Indian hunter in opening scene
What was that?
Are the two men Murphy and Dockery's ancestors?
Must've missed something
He was apparently the witness who was supposed to testify against Dockery.
They do not explicitly state that fact, but “the witness” misses his day in court. The prosecution gets a postponement, but later Dockery states with complete confidence, that “the witness” will never show up.
It is sad really. I do not live that far from Cherokee, NC and the whole thing with Dockery put me in the mind of the current meth crisis among young Cherokee. The man they executed probably knew he was risking everything and did it anyway to try to preserve the younger generation.