Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / June 23, 1909, edition 1 / Page 1
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FIVE DOLLARS A YEAR, A ttomne ys teegin : :; - ARGUMENT FOR-AND: . ' AGAINS T Defense Closed Its Case Yesterday Af ternoon With Strong Testimony of Dr. J. P. MunroeMr. Herbert McClam mp Makes Opening Speech for the State Followed This Morning by Mr. J. W. Keerans for the! Defense---Jury Will Probably Get Case To-Morrow. The argument of Mr." J. WV Keerans. of Maxwell & Keerans, for Will S- Bi&gers, charged with the aurder of J. G. Hood, began ait i0' oclpck when court opened this. -morn-ice. and concluded at 12 o'clock. This was the second argument in the Biggers case, the first being by jlr. McClammy for the State .yester tay aiterncon. jYcm noon to-day till the mid-dy adjournment of court, - Mr.. John Parker, of the State. The order of the speecheSdurin? the remainder of the argument will te as follows, unless some change ia liater decided upon: Prestoa. -Lucas, Shannonhouse, . Maxwell. -Stewart. Osborne, Clarkson. The Judge's Charge. Ths charge to the jury t be deliv ered by Judge Councill will be a lengthy one, and will requtre?rora ine to" two hours to be delivered. T'hd fharge -will be first dictated by the judge to a stenographer and after it ij typewritten he will read the same ircm manuscript to the jury. .It is Kid that Judge Councill will require ut five hours in which to prepare his charge. ; in t're interim also between the be ginning of the arguments and the delivery of the charge, both sides are busy preparing toriefs, covering points which they will ask the judge to in terporate into his charge. Mr. Keerans. after-his two-hour speech this morning, expected to be gin at once on these .notes a. task that both sides expect to pay particu lar attention to, regarding 'this as ah important point. - - - The Prisoner Weeps. For the first time perhaps since the trial began the prisoner ;wept freely this mcrning while Mr. Kee rans. his attorney, was making a resume of the evidence relating to Biggers' family and .describing, with pathos the father holding out his one arm and declaring ' that that was all he had left with which to keep and provide for his wife and little chil dren. Biggers held his head behind the chair of one of his counsel during this brief spell of crying, endeavoring to cneeal it from the public, and in a few minutes he dried his eyes and sat up, making every attempt to avoid, apparently, anyshow of gnei. Mr. Keerans Speaks. The two-hours address of Mr. Keerans for the defense .was a mas terful effort, which included a sum marization of all the evidence, in favor of the prisoner, and an answering to the testimony of the State's witnesses. A brief summary of this speech is n!y possible here: . ' " ... "If all these gentlemen noticed these peculiarities, not knowing thatJ there -was going to be a 'homicide, n't this the very best evidence that the man is not himself . and that he k out of his right mind. Why, the law books tell us that the most apable persons to detect insanity in a person are those who are most c'osely associated' with him. And in these witnesses, whose evidence "i fcave repeated, have we nt the very persons who have been nearest to the defendant. Further, the very fact tJiat the defendant should, shoot ' a Ran dwn and then shoot him again after he is on the groundY goes to fove that the defendant was insane; at he did net know, what he was ding and couldn't recognize right rom -wrong. . ; ' Ir. Keerans then discussed the evidence of Capt. S- B. Alexander, Dr. J- E. s. Davidsn, Policeman Mosteller end thers who saw the defendant im: mediately after the killing and whtf Blvore that the defendant was, insane. Further tracing the course df pints as given by the witnesses, Mr. Keerans took up each step in the ame and pointed out the proofs of .. .. nsanity as sworn to by the witnesses. He also devoted considerable, time to l e evidence of Drs. Crowell. Dr. of Drs. Crowell, u uuroe, chief W. S. Orr and others. I alc vnii truntlATnen nf th ' A,, rry, Unnn cnAh ..j j. VIA, QV..ti...