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V : * I ? -VOLUME xxxvi. NTW. ROBERTS AGAIN IS TRIED For Crime of Seduction of Young Woman in 1920 , , DETAILS TOLD ABOUT THE SAME Defendant again Paced With Letters he Wrote to The Prosecutrix before event The second trial of the seduction ctise against N. W. Roberts came up last Wednesday in the court of general fessions. The case was tried at the Spring term and resulted in a mistrial. The facts were published at that time. The crime was charged as having been committed in the year 1020. The prosecutrix testified about as before. Said Roberts had lived about one-half mile from her home, told of 1110 child now six months old and said Roberts is its father; that she had been sweethearts with this man for ten years before the birth of the baby and had been engaged to him. i The wrong was done at her father's home. It w:'.s at night. Consented under the promise of marriage tlvt Roberts made. Consent was the result of such promise. She then told in her own way what was said on the particular night. when tins occurred. Clot loiters from him during this extended courtship that they bad. Letters, evidently the same u ed l>ofore, were placed in evidence showing the love existing between the parties and expressed in the most endearing ' terms. Bird Jenkins, father of the prosecutrix, to iPefl that the defendant had courted his daughter for a longtime, and gave his testimony about the same as at the last tri.ul. The defendant, N. W. Roberts, then went on the stand and testified in his own behalf. He admitted portions of some of the letters placed in evidence * as written by him. He did not deny ' thai, he was the fathar of the child exhibited in court. When asked his reason for not mr'ryirg the woman he only said that he '.vtd not promised to marry her. Tho defendant took the stand with a smiling face and ho left the stand in the same way. He answered most of the questions put to him by the attorneys, hut ofton this was in an .rum ifft m "i ir c-l-w * r i w?? 4 11 i 4 K a \irnnl/1 " ' <1I * ' ?|'V, .IIU'ITIII^ 111(11/ IIU nuuiu like to avoid tho issues. Taken as a whole the testimony did not jro into details as much as in the fir-t trial. There was no other witness for the defense. The jury retired, ahout \ o'clock on Tuesday afternoon rmd had nnt come out jit adjournment time in tho evening. The jurv was instructed to bring it) a sealed verd'et .at any time during the night. Tlie jury had i'P'f"'! ahout 7 or 8 o'clock th?;' ?\ic!11 r.ud the verdict was placed in a sealed envelope and not handed >n lil! tho court convened on WWln^sdmorn inj~. When the verdict was handed up on Wednesday momine* the dofoi.dant, N. W. Roberts, was celled to he present .at the opening of the verdict, hut he was not in court and so the verdict was held in the envelope awaiting the defendant. The court told the sheriff to get the defendant. De-! fondant's attorney said that defen-l dant had gone home the* evening before on account of sickness, and would likely be in court later that day. At this time the verdict was unknown, hut the general opinion was that it was one of guilty. Later the verdict was received in court and it was "guilty." The court sealed up the sentence as usual in such cases and ordered the sheriff to proceed to get Roberts If ho could be found. At a late hour that day the defendant had not appeared. He had skipped in the night. JAIL DLLIVKIIY. Tho county pail was cleared of prisoners only temporarily last week, when they were taken over to the court room for trial, one by one and placed in the dock. As they received their sentences they were marched back by 4he constables to the sane old place of safe keeping until they coi M be taken out to the county chain gang. ? r> ?_ NOT OUR VANCE. The Vance Ward, whose name .'appeared in the court records Ju l veofc, t\4 no' the It. V Ward who is an cfi of the M. 13. Thompson Company <. r' Warn pee and a brother-in-law of M. P. Thompson. Some confus'o t of r lies came about during the recent rriid.