Lieutenant George B Jackson
Cincinnati Enquirer 17 February 1896, page 8
JACKSON THE DRIVER
Never was there such a procession of carriages leaving the City
Hall as that which followed George H Jackson, the colored
coachman, who so stoutly insists that it was he who drove Jackson and Walling to
the scene of the murder of Pearl Bryan at Ft Thomas, on the night of January 31,
or more properly speaking the morning of February 1.
As stated in yesterday morning's Enquirer, Jackson volunteered to drive Sheriff Plummer and Night Chief Renkert over the route which he says Walling dictated after he was engaged to drive the surrey. Arrangements were quickly made for the trip. Jackson said that the route from George and Elm, where Walling engaged him to drive the surrey was down Elm to Third to Broadway and thence to the Newport Bridge. This route was no particular importance attached to it. The watchman at the Cincinnati end of the bridge was asked to look at Jackson for possible identification, but the watchman said he was at the other end of the bridge on the night of January 31 and that he knew nothing about the case. At the Newport end, however, the collector, who had been on duty on the night in question. He could not recall who paid the toll, but thought one of the men on the front seat paid it. Jackson, the driver, insisted that neither he nor Walling maid the fare, and then it was recalled that when the student Jackson was arrested three bridge carriage tickets were found in this pockets.
Dental students who do not own carriages of their own are not usually in the habit of providing themselves with a stock of bridge tickets to use when they occasionally take carriage ridges and while it is not an important point in the case, the coincidence of "Dusty" Jackson having these tickets in his possession when he was arrested and the testimony of George Jackson, the negro, that neither he nor Walling settled the bridge fare, is worthy of note as a circumstance forming a part of the web which is being steadily women about the prisoners.
It is a fair presumption that Scott Jackson used one of these tickets to settle the bridge toll and George Jackson's story confirms the belief.
In Newport the Enquirer carriage following by a string of filled with men who were sufficiently interested in the case to be unwilling to wait until daylight to satisfy their curiosity, turned to the right, and drove west on Third street to Central avenue, then along Central avenue to Chestnut, the driver finding his way readily, confidently declaring that he would be able to retrace every foot of the road he had gone over on the eventful night.
Then along Chestnut to Isabella, on Isabella to Keturah street, and on Keturah street to Patterson. When Tenth and Patterson was reached it was found that the car tracks had been torn up by workmen who were putting in new froes. This made a slight deviation necessary as the carriages could not get through. Driving back on Patterson to an alley thence to Brighton street on Eleventh and back to Patterson and from Twelfth and Patterson to the Licking Pike.
When C Robinson and Sons distillery was reached Jackson drew rein and peering into the darkness for a moment said:
"This is the place where he tried to jump out. I had heard the girl moaning long enough and I was scared and wished myself out of the job and determined to get away. Walling pulled a gun and began to swear at me. 'You black ------ if you try to jump out here I'll send you to hell.' There wasn't much said, but he made me get back and we drove on."
It had been agreed between Sheriff Plummer and the Enquirer reported that Jackson should do the talking and that as few words as possible should be uttered by anyone else, this with a view of leaving the man to carry out his intention of finding the road unaided and without confusion. A little further on just east of the residence of Farmer Gest, a wealthy citizen, the driver again spoke.
"Walling was mad yet when we got here because I tried to get away and he continued his abuse of me. He said 'We know your name and address, you black --- and if you ever say a word about this trip to anyone, we will kill you. There are 15 of our friends who will look after your case and do you if you say a word about it.'
Jackson insisted that he was on the right road and to Sheriff Plummer's amazement, a turn was reached which he knew nothing about and presently Jackson drove out on the Alexandria pike. Continuing the trip the driver would say at intervals "Yes, I remember that place, present we will come to a culvert and beyond that a little house." The road came out beyond Ft Thomas and it was necessary to drive north to Ft Thomas. Near Farmer Locke's place the driver hesitated again for a moment but presently he caught sight of a stratum of rock cropping out and stopping he took a good look at it.
"I remember it now," he cried, "there's the house on the hill, there's the three board fence, with one board off where they took the girl over into the orchard. Over there is where the groans came from and here is where I hitched the horse to a piece of railroad iron and ran off through the fields, leaving everything in my hurry to get away."
The driver had kept his work and taken the Sheriff to the exact place as had described before starting. He had been slightly confused at times but who could wonder at that on such a night? That the events of the fatal night were vividly impressed upon Jackson's memory is small wonder. He says he walked, or ran, all the way from Farmer Locke's place to Cincinnati, keeping the lights of the city in view and caring for nothing except to get away from the deed of horror into which he had been unwittingly drawn by two students.
It is not to be wondered at that he hesitated at times, the wonder is that he should have been able to so accurately describe the route he said that he would take and to crown all, that he should give Sheriff Plummer points about roads in the vicinity of Ft. Thomas. And take him of all men, from the Licking to the Alexandria Pike by a cross cut that the Sheriff did not know was in existence.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 February 1896, page 8
A WITNESS
Officer Hallam, of the Newport Police Department, found a witness yesterday who says he saw a colored man running through Newport at an early hour on the morning of February 1. The time and place correspond with the story told by George H Jackson, who claims to have driven Walling, Jackson and Pearl Bryan to the scene of the latter's death.