-. T- enrt Jy considferihg ' the glaring eye ,.,.h's strange deeds, . if that., man v n. ? other than crazy? . " . . atC, Hood noticea - :e wrone with tn Aerenaant i v nr.any other ' good people who noted his condition and many who did not. "As ' to Policeman Hunter's evi dence: We contend not that the de fendant -was crazy on alt subjects, but that he was .under-a delusion as to the act of killing Hood and did not know right from wrong. And if he wtre sane on other subjects is it not the'mdsr natural thing in ' the world that he should have recognized the policeman and have handed him his weapon.? Dr. . Ross, the -State's own Witness, said that people could be crazy on one-subject or two subjects and not on others, and that he has seen patients allright on all other subjects who will -want to send for a lawyer ; the moment certain things are mentioned for which they vmay ihave been tried or incarcerated " Mr. -Keerans-argued that- all of the experts for the State had not harmed the defendant nor had they contra dicted the contention of the defense. He further argued that the experts for the defense had seen the patient Sn, mediately after the deed, whereas, the State's experts - had . answered questions only upon hypothesis and that Dr. Ross, for the State, had ad mitted that a question based upon ob servation of the patient was more im portant than a hypothetical question. He made strong reference to the good character, proven by the defense and the. contrast seen in his sudden change which ' so much the 'more "'in dicated, insanity when the change was so great. ... "This man has been Dunistfed even now more .than any punishment! you could mete out to him. Through Hood he became mentally insane and icame. to" believe that everything "was being, taken.-from, him and" that his wife and children were to suffer for the necessaries of Hfe Why, he must have suffered , the tortures , of the damned. And likewise his wife has suffered greatly, as you have heard told, i beg you to send him back to that devoted wife and little children so that tHfey may bring him back to normal strength and mind. The conclusion, of the Biggers' trial, which has already become the most famous criminal case in the jrecords of Mecklenburg county, is now nea at hand much earlier than many ex pected, and the indications are that the question of the guilt' or of the innocence of W. s. Biggers, or what is the same thing -his sanity or in sanity on th day of the killing of J. Green Hood, will be decided by the jury perhaps before 9 o'clock to-morrow night. The case has become of State-wide interest and has attracted the atten tion of people from all parts of the piedmont section, to say nothing of North Carolina, and a great part of the country The peculiar circum stances surrounding this case, in fact, have rendered it unique and for that reason it has been watched with the most scrutinizing1 interest by every man,: woman and .child,, who has been able to secure a newspaper in which was an account of the trial day by day. ' --i .' , .' " When the case was called on Mon- day, June ?0, at a special term t of court, it was known ever then that the hearing would prove an . extraor dinar one, but few realized the mag nitude which the affair would assume ere-it had reached an end. Evidence Began-Thursday. The taking of evidence was begun Thursday morning, June 17, and con tinued up to 3:.45 o'clock yesterday, thus lasting practically five full days. In this period' is not included two days required in the summoning of the special venire of two hundred men from which' were selected ten jurors, ! the- other two being ch6sn from the regular jury list for the special term of -the court. Wednesday morning and a part of the afternoon were consumed in the examination of veniremen, with a view to selecting; the jury, and this was a task that ' consumed an entire day, so that three days elapsed, after the fol lowing of the opening of "court bef ore ihe first testimony .was taken, the 6tate opening with a simple and brief Introduction of facts to demonstrate that the defendant, Biggers, had over taken the deceased, J. G. Hood, on the streets, on the morning -ot February 9, in front of the Central Hotel,-and had opened" fire, killing his victim almost instantly. This part of the trial was, of course, brief. not more; than five. or six wit nesses befhg required ? to establish-the j - 1 . . m.. CHARLOTTE, N. C, WEDNESDAY, EVENEST G, DIGGERS FIRE AGENTS V i -: r j Insurance Men of Souta . Carolina to Hold Con vention To-Morro'tf. RURAXi CARRIERS WTLIi HOLD MEETING AT CHESTER .. .; , Insurance Commissioner Fitzhugh McMaster. to' Address Fire Insur ance' Men Interesting .Pythian Event at Chester ; To-Night High Moguls, of Postoftice Department to Address Rural Carriers at Conven tion at Rock Hill Other. Notes. , CHRONICLE BUREAU, COLUMBIA, S. C, June 23. The fire insurance agents, of the State gather here to-morrow for the annual meeting of their State, associa tion. The sessions will be held in the city hall and will begin at li o'clock. Commissioner Fitz Hugh McMasters, of the State insurance - department, will make an. address "and -several members