Jackson Hunter--Am 72 years old and live at Hall's X Roads, Knox County, Tenn., and am post master there. On Feb'ry 8th, 1894, at about 7 o'clock, A.M., at my store , about 9 miles from Knoxville. I saw the two defendants. Defendant Stanley came into my store to buy cheese and crackers. He had on an old overcoat on. Cox did not come in, I swore before the committing magistrate in this case that Cox came into the store, but I made the mistake through having been mis-informed as to the names of the two men, having been informed that Cox was Stanley and Stanley was Cox. I recognize the defendants as the parties at my store before referred to. They came just about daylight. They left together, following the Jacksboro Road to the North. I did not let them have cheese and crackers as I had neither of them on sale. They left immediately on being told I had not the articles called for. I heard of the deaths of the Snoderlys, Feb'y 6th, as having taken place the night before.

W.H. Winegar--The two defendants came to my house on the morning of the day of the killing, early, and asked the way to Hind's Creek. Stanley offered me a dram which I declined. Both had on dark clothes, and Stanley had on a dark overcoat which did not look new. Both had dark hats, and both had beards of about two weeks growth. Stanley had a heavy mustache, and Cox a small mustache. I am positive the two defendants in court are the two men. They wanted breakfast, but I was now well, neither was my wife, so I declined on that ground. Both men looked tired.

Levi Kirkpatrick--The two defendants came to my house not far from sun-up on the day of the killing. One of defendants asked me if that was the road to Maynardville. I said no, you should have gone to the right at Squire McCloud's. They ask if they could get breakfast, I told them I would see my wife about it. Our breakfast was over. My wife agreed to get breakfast for them. Stanley drank four or five tumblers of buttermilk, and Cox drank coffee. I charged them 30 cents for what they ate which was paid. Stanley had whiskey and offered me some. Cox had on a small black hat, dark coat and light pants. Stanley had on a wide brimmed, floppy hat, dark coat and jeans or bulldog pants and an old reddish brown overcoat. My house is about 8 miles from Snoderly's house. While waiting for breakfast, they told me they lived about Maynardville. I asked them how Bro. McCloud was getting along with his protracted meeting at Maynardville, and they seemed to know nothing about it. The defendants looked tired and worn out. Here Mrs. Levi Kirkpatrick testified but her evidence is about the same as her husband's given above, therefore it is left out.

O.C. Mynatt--I live in the 7th District of Knox County, on the road to Loys X Roads, which runs by Snoderly's house, two miles from Halls X Roads. Defendants came to my house and asked the way to Snoderly's mill. Cox had on a faded overcoat and Stanley a slouch hat. Cox had a better hat than Stanley. Cox did the talking. I am positive these are the men. It is 7 miles from my house to snoderley's mill. Both wore short stubby whiskers, one or two weeks old. Wm. Ezell was next introduced, but his evidence is the same as that of O.C. Mynatt, hence left out. J.M. George testified: On the 8th of Feb'y 1884, about three and one half miles from Henry Snoderly's, I saw defendants. It was 25 minutes after 11 o'clock. They passed the road in about 20 yards of me. They did not speak. I whistled to call their attention. They walked as if very tired. These defendants are the men I saw. Stanley wore mixed jeans pants and an old reddish overcoat.

James vandergriff--on Feb'y 8th, 1894, at about one o'clock, I recognized Stanley as the man who passed my house. The man Cox here looks like the man with him. They walked slow as if very tired. This was about three miles from Snoderly's mill.

W.W. Vaught--I was about one half mile from Henry Snoderly's house at about 2 o'clock of the day of the killing, hunting herbs for a poultice. I saw two men pass. Can1t say whether these defendants are the ones or not. The older looking one, had on a reddish looking overcoat. The road they were on went to Snoderly's mill.

Wesley Cooper--I live between a quarter and a half mile from Snoderly's mill. Two men passed. Do not know who they were. They were going in the direction of the Snoderly mill. This was the afternoon of the day of the killing.

Sherman Cooper--I was at Snoderly's mill on Feb'y 8th, 1894. The mill is 15 or 16 steps from the Snoderly house. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon two men came up the road and turned off into the ridge to the right, where it is woody and hilly and some cliffs. I was about 200 yards from where the men turned off. Reuben Ridenour testified the same also Wince Ridenour.

