Letter from District Attorney James R. Chalmers to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; August 31, 1860

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Letter from District Attorney James R. Chalmers to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; August 31, 1860

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People

Campbell, Unknown Chalmers, James R. (James Ronald), 1831-1898 Davis, Mansfield Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867 Willham, Chasle

Events

Crime Crime--Assassination Crime--Manslaughter Criminal Procedure--Convicted Trial

Organizations and Businesses

Jury Mississippi. Supreme Court

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Lawyers

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Hernando (Miss.)Tunica County (Miss.)

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Criminal Status--Fugitives from justice Widows

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Hernando Miss
Aug 31^st 1860

Honl. John J. Petus

DrSir—I m just recovering from a fourth attack this summer of bilious fever & am now scarcely able to walk about & this must be my excuse for having failed so long to write to you as requisted by Mr Campbell in regard to the case of Chasle Willham convicted of manslaughter for the Killing of Mansfield Davis—

From the brevity of Mr Campbells letter I hardly knew what it is that is desired of me but suppose that you want to know my version of the facts ^of ^ the case—

No Bill of exception was taken by his counsel which [?] the testimony because it was thought by his

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counsel at the time that the testimony fully warranted the verdict & the one exception takes was in regard to the irregularity of the jury growing out of the fact that ^one^ of the jurors was over sixty-years of age.

I cannot undertake to give the testimony in detail but the main facts were thus—

Davis & Williams were both young men living in the same neighborhood but prided themselves on their manhood & both were strong men but it was thought by most of the witnesses that Davis was the strongest—

They lived just in the edge of the Miss bottom in a neighborhood of regular backwoodsmen who were in the habit of having frequent shooting matches— [gap] They in company with a number of others must one saturday evening to shoot for a Beef the property of a brother of Davis'—

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After the crowd assembled Williams proclaimed that Davis' beef was poor & not fit to be shot for & not worth the money it was put up at & persuaded the crowd not to shoot for it & finally indeuced them to shoot for a beef belonging to him—

This Davis was a weak inoffensive kind of man & did not resent the conduct of Wilhaim but his brother the deceased did & said that the next shooting match was his & that of Charly William came there & acted as he had [dun?] that day that "he would [unclear] that any man ever touted off from any where" & cursed & abused Williams a great in his presence & Williams took no notice of it. Both men been at the time equally armed with rifles—

Next Monday morning Williams on returning from hunting up the beef that had been shot for came by the

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field when Davis was at work pulling corn—in his shirt sleeves—Williams having a double barrelled gun loaded with buckshot—Davis having no weapon exapt a little pocket knife—A conversation ensued & Williams demanded a retraction of what he had said about him on the previous saturday—Davis refused—bared his breast & dared him to shoot—

After high words on both sides Williams shot & killed Davis—who had advanced some few paces from the corn pile toward the fence & when found he had [unclear] his pocket Knife— [gap] The only eye witness to this transcation was an accessory after the fact according to his own sharing—for after the Killing he & Williams fled into Tunica where Williams ^was harbored^ at his Mother's—a widow woman's house—The impression made upon my mind by the testimony was

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that Williams was afraid of Davis & would not fight on him ^on^ equal terms

That he had [pocketed?] an insuch from him when both men equally armed & that he had [?] sought him when he had the advantage & killed him & That it was a most cold blooded assassination.

The friend ^of Williams^ have [?] since the trial procured testimony which was forwarded to jury which lead to show that Williams did not feel unkindly toward Davis on the [?] Sunday & that he had started off in a different direction on Monday morning & that he did not seek Davis but met up with him accidentally—

This if believed by the jury would of course have releived him from the charge of murder but that the Jury

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did anyhow—much to my astonishment

But according to the doctrine laid down by our Supreme Court is the [law?] case of [Prio?] v State 6^th [?] it would at the least be manslaughter for me to go into so unequal a contest & Kill another even tho' the quarrel had been sudden—

I refer you to that case & I have been informed that you have the testimony written out by some one who heard the trial—

You [?]

Jas R Chalmers