will also be heard in inter esting talks. . . Secretary-Treasurer Sam M. Grist, of Yorkville, will read the minutes of the last convention, neW members will be enrolled aad President James Co Nfield, of Spartanburg, will deliver his annual report, after which " the com mittee on legislation will have a re port of great interest to submit. The only papers of the morning session! will be one by Mr. W. A. Douglas, of Rock Hill, on "The Well . Equipped Fire Insurance Office." - . The Pythian event of the week, in the State wilirbe the presentation of the new Lafayette lodge In Chester to -night" of the original charter of th lodge, which was the third formed in the state. Grand Chancellor Wilson G. Harvey, of Charleston, and the ota er grand lodge officers are expected to be present, also '. Cole L. Blease, of Newberry; J. S. Long, of Union, aal Wade Hampton Cobb, " ot ' Columbia. An encampment will be organized af ter the presentation. : "Cheater is going to make a deter mined effort) to secure the next' meet ing of the State Press Association. Her claims will be presented and strongly urged at the meeting to be held next month in Greenville. . Asa side trip Chester promises a glorious run up into the . mountains . around Blowing Rock, N. C, reached via Le noir from Chester. Rural Carriers to Meet at Rock Hill. Rock . Hill is to entertain Juiy 5 and 6 the delegates and, visitors to the an nual convention of the State Associa tion of the Rural Mail Carriers. ' Con gressman Aiken at the request of the officers of the organization, has seen Fourth Assistant Postmaster. General DeGraw and Superinteident of Ru ral Delivery Spillman and . has ihe promise that one or possibly foot) will attend. ' , .- . PRESBYTERIANS : READY TO ADJOURN Pan -Presbyterian Alliance : Conven tion . Engaged In Mission Discussion To-Day The Closing Events. NEW YORK, June 23.-1 Delegates from all over the world are in attend ance at the International Pan-Presbyterian Alliance convention to-day en gaged in mission work. Missionaries engaged in spreading the Presbyterian faith in many-of the; out-of-the-way corners of the earth recited their ex periences. Only, two days .more re mains ' of the period allotted to the convention, ; Council committees, will be appoint ed and a president and an American treasurer ;will be elected to-morrow." At the ; afternoon session, marriage and - divorce, Sabbath, observance, and temperance with discussions following, will be the subject of formal addresses.- "Christian Fellowship," will be the evening' topic. . - , iDn Friday at . 10, iRobert Watchorn will discuss "Immigration," - and Sir Alexander Simpson, 'City Evangeliza tion." In' the afternoon the. work .. of the Brotherhood - and of the , deacon esses will be among the subjects of ad dresses. A farewell meeting in the evening will bring the council to a close" . , .k' ." - 1 TRUSTED' EMPLOYE IS . - ARRESTED FOR STEALING, v .PITTSBURG, "June- 22.-Baggage Master L. 'Jones, of ..the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, a trusted employe for 22 years, -was to-day arrested on the charge of stealing $2,500 of jewelry. According- to a detective who .worked J ,m' th nase for several . months, Kc a Vatchin jjmes known to ; be a stoleB-axticle. i .1-... ' Ji SVi . i J f.ll .. " i -'III UfTfl I IQ v t t. 65 IN A MEN Gas Explosion in Coal Mine of Lackawaria Coal and Coke Company Will ResultUn Many Deaths -Several Already Dead and Others Being Suffocated and Roasted. WEHBUM, PA June 23 One known dead and 12 injured is euitf aM , explosion tins morning- W theIiackawanna Coal and Co ke Mine here. There . were 100 miners reported in the inine at the time ofthe explosion but it asfc Jlieved the casualty list will not be large. An accumulation of gas . caused the explosion. At llo'cl ",k this morn ing an unidentified foreigner and a dozen injured were brought to the surface. .Though several are badly bum ed, it is not believed any will Ap. 1 ' . . . :' .. ' - .. . . " Rescue parties have gathered around the mouth of the mine, preparing to enter the galleries, and employes are still coming to the surface. v WEHRUM, PA., June 23. Fire broke out in mine No. 4, of the Lacawanna Coal & Coke. Company, soon after noon where the explosion occurred this morrdng. It is feared that the 6o men underground will be' burned to. death. A phone message from the scene of the disaster say s three are already known to be dtead, five or six fataMy injured and 25 badly burned. . Oxygen tanks, from the Cambria Steel Company, at Johnstown, are on the way to the mine. . r Black damp is rww so thick that the work of rescue is exceedingly hazardous.