-> of the rural police of the coi nty amoni;' whiskey stillers, and thi; ite? \ ! , is necessary to correct .'i wron..? i?11 predion that j.rot abroad ?i < to the i<!"rtity of the defendant in one o( t?ho liquor case;:. S ate Superintendent of Education J. 10. Swearinven oi Columbia ha been appointed vice chairman of tin advisory council of the South Carolina Sunday School Association and i has accepted the position. s I R 9 ithr L. STRICKLAND, NON-SUPPORT Wife Prosecuted Husband at Former Term of Criminal Court WIFE'S FATHER SUPPORTING HER on,-* TT?1 J T -rt np^caio luai nusuiiuu liCll Wife to Live With His Brother Janie Strickland, the wife testified that she was married to Labon Strickland some months ago; that they have one child five months old and that the husband had not supported her or the child; that her huslvand took her to live at his relatives' home and said he could not take her to his mother's home; that they lived at I.uVher Strickland's. On cross-examination she admitted that he had Riven her $10 when lir left, but she denied that he had said he had arranged with Luther to nive her .anything that she wanted. She 1 staid three weeks with her sister, then ; her father came and took lior away she could l?e attended to; that her father had purchased the clothes for I ho Her husband did not help 1 f?1 1 11 1 11 1 .HT ,-iny. j ne naoy nao neon oorn ai her father's house. She denied Unit the husband had told Luther Strickland to provide for her an'd ??,et r doctor for her. Ho had left just a soon i s he had taken her to his broth cr'y, house. She had been in the hos pital eighteen days, !:ut not at the ox p. i se o[' her husband. VV. E. Graliam testified as the fatho? of tilt wife who is 15 vears old. She was married :n IVi.-ireh. 1921 1 ilx?p took her to his brother's where i she staid till April. Luther's wifo was also his daughter, and both daughters were about to f?'et sick and could not hcli) each other. He then took Junto home and Labon had not been there and he had not seen him since tPI court. Witness supported both wife and child. Wrote to Labon but K?t |lo reply. Had never ordered the husband to stay away from his hoirife. This closed the showing made l>v tho state. The defense then swore a number of witnesses to show that the separation of tho parties may have been caused by the wi/e, etc. They proved by one witness that i tho father of the pirl had said he knew nothing else except to take a ;vun and kill the fellow . Luther Strickland told about how Labon's mother would not let Labon take his wife to her home; he testified that the husband arranged for tho witness to take care of bis wife and that he vrot her all that she asked for ! and that he would have cared for the wife, lie became confused ,as to whether he had spoken to the doctor bout attending the woman, but ho i ranged for his own wife with Dr. ' . D. Lewis. Finally he said that ho did not think he had t >ld the doctor to look after Labon's wife. Me was -Iced as to what lead to this marriage .and if it did not result from ;; f.rosecution ap;ainst this defendant for rape, or attempt to rape this same <>i?l, and witness admitted thi<. 1 f 4 K /? .1 rtfAncA /tl/Vl'Tl/l M 1^/1 ^ O I 1 "If LI"; umuil.-l. *. <41111 w i * siat o recalled the prosecutrix as to the '.(Vidavit. read by I'le defense, tlii; effidavit made by a sifter of prosecut rix. The case went to the jury after the arguments of the attorneys had been made. These arguments brought up the <{uestio*.} or the right of the husband to select the home where the wife shall live. The attorney for the defence claimed that the husband had the absolute right to select the home, but the solicitor modified this by arguing that the homo selected must be one which would be proper for the wife to live at. In the charge the court read the statute providing a fine for 11 o i. support and the right to give :\ bond. He explained the law by saying that when a man marries, (be obligation rests on the man to provide for the wife and children an', give them a home that is reasonably suitable and proper, under all cir cumstances. Tie stressed the duty oi the man in cases of this kind. The jury found a verdict of guilty The sentence was pronounced at. one year at hard labor, with the chanc< that defendant, upon making the bond provided for 1 >y tho law, that the sen tence would l.?o suspended. LEA (JI E MEETING. Tho Conway Civic League will hole its first fall meeting on Wednesdaj afternoon from 4 to f> o'clock at th< Town Hall. You are urged to be , there and bring some new ideas foi the league. Mcssers. Johnson and Brunson