Edward Clark, colored, and employed as a porter at Jones & Dix's restaurant, on York street Newport, is the witness. He told Officer Hallam that he was passing along Monmouth street, between Tenth and Eleventh on the morning of February 1. He said that he thought it was about 2:30 or 3 o'clock and that a colored man, breathing heavily, as though after a hard run, approached him. The stranger asked if the Newport police were strict and if there was any danger of him being arrested if he hurried through the city. Clark answered in the negative and the stranger then inquired the direction to Cincinnati by way of a bridge, specifying no particular bridge, thereby betraying that he was a stranger to the city. Clark gave him the desired directions and offered to accompany the fellow to Sixth street, as he was going in that direction.
The stranger declined the offer and walked rapidly down Monmouth street. Clark was taken before Sheriff Plummer and reiterated the statement given to Officer Hallam. The Sheriff will Clark to Cincinnati today and see if he can identify Jackson as the man whom he saw in Newport.
Clark bears a good reputation for veracity in Newport. One part of Clark's story that inclines one to that belief is his statement that he say a rockaway coupe being driven out Monmouth street toward the Alexandria pike, at the corner of Eighth and and Monmouth streets and that a colored man was driving, and occupying the seat with him was a white man.
That is an entirely different route Jackson claims to have taken and that part of Clark's statement, at least, has no significance concerning the fatal journey taken by Pearl Bryan.
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The Climax, Richmond Ky. Wednesday, 26 February 1896, page 5
It has been discovered Pearl Bryan, the poor girl so brutaly murdered at Ft Thomas, near Newport, was a native Kentuckian, as is also the negro, George Jackson, who drove the carriage on the fatal night and supplied the missing link in the evidence against Walling and Jackson.
Alexander Bryan, the father of Pearl was formerly a resident of Bourbon County living on Plum Lick, near the Montgomery county line, where Pearl was born. Jackson is a native of Nicholasville Ky.
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Daily Public Ledger, Wednesday, 29 April 1896, page 4
Coachman George M Jackson, employed by Maj. Widdefield, on Mt Auburn, was placed on the stand and testified to driving a couple to Kentucky for Alonzo Walling. He said on the night of January 31 he was going home from a meeting of the Caldwell Guards about 11:30; he was met by Alonzo Walling on Elm and George streets, who offered $5 for a driver to take him about a square beyond Newport Bridge; witness said he would take the job.
"Walling went up Elm street. I waited about half an hour, when the carriage drove down Elm to Third, then to Broadway and then to the Newport Bridge. Just then the man who hired me got up beside me to direct the way. We went two squares and then he said, "Turn to the left" and then we went three squares and him singing all the way. We went under the railroad bridge. I don't know which. We kept a-going and I didn't think anything wrong until we got to a place I have learned since was a distillery.
Just then I heard a strange noise in the back of the carriage; it sounded like a woman who was suffering with toothache. See here I said to myself, I don't like this job. There was a sound like glass crashing and I said; 'There's something the matter; I don't like this job' and put my foot down to get out of the cab. I handed the reins to the man with me and started out, but the man did not take it and I looked at him and saw I was looking into a revolver. He said: 'drive on, you black ---- or I'll drive you to -----'. I drove on.
At the bridge I heard that same moan again but I kept right on driving for whenever I looked at the man he had his gun pointed at me. We went about a mile or three-quarters on a mud road. We went on until we struck a pike. We went to a place where several roads met. Halfway down the hill the man in the back said there was where we wanted to stop and I backed up. The man on the seat with me was Walling and the man in the back was Scott Jackson. The man in the back helped the woman out and the man in front ran around and got on the other side of the lady.
They helped her along and told me to drive off. I looked back and the last I aw of them was as they were getting over the fence. I drove to the end of the hill. I heard a peculiar noise after I had been waiting about fifteen minutes, and then I started for home afoot. The horse was gray and a pretty good road horse. We drove slowly until we got to the tollgate on the bridge; then we drove very rapidly the rest of the way. I have no doubt the men who were with me were Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling."
The witness was severely cross questioned by the attorneys for the defense, but he stuck to his story. Jackson continued his story. "I ran all the way to Newport. I struck the river about the old fort. I don't know what part of town I struck first. I was never over here before. I didn't know east, west, north or south. I saw the lights of Cincinnati when I got to the end of the old mud road. I saw some stream as I was going out. i didn't know it was the Licking.
I don't know what time I got to Major Widdefield's. I fixed the furnace fire, went to my room and just then the electric light went out. It wasn't daylight. I won't say what time it was." Why didn't you keep the to road? "I went back to the road and then I left the road because I was afraid the two fellows might get the vehicle and catch me." Crawford tried to tangle the witness as to the route he followed returning to Cincinnati but was not successful.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 September 1899, page 3
George H Jackson, the colored coachman, who claimed to have driven Jackson and Walling to the Locke farm, near Ft. Thomas, where the headless body of Pearl Bryan was found, visited the scene of the tragedy Monday evening. He walked into the store at the terminus of the street-car line, dressed in the uniform of a Lieutenant. John B Locke, who discovered the body of the unfortunate girl, was sitting in the place and was astonished to see the famous coachman. When he recovered himself Locke said:
"Hello Jackson, is that you? What are you doing here"
"I came to take a look at the spot" said Jackson "and have just come from there"
Jackson signed his name as follows in the register kept for visitors: "Lieutenant George B Jackson, Ninth Battalion, O V L Springfield Ohio." He stated that he was on his way to New York.
HAD PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN
Before he left Mr. Locke prevailed upon Jackson to go to Cincinnati and have a photograph taken which Mr. Locke will place with the other souvenirs of the famous tragedy.