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Show i JOSEPH E. WILLIAMSON, WILLIAM-SON, who declares himself him-self murderer in order to get back to "sunny south." ADOPTS CLEVER RUSE TO SETBACK HOI Slayer Who Had Been Exonerated Ex-onerated Says He Is a Murderer. Apparently impelled by a longing for the "Sunny South" and a desire to get a free trip back to Kentucky, Joseph E. Williamson, Wil-liamson, 34 years of age, walked into the police station yesterday and confessed to the killing- of a man in Louisville last September. Williamson told Captain Riley M. Beckatead a story of how he had fought and killed a man named Cox, or Knox, on the street in the Kentucky city and had run away. But when the police telegraphed tele-graphed to Louisville for confirmation of the story they received information that Williamson had killed a man in self-defense and the grand Jury had refused to return an indictment against him. The police then came to the conclusion that Williamson simply had told his story in an effort to get a free trip back to the south. He practically, admitted to the officers, under questioning, that he -was filled with a longing to return to Louisville, where, he declared, he desired to live and die. The police say he will have to try some other plan If he expects to get a free trip back: to Kentucky. Williamson had apparently been drinking drink-ing some when he went to the police station sta-tion and told Captain Beckstead that he had murdered a man in Louisville. He repeated re-peated his story to the chief and was taken into custody pending Investigation, Investiga-tion, though the officers were inclined to doubt his story from the first. ' Joseph C. Sharp, chief of detectives, immediately sent a wire to the chief of police at Louisville and received a message mes-sage stating that Williamson was not wanted for murder, that he had killed a man, but the grand jury found it to be a case of self-defense and had refused to return an indictment against him. When confronted with this information Williamson practically admitted that it was true and that he simply wanted to go back to Louisville. He said his conscience con-science hurt him and he wanted to go back and be tried. When it was explained ex-plained to him that he couldn't be tried, in view of the fact that the grand Jury had exonerated him, he then admitted that he was Just homesick and wanted to get back to the south. Williamson told the officers that he was a native of Birmingham, Ala., and that early this year lie went to Louisville, Louis-ville, where he worked for the Louisville Gas fi- Klectric company. A few days after Labor day. vhe said, he was walking along Ninth street and met five men, who jostled him off the sidewalk. He went on his way, but met the five later and a fight started. Four of the men ran, but the fifth attacked Williamson, he said. He knocked the man down and left him lying on the sidewalk in a pool of blood. The next day he read in the paper that the man had died from a fractured skull. Williamson said he remained in Louisville Louis-ville for a few days, then started west. He got work on the double-track operations opera-tions of the Union Pacific Railroad company com-pany at Castle Rock. Utah. Three days ago he quit this job and came to Salt Lake, stopping at the Clarence hotel. The man told his story of having com-jmitted com-jmitted murder to Godfrev Fellows in i Vincent's bar and asked if he should give himself up to the authorities. Fellows advised him to follow the dictates of his i conscience. Later he appeared at the police station and told his story to the officers. The police say that he will be released today, in view of the fact that j the Louisville authorities do not want him. |