Dennis - James - McMullen murder
Source: Crawfordsville Star 28 May 1885 p 8
Last Friday a small bright-eyed man alighted from a New Albany passenger train and going to a hotel registered, NE Dennis, Jeffersonville, Ky. A reporter had a talk with him shortly afterwards and again yesterday. Last Tuesday evening he had just returned from Elmdale where he had been to look into the surrounding in the McMullen tragedy for complicity in which is brother James stands sentenced for his life. He said, “There are ten of us boys, but we are all too poor to aid Jim in any way. Jim was very glad to see me, and he already looks a good deal brighter and more hopeful since I came. We failed to get any letters in time to get to the trial. We got a Star containing the evidence before the letter stating when the trial was to be held, or else some of us boys would have been here to see poor Jim. The last time I saw Jim was two years ago and you can’t realize how surprised I was to hear of his trouble. I see it charged that Jim had a bad reputation. Well he didn’t have it in Kentucky, I tell you. This is the first time he was ever sworn in court. Then I heard some paper said he was a guerilla in the Rebellion. Well, he must have been a small to have killed a man when 5 years old. He is only 24 years old, now the youngest boy of the family, two years younger than me. None of us boys ever had any chance for an education. We were well fixed afore the war; but we lived on the state road leading from Sterling, Ky to Virginia and both armies passed along it, camping time and again on our farm, burning up the fences, killing cattle, hogs and sheep, stealing our horses and confiscating everything we had to eat or wear. Mother died in the opening of the war when Jim was a little fellow. Father died four years after the war, discouraged and broken up. We boys had to hustle for ourselves, you see and have had a hard time of it since. I couldn’t very well afford to leave my wife and two children and would not for anything else. “Were any of the boys in the army?” Yes two of the older ones wer ein the Republican Army (Union was what he means – Rep) but they are both red, hot Democrats now, I can tell you. “How did you find Jim’s wife on Tuesday?”
“Oh, poorly she is taking on a good deal but the people are good to her and I find a good many people who think Jim ought to have a new trial. I think Mr. Doty and Mrs. Thornton did well by him. So does Jim and it does me good to know that so many people are favorable to helping to get them extra assistance. “How long do you expect to stay?” Only a few days but some of the others boys will try to get up to see Jim afore long.” Mr. Dennis bears quite a striking resemblance to his brother James. His eyes are grayish; hair brown and he wears a light moustanche and goatee. He is about 5’8” in height and weight 135 pounds. He is a man of no education, there being few school advantage sin the section in which he lives and he cannot read or write.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Friday, 21 June 1895
Jim Dennis, the man who was sentenced with John W. Coffey to hang in our jail yard for the murder of the McMullens, and who escaped the noose on a legal technicality, has again come to the front. When the rope was taken from the neck of Dennis and he was allowed to go Scot free, he naturally left the county and returned to Kentucky. He located in Harrison County near the town of Kelat and engaged in keeping a toll gate and farming. His daughter grew up a very bright and pretty girl and a great favorite at school. But things did not go well with Dennis. He seemed to droop and suffer ill health. He became sullen and morose and finally so disagreeable that his wife found it impossible to live with him longer. She and her daughter have accordingly started for this county to again take up their residence. Dennis is left by himself in Kentucky, a victim to ill health and gloomy thoughts.