of the Marion Star, spent last Fn 1 day afternoon in Conway a tend ing the brill game between Mririoi and Conway. They are publisher: of the Marion Star, one of the lead I ing newspapers of Eastern Soutl Carolina. if#** CONWAY, S. 0., THURSDAY, JUDGE MENTIONS LAWLESSNESS Tendency to Which Seems to Prevail All Over State PEOPLE TAKE LAWS IN HAND. So vc .Tily*i r?a ivr iaf fin Tli oil* W V Ml ATA U0 V VIV * ** Duty. Must not Listen to Statements by Lawyers Judge Frank B. Gary mentioned a matter of great importance to the grand jury last week, when charging them ,-is to their duties in the court. He said that he felt it his duty to ciii their attention to the evident nrevalence of crime all over South Carolina, and to mention the causes which in his opinion, had led to it. lie had seen it at other county seats and he pointed to the great number of hills of indictments pending here Ho said that in his opinion Ihc main causes leading to this and to the evident disposition on the part of people to take the law into their own hands wore ,as follows: (1) The effect of Ihc late war which had left the people :n a somewhat unsettled condition; (2) The low price of cotton which had brought down the value of the things raised by the people, and; (3) The reort of some men to illicit stilling of liquor. He remarked that in some counties there was reported to be a tin-can still on every fresh water branch. The court went on to show the usclessncss of mob rule, and nientioned two recent instances where the courts h.ad been adequate to punish crime; that it was now time for the law-abiding element to organize for <he enforcement of the law and for the triumph of the law over mob rule; nd that unless juries and the courts would now do their dutv, backed up !?v tho law-abiding element of 1 ho peo-1 pie, that soon anarchy would reign. He then mentioned another cause which he said had been told about by himself ever since he had been on the bench and* this was the lack of the strict performance of duty by the I juries. Me mentioned the fact that sometimes a jury would listen to the ydausible talk of a smart lawyer and clear a guilty party where he should have been convicted; and he mentioned the further fact that those guilty of homicide would plead se^f-defc nse and get off because the jury would listen to a fabricated defense. The court then pointed out the duty of tho juries :n such matters and made it very impressive as to the >vay their duties should be performed. Those who heard the address by the court were impressed by it and realized tbo truth that was contained in what ho said. It believed that whal he said carried weight with officers of tho court, and that what he said would have its weight in the carrying out of the laws. Judge Gary i< among the mo. t emient of tho circuit judges thi (ale. Ho is studious and careful a: d upholds the magisty of tho law. In the meantime the Columbia "State" comes out in ,an article which would indicate that in tlu> opinion of that paper, things are getting better along this line already. The editorial appearing in the "State" reads as fol lows: Coming to an F,nil. "The 'crime wave' in South Carolina is coming to its end. "We are not saying that no more crime will 'be done; unfortunately much will be done, but we are aboul to see a marked induction in evil doing in South Carolina. "The juries are convicting. "Men are beine* olrH vrvnt mmw wool; or two and others are waiting electrocution "The penitentiary and the chaingang.s are filling up. "In a word, the people have become alarmed at the conditions that have prevailed. They have shaken ofl their leMmrgy. "ii: the country neighborhoods, in the villages, everywhere, the peop: are discussing I lie crimes and saying that ihey have jL'.ot to slop. They ve adapted the sure and only way of stopping them. The juries arc convicting, white men and black, when they are guilty, and the judges are pronouncing sentences that fit the offences. "The 'crime wave' is coming to an ' end in South Carolina." "VI'CTOHIOIIS LfFE" CONFERVXi'V To all who would like to know (ho subject thought for the Conference next week on Victorious Life. A Sur' rendered Life, will he greatly helped by .reading St. Paul's version of that 1 ife. in his letter to the Romans, the - eighth chapter. W LI) DIM, AX NO I \CEMKN T