- Fire fighting apparatus has been sent for from Johnstown. V. ' EARTHQUAIiE IN. CALTFORNfA. ;. CHIGO, Cal.i June . 23. Sac ramento valley.is to-dajr recov . ering from the effects of severe earthquake shocks last night. ' ' Little damage was done, be yond the shaklttg - down of a " . few;' chimneys arid the breaking . of windows. ' ? : CHUNG SIN DESCRICES MURDER Pal" of . Leon Ling Tells Detectives of ; Brutal KlUlng of Elsie Sigel In quisition Continues. ; NEW YORK, June 23. In the dim, close rodm of Leon Ling, Elsie Sigel's murderer, Chung Sin, Lihg's room mate t b-day retold the story of the girl's brutal murder, as he saw it through a key hole, The details are practically the same as Tie confessed to in third degree last night. ; He was led .shackled to the room this mofning. - ' When Cap tain Carey shouted, , "Tou killed the girl," Sin .. humbly protested , against the accusation,' declarihg "Me. no kill. You Arid Ling. He' do it," After returning to headctuarters, Sin was placed in - the - hands of. a fresh get of " inquisitors wh6 are expected to continue the. inquisition further. ITALIAN LOVER i - RUNS AMUCK ALBANY, N. Y., June 23. Angered because the parents refused to let the daughter:- receive- his attentions,, Ro sario Carvellaro, an Italian, to-day fa-J.l, tally shot the daughter of Tony Dosta f anie, ' stabbed the mother and then suicided. s , , . Carvellaro went early this morning to i-tfcecgirrs ., home,.demandingi.her. When refused be" ran amuck. v. JUNE 23, 1909. THE BATTERIES OPEN IMPRISONED BURNING Fourteen Dead From Heat) 1 In New York; Scores Down NEW"YORK,' June '2 3-f-Ther hottest; day -of ,.the year dawned this morn-, ing. The intense heat during the night forced thousands to sleep in the '.open, filling 'the parks, -benches and . roofs. "It is estimated .that 20,000 people slept on Coney Island sands.' " : Special policemen patrbllsd the beach to prevent harm to .the sleepers. Fourteen are already . dead and scores; prostrated from the heat." ' :. Ji Oliver Asks Uncle Sam To Help Get WASHINGTON, June 23. William LJ. Oliver,, of Knoxville, one of - the largest railway contractors of - the country, is here to-day. to urge the State Department to assist him in col lecting an I gO 0,0 00 claim against the Cuban government f op municipal work done" in Havana under the Palma ad- NEW ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY Special to The Chronicle. v ANDERSON, S. C, June 23. Sever al changes in the office of the United States district attorney' of South Car olina were announced to-day. . Mr. T. W Bacot has tendered his resignation as assistant United States district at torney and will devote his entire time to his private law practice and busi ness affairs. Mr. Abial Lathrop, ot Orangeburg, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Bacot and . Mr. Drayton F. Battle, of Charleston, has beei ap pointed to succeed Mr. Lathrop. - "1 . iThese changes become effective July which will be the beginning of the hew fiscal year. " District Attorney E P. Cochran stated to-day that he. re grets very much to part with Mr. -Bacot, whe-iS' a -'lawyer of wide and va ried experience, well known through- Out South Carolina, having, filled this Cuban Claim ministration. . Oliver also consulted Garcia Vilez, the Cuban minister . to the United States regarding the claim. It is understood that the State "de partment is'.' assisting him in trying to collect the claim. "- Oliver declined to discuss the probability of another American intervention, in Cuba. "j and other responsible positions with distinguished ability and credit to him self. ' ' REQUISITION IS ISSUED ;: ; for solomon sheppard. Negro Arrested at Columbus, Ohio, i For Implication in Holt Murder Be Brought Back. v - ..i ,-:'", ' CHRONICLE BUREAU, 1 r - RALEIGH, June 33. A requisition , was issued to-day by Governor Kltchin on the Governor of Ohio for Solomon : Sheppard, alias. William . Thomas, who : confessed, to the murder of Engineer Holt, at Dur ham more than a year ago. Sheppard is In jail jn Columbus. Reuben Bar bee has been charged with theVcrime and is sUU in jail. " State Senator S. E.. Williams procur ed to-day a charter for Fire Stone Company; to develop the remarkable fire clay discovered at Lexington. The capital is ioO.OO'0. - ; FIVE GEKTS A- COPY, IS CLEARED The Negro - William Jones Gets 18 Months on the V . County Roads. : I RALEIGH GOVERNMENT - ;, J BUILDING BEING IMPROVED Charges Brought Against Clerk of the United , States Court . at Raleigh During Trial of Negro Hackman ; for Illegal Relations With White Woman Are Ignored by Police Jus- 1 tice - Apparently Compromising