The Tragic Story of Isaac Lee

Escaped. -- A fellow named James Hall, accused of murder and negro stealing, has made his escape, with some other prisoners, from the jail of Lake Providence, in this State. The sheriff of Carroll parish has offered a large reward for the apprehension of the fugitive. Hall is about 45 years of age.

Murderer Identified. -- In the Baltimore Sun we read that officers Zell and Ridgely, on the 12th inst., received information that the negro Isaac, whom they had secured in the Baltimore jail on suspicion of being the murderer of Mr. Alseph Dean, of Louisiana, is the man; that the decription of his person, his name, his history, all agree, and that he, with another negro and a white man, were all tried for the offence, convicted and sentenced to be hung, but that they broke jail and escaped. The white man, it has been ascertained, is since dead, and the other negro has not been heard of.

LOCAL MATTERS.

Isaac Phillips, alias Isaac Lee. -- His Statements about the Murder of Mr. Alseph Dean. -- We received an intimation on Thursday last, that Isaac Lee, the colored man now lodged in Baltimore jail, charged with the murder of Mr. Alseph Dean, of Louisiana, had expressed a willingness to disclose certain facts connected with that transaction, and accordingly we took a stroll over to the jail, thinking it possible that he might prove communicative with us, if circumstances favored an interview. Admitted to the "harbor," we looked in through the grating upon Lee and a few others confined in one apartment, and in a few moments engaging his attention, he came up and manifested a willingness to speak freely upon the subject of his detention. But on looking round at his mates his manner expressed an objection to their proximity, and a private room was suggested; by the courtesy of the warden a vacant apartment at the extremity of that wing of the building was opened to us, and there we proceeded, Lee, heavily ironed, moved slowly along, supporting the substantial chain attached to his legs by a strap in his hands.

Seated within and directly opposite to each other, he looked steadfastly for several moments in our face, and at length asked, "Didn't I see you in court the other day?" It will be remembered that he was brought out on Monday, on a writ of habeas corpus.

"It is very likely," we replied; "we saw you there."

"Yes, but didn't you speak to me there?" "No."

"You aint a lawyer then?" We wont presume to say which of the professions was honored by the suggestion, but we promptly answered "No." In this age of vicissitudes, however, there is certainly no knowing what we may come to. Our negative replies seemed rather to perplex our interrogator, and he again perused our features for several moments, while we surveyed his, watching the progress of recognition. At last he said, rather quickly and confidently, "You're the gentlemen that was in the room with the grand jury the morning they come round."

"You are right," we replied, "we were there, and spoke to you then."

"Yes, I remember -- you're the one that knowed who I was." We confirmed his suggestion and he soon became interested in a statement we made about the manner in which the information reached us from New Orleans, its publication in the Sun on that very morning, and his identification in the room as the person referred to. He then began to declare his innocence of any connection with the affair, and that he knew nothing about it only by what he heard one of the parties relate in Texas. He was evidently disinclined to make us a confidant, for we found he had no difficulty in associating us with the press. We then told him distinctly our purpose, which was to publish any statement he might choose to make, whether favorable to himself or otherwise; but that whatever he did say would neither operate to his prejudice nor avial anything in his favor. He then proceeded, after a good deal of circumlocution and in a disjounted and embarassed manner, to state the following facts, which we have arranged in the order of their occurence. We premise by stating that he was sold from Baltimore jail some five years ago.

He was purchased in New Orleans by a planter named Brown, and taken up the river to the vicinity of Lake Providence; here, after a year or two, he was left by his master in charge of a relation named Storey, who was instructed to hire him out to any one who wanted help. In a short time he was accordingly hired out to Mr. Alseph Dean, who had a farm and plantation upon "the island" in the lake, and worked there until the murder was committed. A little while previous to the murder, a white man, named Hall, brought along a colored man and offered him for sale to Mr. Dean, who just then wanted somebody, because two of his boys had recently run away, leaving him upon the plantation with no help but Isaac. Mr. Dean bought the man of Hall, and paid $600 for him, but soon afterwards ascertained that the negro did not belong to Hall if he were a slave, and that he was probably free. In consequence of this, Mr. Dean declined the purchase, returned the negro to the hands of Hall for want of a valid title, and compelled him to refund the $600. Exasperated at the failure of his negotiation, Hall expressed his determination to have the money again, and one night he appeared on the island in company with the negro, who had been the subject of the transaction. That night Mr. Dean was murdered in the immediate vicinity of his house, by being forcibly smothered in mud.