Mrs. M. C. Henderson, ; nnoiuice^ - the marriage of her daughter Doni a i Clinton io J. hn Pickens Derham .Jr., of Green Sea, S. ('., ,'iiul v'ackr.or.vi!le, Pla, i Thursday September 20th PKM at Louisville, Ky. / a | iv, , a s M iMl a S* OCTOBER 6, 1921. C AUSEY BOY SUBMITS CASE Addresses Delivered in Behalf of Mercy Mixed With Justice GETS SIX MONTHS IN REFORMATORY Bloody Garment Worn by Causey is Exhibited in the Court The case against Joe Causey, the thirteen-year-old boy charged with the shooting* of Krnest Russ, was (lis posed ol i.ast Wednesday 111 the court. The case was submitted on a plea of guilty of assault and battery with intent to kill. Causey had attorneys to represent him in an application for mercy in consideration of his tender ape and the circumstances surrounding the ^booting. They plead for a suspended sentence in the h;\nds of his parents, believing that this would amount to a sufficient restraint, as the boy would know that when lie misbehaved his sentence would he enforced. One of the attorneys said in the i course of his plea that it seined to j him Die whole town was against this boy ;'ii ' thai perhaps sentiment was against the f/ather and mother he cause they were not the members of any christian church, but that perhaps the fault lay with the good people who perhaps had made no effort to got his boy's parents into the church. The r.ttorneys exhibited in court the b'ood-st/iined shirt worn by Jo:' on the day of the shooting. This shirt was black with blood stains as the attorney unfolded it on the table. The attorneys recounted the occurrences on the day of the deplorable affair; how Joe Causey and Ernest Riiss had a difficulty in the back lot in rear of the Causey residence; that .Joe went home showing the signs of the conflict and was undressed and put to bed. Later his mother stepped outside of the room and a neighbor st*.A Ooe running across thiv lot with a gun. The neighbor tried to call him back but did not succeed, and the Causey boy shot Ernest Russ. At the close of the /emarks made ut\ nit: ;mt)i nuy.s tut: court ui'iivureu a short lecture to the accused and sentenced him to a term of six months in the reformatory at Florence, S. C. The boy was placed in the custody of the sheriff until taken over to Florence to bog-in his term. In the opinion of the court ,'is expressed in passing sentence, the hoy ] was not subject to the proper re-1 straint at home, hence the necessity! of a term in the reformatory. LARGE CONTRACT FOR LUMBER j J. J, Sanders lias the contract cutting a hift quanal of lumber for | the Myrtie Bearn . "'ms Co;panand it is said that tins lumber will be used in the erection of a nev dancing pavilion to be local i on tlvbeaeh in front cf tiie annex ar.<! | extending out o v th h ear. rs; ane in other ways Will be employed in! the naming* of imm\>voemen wi thi popular resort in time? for the season of' 1022. fflGKlJICK CAR TAKEN, STOLE Found at L.'ttlo, River in Possession of Charley Nixon Last Week. On Tuesday tho Sheriff of Iforr county received a telegram from Wilmington, N. C.. reading as follows: "Buick touring oar, Model D 15, M">otor No. 197-1'^5, dent in 1. vie, state license No. 'MOT, stolen hero September 22. Reported taken io W mpee (>n Ihe 23(1. We hold wan ant for arrest of parties. J. C. Cashwoll, Chief of Police." Sheriff Lewis placed tho matter in the hand* of I). Frank Bellamy, rural policeman, and he at once made ef forts to locate the?Huick car. On the following (.lay he found it in posse sum of Charley Nixon near Little liiver and seized it. According to s'ial 'incuts made by Nixon as to how he obtained the car, it was brought over here by a man named Church. According to another statement the car had been left with him for repairs. Still another statement \v . t. 'he ? Te.