Sam Gwinn testified: I am a grandson of Henry Snoderly, who was killed, and I was at his house the night of the killing. I am 20 years old have known Clarence Cox 4 or 5 years, and John Stanley some 4 years. They both live about one and three quarters mile from where I live in Knox County. I had gone to grandfather's house Dec '94 before the killing, on a visit. He wanted me to make a crop with him the next year, which I agreed to do. On day of killing I had been cleaning up some ground. After supper that night, we were all sitting around the fireplace in the sitting room. My grandfather, grandmother, aunt Lucinda Snoderly and Serena Pile. I got up to go to the mill to see if uncle John had quit grinding, and as I opened the door a man stepped in with his pistol in hand. Another man followed him. The last man pointed his pistol at me, but did not speak. The larger man the first one who came in shot grandfather, then grandmother started to run and he shot her. Aunt Lucinda Snoderly and Serena Pile ran and got away. After my grandfather and mother were shot, the larger man said tome. "Where is that money? Get the money," and ordered me to open the drawers in the bureau which I began to do by opening the one next to the bottom. He ordered me to throw the contents out on the floor, which I did. He then said open another, and I tried to open another but it pulled against my grandfather's body and would not come out. He now told me to pull out another and while doing this I caught the eye of the man who had his pistol on me off of me, and I jumped in the dining room to the door and got out of the house. The man who did the shooting was John Stanley. I did not know him when he first came in but after he spoke I kneW him by his voice and shape. I did not recognize the other man, but the next day it came to me that it was Clarence Cox, from his size. I have never been satisfied in my own mind who the other fellow was. When the men came in they had handkerchiefs tied about their foreheads, which hung down in front, but not to obscure their eyes. As soon as the men came in my aunt and Serena Pile got away through the door leading into the dining-room. About the time they got away, grandfather who had been sitting in the corner near the fireplace rose up, and seeing the men, threw up his hands and said "Oh Lord! What shall we do?" At this, Stanley fired and grandfather fell forward on his face at the bureau. Grandmother had started to get out of the room and just as she passed the dining room door from the room in which we had been sitting, Stanley fired at her. When I got out I ran to uncle John's and told him. We got up some neighbors and went back but the men had gone. From the time I left till we came back was about three quarters of an hour. The above is the substance of Sam Gwinn's testimony.

Lucinda Snoderly--Am a daughter of Henry Snoderly, deceased, and was in the room at the time he was shot. My father, and his wife, Serena Snoderly, Serena Pile, myself and Sam Gwinn were all there when the door was opened. Sam Gwinn started to the mill and as he opened the door a man came in with a pistol in hand, drawn; another man was also behind the first man. One of these defendants, Stanley, looks right smart like the man who came in first. He seemed to rear back like as he walked. Did not notice the man that came in behind. When the first man came in, I ran and Serena Pile after me. I was never so frightened in my life. I never saw either of the men before that night. I had keys to the drawers where the money was kept. As I ran through the kitchen I heard the first shot. Serena Pile ran after me. We waded the creek and got under the mill. Don't know how long we staid under the mill. We started to brother John's. While I had gone a short distance I missed Serena. I went back for her but could not find her. I went to John's house, all were gone, but light was burning. So I seemed to get more frightened and ran into an old field got in a big gully and remained there till sun-up next morning when I went home. I did not know what had become of Serena. The men had handkerchiefs tied about their heads.

Serena Pile--On night of the killing, we were all in the sitting-room. Sam Gwinn started to the mill, opened the front door and as he did so, a man pressed in with a pistol in his hand, drawn, and walked into middle of the floor. I thought I saw the glimpse of a man behind first one. The man who came in had a handkerchief close up on his face. He had a pistol in hand and said nothing. I ran close after Lucinda Snoderly. I never saw the man that came in before. He was heavy set, broad shouldered and tolerably tall. The man this way, Stanley, puts me more in mind of the man in the floor, than any body I ever saw. I heard the pistol fire as I ran through the dining room. I was fearfully frightened. We ran through the creek and got under the mill. After awhile we left that place and got into the big road. Here I got separated from my aunt, I ran down the road and hid in the fence corner. I then ran to my uncle John Snoderly's. No one was at home but a light was in the house. I got into the house went into a closet and pushed the door behind me. Here I remained all night, till they found me next day. I am 18 years old.

