Arkansas Intelligencer

: From The Louisville Courier,
Sequel to the late Tragedy—Burial of the Four Negroes—Confession when Arrested.

After the coroner's inquest, yesterday, the bodies of the four men were taken in charge by the city authorities and buried in the city grave yard at Cave Hill. No undue excitement was perceivable in regard to the dreadful tragedy, but all appeared to submit to the ruling of the mob, though all good citizens thought and felt that such things should not be. No matter how great the offence, or how damning the deed, the supremacy of the law should have been maintained, and not entrusted to the hands of a lawless mob.

The report current yesterday, that the mob offered indignity, in any respect, to Judge Bullock, is, we are informed, without foundation.

Subjoined is the full confession of Pendleton's negro man, Bill, together with the statements of the two negro men of the Messrs. Samuels. This was taken at the time when they were first arrested and examined in the county, after the various articles of wearing apparel, money, watches and jewelry of the murdered family had been found in the cabin of Bill Pendleton. The examination was made before ten men, appointed by the sheriff, and the subjoined statements and confession were taken down at the time by one of the members of the committee. When in the hands of his executioners, the rope around his neck, and the full consciousness that his last moment had arrived, Bill again said that his previous confessions were true, and admitted his guilty participation in the arson, robbery and murder. It will be read with interest:

Jefferson co., Ky., Dec. 23, 1856, )
At the residence of Mrs. Alex. Stewart.
The following committee was appointed by the deputy sheriff to examine the four slaves, Bill Pendleton, Bill Brown, George Samuels and Jack Samuels, arrested for the murder of Mrs. Lydia Joyce, Mr. Richard Joyce, Jr., Mrs. Louisa Welch and her child, on Briar creek, Jefferson county, Kentucky, Thursday night, Dec. 18, 1856.
Simpson Todd, Wm. Green, W. A. Nally,
W. N. Brown, H. D. Maloney, L. G. Galvin,
James Maloney, Wm. Kennedy, Wm. Wright
and W. C. Kidd

. BILL PENDLETON'S CONFESSION.
The following is Bill Pendleton's confession He is the property of David Pendleton, of Bullitt county, Ky. :
Geo. Samuels came to our house on Sunday, about one or two weeks previous to the murder, and asked me if I had any Christmas money. I told him I had some. I asked him if he had any; he said no, but was going to have some soon. I asked him how he was going to get it. He said he was going to burn Mr. Joyce's house. That occurred on the day we made the plot. He (George) had been out gunning with his master's gun, and had killed one rabbit. On the night of the murder Geo. and Jack Samuels came to the back part of our field, about 8 or 9 o'clock, and halloed. I went out to them; asked if they were going down there; said yes, they thought Mr. Joyce had money; we went down the hill near Joyce's house; there Bill Brown met us; then went to the house, looked in the window; saw all the family in bed and probably asleep; all had clubs; and Jack had a hand axe." George then went to the door, pushed it open a little, found a chair against it; put his hand in, and moved the chair.— George first went in, struck Richard once, killed him, I believe. Jack followed, George turned and struck the old lady, Mrs. Lydia Joyce, one blow. She fell out of bed; she got up, went to the fire place and squatted down; Mrs. Welch woke up; Jack hit her with a club. She came to, went and sat down by her mother, Mrs. Joyce, at the fire place, George and Jack went to plundering. I and Bill Brown had been standing outside doors all the time to watch. Bill Brown then went in, went to fire place, stood awhile, then commenced plundering; Mrs. Welch's child woke, who was sleeping between the old lady and its mother; Mrs. Joyce, went back and got into bed; Mrs. Welch called "Mother!" The mother answered, "What do you want?" Mrs. Welch said, "You know what I want." Mrs. Joyce got up, went back and sat down by the fire place beside her daughter; the child asked if we were making a fire; (no reply) had got through plundering; then set fire to Richard Joyce's bed; took lot of old newspapers, put them at the foot of the other bed in which the child was sitting up. The child smiled as it appeared to be amused at the light; we then went out as far as the yard gate, when George and Jack said, "By G—d, boys, it won't do to leave them, they will tell on us." George and Jack then went back; Jack went in first, had hand axe; struck Mrs. Welch on the forehead with it; George followed; struck Mrs. Joyce with a club on the head, she and Mrs. Welch both fell over as if dead; they then pulled the door after them and left. I got one pair pantaloons, one black cloth coat, velvet collar and black buttons, one black satin vest, one black cravat, with green spots in it, two silver watches and steel watch key, one pair kid gloves, two boxes gun caps, one music box. George Samuels got one silk dress, don't recollect what color, and some other articles which he put in the sleeves of the dress, don't know what they were, and one dollar bill torn half in two, out of a pocket book which was in the trunk. Jack Samuels got a dress, believe it was calico, [he afterwards said it was] and other things which he put in the dress, don't know what they were, and about three dollars and fifty cents in money, out of Richard Joyce's pocket book, which was in his pantaloons pocket. Bill Brown got a pair of ear rings and breast pin, which were in a small box, and that was all he got that I know of.