-t that .la- en Ward had purelm >ed the car from Church and had left it for repairs with Nixon. The policeman reported the matter in full to the authorities in Wilmington. When the car was taken it was vvas being run uiuIm a Ford license number, and while the po'cemm wa looking around the car this license number was t.nken oil' and disappeared. .? . * raltl. PRESCOTT SICK, BACK AT HOME Boys Shot as They Claim While Standing by Prescotts Fence DAVIS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL Shot From Gun Paralyzed Him From Waste Down. Reported May Die Mystery to some extent, still surrounds the shooting of two white boys, Alec Uourne and Fulton Davis, on the night of Sunday September 25th. Some of the dotai's of this affair appeared in our issue of last week. A>- stated in a 'ormor article, Aloe Hourne was struck in the hand by some of the buck shot which had been fired at him and his companion, by Charles Proscott, the aged mini at whos;^ place these boys were; but Fulton I Davis received the main portion of the load of shot and the wound ! paralized him from the wais t down | and his condition was so serious (that he was taken to the Florence Infirmary after the serious nature j of his wounds wore found out. ! At this writing, which is Thursiday of court week, stories are [about that the Davis boy has died at the hospital but the reports have ~i - 1 iwv in vii cuiiiiiiiiKUi u is ;rso -tatcd tluit his condition has boon c.treniely serious ever sinc^ ho was shot and it is momentarily that viov.;- will roach Conway that tlio boy is dead. The e boys, who arc concerned j in the matter, it appears have not talkc 1 very much about tlie cause loading to the difficulty. They say they were standing up by i roscott's fence when they weiv shot by him w ithout warning. Those who went to the scene of the shooting say blood appears inside of the premises and near to the yard. The house where Prescott lives is situated back in a field from the r< a*l, and th* siguy of tUe blood near the yard disputes the story about the fence. Neighbors near tho Prescotts have told that they heard noises over there sounding like the flinging of things agains'. the house of Prescott. There i.no way to tell just wli&t the result? will be untii the matter is threshed cut at the inquest or in Court. Pivscott i-^ a very aged man and even his own wife does not know his age. He is an invalid and un able to drive tho mule and car., from which his wife sells vegetables about the town. Immediately .after the affair, the Sherffiff, oi* perhaps a Iluval policeman, went to his home to find out about the trouble and Pre cott was not there. It appear now that Prescott hao \ > si ted the hi me of a friend ana wu there at the time the officet visited his homo. If Davis dies, only a Circuit. Judge can let Presents to hail. rf he does not die a Ma.; ; trate can let him to bail. At last accounts Prescott has not been arrested under any warrant and th1 authorities are wailing the result of the wounds of Davis. If Oavis d es, an inquest will be held concerning tho cause of ins death, and witnessess \ i'l be summ: m ' and the matter heard by a Circuit Judge on the question of allowing bail. It is stated that Prescott is now at homo and very much worse physically than he was beiore thi occurence; that he i^ eating very little, and is suffering from his in firmities, and is confined to hi:: led at the little home where he lives with his wife and children. o SPECIAL POLICE in & irnrji b 1k"> J VAf Goes to North Carolina as Practised Check Hasher and Oid Offender W. M. Tatom was arrested at Singleton's Swash on Tuesday ot Court week while posing as a secret service agent. Ho was lodged in jail and tin4 Chief of Police ot Fairmont, North Carolina, came here and took him away undei charges < f check fl.ashing in Nortn Carolina. Tie was also undci chargcs of hunting1 without licens-. This man carried on his person a badge he*,; in? the words ".Special 11 1 * _ M 1 1 1 ? ' * i * * I i-once ana nc naa ex. imt a tills badge to a number of people while explaining to them the nature or the sec'iv't duties he had to perform in the service of the department of ju.-tice. Anions the things 1 he enuwe ated, as coming within 'his duties, was the secret investij gation of the county officers, especially the rural policemen and i Sheriff's deputy, to acertain if they | we e bootleggers dealing in illicit whiskey. He had been in that section sometime hol-1 ig him.s^li, ou under # false pretenses and it ha turned out that he was an old ot fender against the law. % 11 * ' \ . * 4 - N<? 