J.C. Romines--I tracked horses away from Snoderly's barn in the morning after the killing. They went down the road that leads to Knoxville. James Fielden.--I had been to Knoxville the night of killing. About 30 yards off of the main road, on the side road, I met two men and ran into the horse of one of them. They were both riding. I asked the man who I ran into, his name and he replied Jackson. It was very dark and they went toward Knoxville. J.M. George.--Some one called at my house about 9 o'clock on the night of the killing and asked if that was the Knoxville road. I could not tell whether the man I was taking to was on horseback or not, but I heard the feet of horses just after they left. The night was very dark and it was raining.

Harry Elden--I live at Powell's Station which is 9 or 10 miles from the Snoderly mill, and I work for the Knoxville Brick Company. On the morning after the killing Feb'y 9th, 1894, just after daylight I saw two horses in the lane, or by-way, not far from the main road one a sorrel, and the other a black mare. I put the horses in my stable, in the afternoon and gave them up Sunday morning, when some parties came and said they were stolen from Mr. Snoderly.

G.P. Mitchell--I found the horses that were stolen on the night of the killing, at Powell's Station in the barn of Mr. Harry Elden and I took them back to Mr. Snoderly's. They were his horses. Afterwards I went to Mr. Hall's in search of Stanley, and he was not there. Hall is the father-in-law of Stanley. Also went to the house of Cox's father and Clarence Cox was not there.

Sy Smith, col.,--I live a mile below Powell's Station in the direction of the 8th District of Knox County. Near my house, at good daylight, on the day after the killing, I saw defendant Cox and a man with him, but I do not know for certain that this man here, Mr. Stanley, was the man. I had known Cox the time he carried the mail between Knoxville and Ball Camp. As I was going up the road above Bell's Bridge, two men came meeting me and before they got to me, they crossed over the fence into a field. I am certain one of them was Cox. I had known him a long time. Here the counsel for the State asked Sy how far he was from them when they crossed the field. "About as far, sah, as from here to that corner of the courthouse," pointing to the opposite corner of the courtroom. "How far is that, Sy?" don't know, sah, how far does your say it is?" I took occasion here to say, that little Sy was the keenest witness I ever saw on the stand. The questions of counsel were answered by Sy by the time they were asked. James Norman next testified, but as his evidence is about the same as that of little Sy, we will not here insert it. The foregoing is the principle part of the evidence of the State. The defendants had but one witness introduced, John Ferrington, and we do not here give his evidence, as it was merely to contradict Same Gwinn.

On the evening of the 28th each side closed, and entered into the argument of the case. The attorneys for the State presented their side of the case in a masterful manner. S.G. Heiskell, the only attorney for the defendants, poured in the oil and the wine with gloves off. He did as well as any man could do under the same circumstances. But when the evidence is against a man, the attorney is gone, unless he can pick a flaw in the pleadings, or has a set of fools for a jury.

The following are the names of the Jury who tried Stanley and Cox, viz; B.L. Seymour, J.Y. Chadwick, Samuel Bruner, Booker Mynatt, D.A. Hickle, H.L. Bailey, S.M. Dyer, Wm. Hundley, L.A. Dyer, Nicholas Donehew, G.S. Chesney and A.J. Boruff. They seemed to be a set of level headed men and well qualified to sit and measure out justice even to men who would take life for the sake of a dollar.

WGT NOTE: The Honorable W.R. Hicks charge to the jury is omitted

CHIP's NOTE: The TnGenWeb has a copy of the Charge to the Jury by W.R. Hicks. It is supplied to us by a member of our mailing list. To Read it click here.

The jury, under the care of an officer, left the court room now to finish their task in the trial. No doubt they felt the importance of doing their duty well. They must give such a verdict as will uphold the law and the evidence, and yet do justice to the living defendants not forgetting at any time, Henry Snoderly, who fell a dead man from the fatal shot of Stanley's pistol.

Early in the morning of the 30th of June 1894, the jury came into open court with slow and solemn step. Not a smile could be seen on their faces. The jury took their place around the Judge's desk and stood motionless. The court room was filled with persons eager to hear what the jury had to say. "Have you agreed upon a verdict, Gentlemen?" says Judge Hicks. We have agreed, as to John Stanley," responded the jury. "What do you find as to John Stanley? asked the Judge. "We find John Stanley guilty of murder in the first degree." "Have you agreed as to Clarence Cox?" "No sir, we have not agreed as to him." Here the Judge told the jury to retire and see if they could not come to some agreement as to Cox. The jury retired and remained out about an hour when they again returned. "Have you agreed in a verdict as to Cox?" queried the Judge. "Yes sir." "What is your

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