Cross-Examined.—I got the watches out of the same trunk that George got the one dollar bill from. It was setting to one side of the door, and then George commenced plundering, he pushed this trunk out in front of the door first, then took the shovel and broke it open, took nothing but the money, and then went searching other places; appeared to be after nothing but money. I then stepped inside to the trunk and took the coat, pants and things out of it. We went about sixty or seventy yards from the house and stopped, and the conversation was: "Keep secret, boys—hide well," &c. Jack and Geo. went towards their homes, and I and Bill Brown went towards ours. We went about a quarter of a mile before we parted. Nothing more was said between us. We threw the clubs in the fire place Jack took the hand axe home with him. The plot was made about one or two weeks before the murder happened. We didn't know that William Joyce was gone from home; thought it was him in bed until after Richard was killed.— We had no animosity against the family whatever; we knew them all very well. I cut three hickory clubs some time before for the purpose. They were about two and a half feet long and about as thick as my arm. Bill Brown picked up a sugar tree club after we got to Mr. Joyce's wood pile. I put the things which I got in a bag that I had taken along. When I got home I put them all under the floor of the cabin which I stay in, except the watch and watch key, two boxes gun caps, and the gloves. The gloves and key I kept in my pocket.

GEORGE SAMUELS' CONFESSION.
The following is George Samuels' statement. He is the property of Lewis Samuels, of Bullitt county, Ky.:
On the night of the fire I was out coon hunting; treed a possum; couldn't get it; went home, got Phil, went back, but didn't get it then; we started home again; on the way we caught a coon; when we got there Jack Samuels was there in the corner asleep; I threw the coon in his lap, which woke him; I asked him what he was doing there; he said he was not doing anything; he helped skin the coon, and then started home to Hiram Samuels'; this was about midnight.

Cross Examined.—When I was arrested I said I was not going to say that I did or did not know who done the murder, and if Jack didn't mind he would catch himself. I saw Bill Pendleton on Sunday, about one or two weeks before the murder: I had been out hunting and stopped there at Bill's house, I had master's double barreled gun. and had killed one rabbit. and killed another one after I left there: Bill said to me that his master David didn't want me nor Jack to come about the place; that Jack had taken a butcher knife from there once; he asked me if I had any money; I told him I had a quarter; I asked him if he had any, and he showed me three or four dollars in silver.

JACK SAMUELS' CONFESSION.
The following is Jack Samuels' statement— He is the property of Hiram Samuels, Bullitt county:
I went from Mr. Steel's to Lewis Samuels' last Thursday night, sat down by the fire and went to sleep. I was woke up by George throwing a coon in my face. I helped skin the coon, and started home to Hiram Samuels'. When I got within one hundred yards of our house. I met Bill Pendleton and Bill Brown. We sat down and talked awhile, and I asked them where they were going.— They said they were going down to tell Geo. to keep them things he got from Bill Joyce's a secret until after Christmas, and then they would go to Canada. I went on home then. When I got in bed the clock struck one.

Cross Examined.—I saw the light of the fire just before I met the two boys. I asked them what fire it was; they said they had murdered Mr. Joyce's family. and set fire to the house to hide the deed. Bill Pendleton said that he had got the coat and pants of Mr. Joyce's I never asked them whether Geo. was in the scrape or not, nor said anything about the murder.

The committee also examined Bill Brown, but his statements were so contradictory that they concluded to make no note of his confession, He wouldn't or couldn't recollect any transaction that occurred at the time, until confronted with Bill Pendleton. He then corroborated several of the statements of the other, but persisted in denying any participation in the murder.