Here Isaac avers a want of exact knowledge of the details of the deed, and denies that he was a party to the act. Mr. Dean, however, was seized, and strangled, and finally smothered, by his head and the upper part of his body being thrust into the mud of a pool, and left there, to indicate an accidental death -- the mode of which also avoided the exhibition of blood. The body was rifled and the $600, and probably other money and valuables, carried off. Guilt could be satisfied with nothing short of flight; and Isaac, whatever may have been the degree of his innocence, did not choose to stay at the house alone. Accordingly, Hall took him in a boat, as he says, to save him from being suspected, and they pulled over to another shore, where Hall left him. The next morning before day, Hall came to him in a little "dug-out," and told him he would have to go in another direction, and took him over to the Mississippi shore. The waters were then up and he couldn't travel well, but Hall told him to go to a certain house and wait till he came. Hall didn't come, however, and Isaac got the people of the house to write to his master, Mr. Brown, and he came to him. Mr. Brown then told him he was suspected of the murder, and that Hall and the other negro had been caught. Hall had been detected in offering a $100 note, which was recognized immediately by the person to whom it was offered, as a part of the $600 which Mr. Dean had used in the transaction with hall. Isaac was taken to the squire's and examined, and was then taken to the jail to identify the other negro, and this he declares was all the time he was in jail. He was never imprisoned, he says, for the offence, was never tried, and therefore, never convicted, and never broke jail. Hall and the other negro were tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hung, but broke jail and escaped.

We may add that Isaac's statement, however true it may be in general, conflicts with the facts set forth by the clerk of the court within whose jurisdiction Lake Providence lies; he states that Isaac, as well as Hall and the other negro, was tried with them, convicted, sentenced to be hung and broke jail and escaped. Isaac says that he was taken home by Mr. Brown, and that he afterwards ran away and came to Maryland. Hall, it is generally known, was subsequently encountered by Mr. ****, who drew a pistol and shot him dead upon the spot; and thus ended his career. The other negro has never been heard of since; and Isaac, who is a tall, sinewy, fine-built fellow, awaits the action of Louisiana upon his case, in Baltimore jail, where, at the close of our interview we left him, with the sincere expression of a wish we hardly think will be realized, that he may be able to establish his innocence.

Departure of Isaac Lee. -- Messrs. Mayfield and Smith, of New Orleans, left this city yesterday morning, having in custody the colored man Isaac Lee, who murdered his master, Mr. Aseph Dean, of Louisiana. It appears from the papers which the officers brought with them, that Isaac had been actually tried and convicted, notwithstanding his assertions to the contrary, and sentenced for execution, but made his escape from prison two days only before the time appointed for his death. That escape has favored him with two years of life, but justice has at length taken hold upon him, and in this instance is illustrated the certainty with which she sometimes secures her victims, and great credit is due to officers Zell and Ridgely for their efficient and vigilant agency in securing for identification this notorious offender. He is now on this way home -- a melancholy journey indeed -- to die a felon's death.

CONFESSION OF ISAAC PHILLIPS, IN BALTIMORE JAIL.-- The New Orleans Picayune publishes the following in a letter from this city:-- A few day since the negro, Isaac Phillips, who was a fugitive from Louisiana, on the charge of murdering his master, Mr. Alseph Dean, of Lake Providence, was delivered up on a requisition and taken from our jail, where he had been confined some time back, to the scene of his crime.--

Whilst in jail here he made two confessions or statements, both denying any participation in the murder of his master, both of which have been published. Since he left, I have received a copy of a third confession, from the hands of the Rev. Isaac Collins and the Rev. Wm. Evans, to whom he made it a few days before his departure, requesting that it be withheld from the public until he was on his way home. Mr. Evans states, that after having been warned that he should abide faithfully by the truth in the confession he was about voluntarily and unsought to make he proceeded as follows:

Confession. -- Dr. Duvall, of West River, Anne Arundel county, Md., from whom I ran away, sold me to Mr. Hope H. Slatter, of Baltimore, on again obtaining possession of me. Mr. Slatter took me to New Orleans and sold me to Mr. Dean, with whom I lived for two years prior to his death. He was murdered, I think, in September. He treated me very badly; would stake me down to the ground and lash me sorely, and then pour salt water over me. Two or three times he threatened to kill me. A Mr. Hall, who has himself since been murdered, and who had a difficulty with my master, persuaded Lewis, a slave belonging to another man and myself, to commit the crime, assuring us that he would enable us to make a successful escape. After about a week's deliberation, we came to the determination to do the deed. Mr. hall stood outside, while we entered the shanty in which my master lived, and which was not fastened in any way. We found him asleep. I laid hold of him, whilst Lewis strangled him with the blanket with which he was covered. He made but a slight struggle, and but little noise. After we had killed him, we carried his body out and buried it in the cane brake. Having been directed by Mr. Hall, I returned to the shanty and broke open his trunk, taking therefrom two pieces of gold and a hundred dollar note, all of which I gave to Mr. Hall. Lewis and myself, with Mr. Hall, then took horses and started for Providence, we passing as his slaves. We left our horses at Providence and took steamboat for Vicksburg, and went from there to Jackson, where I was arrested, taken back to Providence, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be be hung. I afterwards broke jail, and, by papers given me by a white friend in Arkansas, I got back to Baltimore, where I married. My proper name is Isaac Phillips. I have been in Baltimore about two years. Recently I went to West River, on a visit, where I was arrested and brought back to the city. My wife knew nothing of my crime before my arrest.