2S M. FOWLER OLD OFFENDER Tried on Charges of Violation of Prohibition Laws WEEVIL TURNS STATES EVIDENCE Witnesses Approached in Usual Attempt to Change oaths Submitted To Jury. Marshall Fowler and Rex Weevil were tried last week 011 the charge of stilling and selling monkey rum. Mai shall Fowler has been known for some time as a notorious breaker of the laws. Me has used money and threats to aid him in evading the laws, hi times past, witnesses summoned .against him have disappeared before trial, or if they appeared tbev turned out as "know-nothings" and in various other ways lie harl so far managed to keep from feeling the teeth o4' the law. Authorities have . oenied slow in the handling of him and hN dark deeds. Uex Weevd had not been known in the courts so muoh. li ; ppoars th it Hex 'Ives on the s/ime place with Marshall and the tostimoi y c< imecte l him w'th the stilling oi.en.t'on- of Marshall Fowler. So much foi P.ex Weevil. As v;i: expected, the usual thing appealed at this trial. Some of the witnesses for the state tried to show that they know nothing. Among them w >s Quince Watt.5, l e w.is expected t> testify that he had gone to the home of Fowler with .J. L. (.''omens and boueiit a naif gallon of whiskey; bo all the solicitor got was the admission that after be had left Fowler's place he found the whiskey in the burgy. 11<? t'a.iled to say that be ' got the whi Vey Iron1. Marshall F ?w| ler or Rex Weevil. Other witnes es, i lio\vn> pv t <"*1 f 1 nliuitv In nnnvirt linth defendants, for they told of buying monkey rum from defendants and of seeing the si?.nic thing go in 32; on at the Fowler place. One witness said that Fowler had talked to him iwice recently and tried to keep him from ir>'iii^*V but he did not submit to his inPuence. Ho told how Fo.vler had tried to instruct him what to say at the trial. On one occasion before, when Fowler had been indicted for rape by one of the daughters of John Granger, it Appeared that Fowler had seen the prosecutrix and when she went on the stand she denied that she had ever been wronged by the defendant and thus that particular case was dropped. hex Weevil, one of the defendants, went, on the stand and told the whole thing. He said he staid with Marshall Fowler about three months and helped him m,ake the whiskey; that they got the molasses from Hill BulTkin and nut water to it; then when it fermented they stilled the. rum, and with Oscar CI; anger took the rum to a ditch side of the field and people diark it, buying it from him and Marshall Fowler; that he had heard that the Granger b;.>ys had taker, the still away from ttm ditch. He said that Marshall Fowier, since court, had a ked him not to toil it on him, saying that he had a wife and children t" look, n'i'tor. He said that Oscar (inin '.'-er had he!pod to still the rum aid tlv.it Grainger got some of the wcy. Mo did not know who tho still belonged to. lie, Oscar Grainger, and Marshall Fowler had the still from the Ha; i^gton farm and did not know who it belonged to. Moved the still from H.ar.iilton 's land to tho Few lor placo at a ditch. His testimony was a hard blow to the hopes of FowU-r when his partner in crime thus turned a-rain t him to help put hiii in the bricks. Witness admitted that ho had been shot at by Loo Turborville, on one occasion when trying to soo Turberville and approaching tho place where Turberville was running still. He also said ho had been in trouble once about breaking a store at Tabor. He told how, the night boi'oro, in Conway ho had been approached by Enoa Watson, a school teacher, and who wanted to know from him if Fowler oaliy had .anything to do with tho r-till and who statod ho was here to try to help Fowler if ho could; that ho refused to t.Hk about it. and toldWatson he would hear about it in the court, This closed the case of the state and attorneys for tho defense conferred with this array of proof against him. After.a few minutes att< 1 revs for ti e t'ense submitted tho case without aijyir lent and without putting n>1 any witnesses The jury foar.d Fowler guilty as charged and lie was sentenced as follows: Qno year on the public works lli.ffi- 1:1 : I wi iHUl(y ' ' 11 ' 1. \ , UI I I !\.t puriuu III tho state penitentiary. Ue.\ Weevil then pleaded guilty toI he same charge and w; s sentenced to e;j ht months, which was suspended ounDj-v his good behavior in consideration of liis having; admitted his iiill ai>d incriminated the others. Among those visiting Conwa during the c.nti las' week w.? e 0. I*. Williamson, A. L. Phillips, .J M. Mincy, K. C. Smith and B. K. Kdjre.