do. Saw a guard at the jail; they were marching around the jail and did not speak to me. I knew that they knew as much about it as any body else. I understood from the men who were coming up, that the guard were to load their guns with blank cartridges. It was several minutes—between 5 and 15—after I got to the jail before the mob came up. There were two or three guns fired before they came. I do not know how far the mob was then from the jail. When the men came up, I think some of their faces were blackened a little with powder; their clothes were the same. I dont know how many were black◊◊ [blacked] I stood 15 or 20 feet in front of the jail, outside of the yard. [illegible] [No?] one spoke to me when they came up. They came up in single file. in front of the jail. I do not know how many got over the fence, nor how they carried their guns. I saw Joe Smith fall from the window; was then in the middle of the road, outside of the crowd. I think he was not shot before he fell, but do not know; nor how long after he fell, before they left him. I do not know how many guns were fired after he fell. Did not see , or there, but saw Grover. I saw him running towards the door that goes into the jail, before the killing, when they were first approaching the house. I saw there; he was not there when I first went; the first I saw of him, he was in the middle of the road. The Carthage Greys were this side of the jail. was between them and the jail. I saw him before they had fired or had gone into the house. Saw Grover about the jail, armed with a double barreled shot gun. Did not hear him say any thing at the jail. said “Rush in boys; there’s no danger. He also hallooed to them to come round to that side, to the window, and told them to shoot the damned scoundrels. I did not see him after that. I went that night to Mr. [Larkin] Scott’s, on , with two men on foot; do not know who they were. I saw Smith after I supposed he was dead; they had not all left; it was not many minutes before they left. It was done with much confusion. The men had [p. 7]