Hide Article Text (OCR)
GIVEN A LIFE TERMMITCHELL COUNTY JURY FURGE-SON GUILTY.KILLING OCCURRED IN DEC.Wm. Rhodes an Insurance Man Was the Victim—A Hard Legal Battle Foagbt In the Case.We, the jury find the defendant, L. K. Furgeson, guilty of murder In the first degree and avssess his punishment at confinement in the state penitentiary for life. H. J. FREE, Foreman.The above verdict was returned by the jury about 7:36 Friday evening U the Ferguson case, Judge Shepherd delivered his charge about 4:30 and the jury retired to consider of the verdict, which was soon announced.Ferguson was charged with the mur tier of Wm. Rhodes, an Insuranoe agent in this city on the 27th day of December, on one of the main streets of the town. The shooting occurred about 4 o’clock in the afternoon of the day, and created intense excitement at the time.It appears that the day previous to the shooting Wm. Rhodes had filed a complaint against Ferguson for using Indecent and abusive language in the presence of his (Rho'des’) wife, and this brought on the trouble, and caused Rhodes to lose his life. At the time Rhodes was shot he was crossing the street from the corner of Shep perd’s grocery store to the Colorado Drug Store, when it is alleged that Ferguson wauked towards him with a shot gun and fired one shot into his body, causing almost instant death. