Report of the Joint select committee appointed to inquire into the condition of affairs in the late insurrectionary states, so far as regards the execution of laws, and the safety of the lives and property of the citizens of the United States and Testimony taken.

ALABAMA-SUB-COMMITTEE. 1445
of him. After that the only thing I heard was, differently expressed from different
parties, calling on the blacks to disperse and " leave here," and " lay down that gun,"
and all such talk as that, as a crowd would, generally, and it quieted down after that
considerably.
Question. No injury was inflicted upon any one?
Answer. None whatever that I saw.
Question. Did you hear of any being inflincted upon any one?
Answer. I did not hear; I did not see Mr, Jones since until passing him in the street
to-day. I did hear he was struck or stricken; I do not know whether he was or not.
nor who struck him.
Question. None of the colored people were injured?
Answer. No, sir.
Question. They all went off?
Answer. Yes, sir; afterthey had quieted down to some extent. I had walked off and
remarked to them, " Boys, be quiet; now Mr. Jones has gone into the court-house, everything will be quiet now, and do not raise any disturbance here at all; you have only
acted in self-defense; do not make yourselves the aggressors." About this time I sav
two gentlemen come walking hastily, and I asked them to stop. They called attention
to a colored man, who was preparing to shoot them, they said. I asked, " VWhere'"
They said, " There." The remark was, " Don't you see that damned nigger trying to
get behind that tree and shoot me?" I looked, and there stood a negro with a doublebarreled shot-gun, both barrels cocked, raised in that position, [illustrating.] I walked
lp and asked what he wanted. " Do you want to sloot?" He said, " I do not want
to shoot you." " Who do you want to shcot?" I asked again. " I don't want to shloot
youl, he said. Just as this occurred a colored man stood right by, a relation of this
other black man; he says, " Master Sam, I will make him give up and behave himself." I said, " Very well, Ira," and he went on. I went home to my dinner to my
house, and I know nothing more, excepting from rumor, which I do not propose to detail unless you demand it.
Question. We have had already a statement as to what occurred in the room
with Jones, and what took place subsequently.
Ansiwer. I do not know what he did in the room at all.
Question. We have had'a statement from Judge Young, who came up after he retired into the court-house.
-Answer. I do not know anything about what occurred there. When I returned from
my dinner Mr. Jones had gone. He had left the place, so I had been informed. I
thought he had gone before. I saw a company of gentlemen coming back, who ilformed me they had gone to escort him as far as he desired, to see that no damage
was done to him. Mr. Woolf was one of that party who went to escort him. What
passed, I do not know.
By the CHAIRMAM:
Question. Did you write down everything that the widow of Robin Westbrook said?
Answler. My recollection is, that it is in pretty much her own lalnguage.
Question. I did not know but she made a rambling statement, and that you abridged
it.
Answer. She may have related the same facts over once or twice, and I would uoly
write them once, perhaps.
Question. Did you put it down in her own language, or language of your own?
Answer. There was a gentleman who acted as clerk for me, and my instructions were
to put it down, as near as possible, in her own language.
Question. Did she say anything, in that examination, in relation to her husband's
having any money?
Answuer. I do not remember hearing anything of the kind mentioned, sir.
Question. How long after the murder, which you say took place on the 18th of July,
before this inquest was held?
Answer. I think we convened about 1 o'clock the next day.
Question. Did you question her or Tiller Reese, whether they were laboring under
any restraint or apprehensions in giving their statement?
Answer. I did not. I saw no reason why I should, and I did not anticipate anything
of the kind.
Question. Suppose it were true that she had been threatened, by the men who murdered her husb rnd, that she would be murdered herself if she ever informed upon them;
would not that, in your opinion, create a state of apprehension that would iuduce.her
to keep back the names of any men she may have identified upon that occasion?
Answer. I think it would. sir.
Question. Even if she ha( not been threatened, and identified certain men in that
neighborhood as men concerned in the murder of her husband, if those men were white
mIlen, and lawless men, would not there have been danger in case she had, in her testimony, implicated therm?