“An old man named Joshua Clifton, living near Yellow Bud, recently died and on his death bed confessed to having assisted in the perpetration of several horrible murders in that vicinity years ago, and for which innocent parties were made to suffer by the law. He also led a reckless life in Memphis in early times. He said he had himself murdered two men and had assisted in the killing the third. In 1861 he said he had assisted in killing Sam Osborn; Osborn was killed to obtain $800. The name of the party who assisted in the killing was given; he is now dead, but has very highly respected and has wealthy relatives living in Chillicothe. For this crime a negro was found guilty and sent to the Ohio Penitentiary for twenty years, which term he served, although innocent according to Clifton’s confession. It is said that a brother of the murdered man at the time of the occurrence believed and charged Clifton with being the murderer.”
“The second murder was in 1864. The victim was Mahlon Morris. He was killed to obtain possession of $600, which he had on his person.”1