Acts Explained Improvement in'. the Government Building. ' " - . CHRONICLE BUREAU, ,, ' RALEIGH, June 23. . . Crowds thronged the police court -room all vTuesday following the de velopments in the William JonesVial in which the charges of immoral rela tions between Major Hiram L. Granr, clerk of the United States Circuit and District Courts, " with - Maude Kelly and other; disreputable women had v developed,, the features of the day be- -ing three hours examination of. Major? Grant on the witness stand, the heated arguments and cross-fire by counsel--and final judgment of Police Justice V Stronach, that the negro, Jones, was : guilty of illegal relations with the white woman and must serve eighteen months on the county : roads. Prom this sentence the negro appealed;-and gave bond to the Superior Court, r Major -Grant in- his lengthy state- ment denied haying any improper re- lations withthe woman and character- -ized the testimony against him by the . " negroes - as a. - fabrication ' inspired by .; political . or personal enemies. While the hackman had testified that he carried Major Grant to. the house on Suhday ajd Wednesday, nights, Grant testified that he had spent only three Sundays in Raleigh inusix years, going to his. home in Goldsboro Fridays and .. returning igenerally Mondays. He ex plained his ownership of the house in which the Kelley woman lived by say ing the late' S. G. Ryan had told him , he had the property t"sell for" par- ties in Baltimore at its tax valuation iv' and also a purchaser who would pay for it in installments, a fine , invest- " ment. He says the deal was made y without his knowledge of the charac ter of the woman. He took a mort -. gage but finding the bad character, of the woman, was ashamed to have it ; recorded, and securing a-sale to an-? other, party as . soon as he could to . , rid. himself -"of . the ownership of the ; ' disreputable place. As to going on . the woman's bond later, he said hedid this with money she had paid on the Indebtedness and purely to save' the -transaction he had as to the house. The money the hackman claims was paid, him .to; leave, town, Grant says .V was given for attorney's fees in the - -, present case "against the negro. ',; Counsel for the negro argued that 'Major Grants and not the negro" was ; guilty of the illegal relations 'with the woman and. asked the court to dismiss their, client. , ' The court's action .In sentencing the negro to the roads ;. came as a strong link in Major Grant's defense. He was in' the court solely ' as a witnees whose character was im peached.. '''., , - ..''' . :.'. .-' .. Improving Goyetment Buildings.: ; j The w6rjk of reflnishing the 1 entire interior of ; the Raleigh government . building is well under way and tha. - . improvements are to continue until ' there, is an entirely new interior finish. The outside ' masonry of Salisbury granite is to b washed off with acid -and. a fresh new. appearance Impart- . ed. The--cornerst0ne of the building' was laid July 4.'; 1874, and it, is one " of the handsomest publicf buildings in the State. .-- An up-to-date electric ele vator is being, installed to run through the three stories and-basement, iThis was tested recently as to a required guarantee of safety appliance that . prevents, it from fallihg through the shaft in the event of an accident to any ofthe machinery. For this test 1600 pounds wefght was' placed on the carriage and It started on a s'ud den ' drop from' the third floor. The safety catch "stopped it within six and. a half, feet." "When completed, this elevator will " afford " a $00 job for , "elevator conductor." Many appli cations ' are already On file for "the j posit ion.' i .- '. - ' ' ' . - OXFORD UNIVERSITY CONFERS, . DEGREE ON TWO AMERICANS. :l OXFORD, England, June s 2 3. Ox ford University to-day conferred hon orary degrees on two Americans and one Canadian., , . The Americans are . Judge "Oliver .Wendell . Holmes,- D C.;f t.; Prof. George, E: Hale, D. S. C ; Canadian . Governor . General Earl . Grayr D.-L Cr..,- .: - lLfETTO : VETERANS - -.-' :r : MEETINti AT CHESTER. ..CHESTER, S.-Cl,; June 23. Clad in faded.gray and bearing aloft the tat tered- iiags which s the South Carolina troops carried into-mny bloody , bat--ties, the Confederate veterans -ot the : State assembled here to-day in annual . - reunion. . . y The Sons, of Veterans are also Jiold-: -ing their. reunion, in,-connection uith , that of the veterans' organization; i , v v . . v.- .. - ' , v.-. V toiWtkfis. "r2e.ai Xliea
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 23, 1909, edition 1
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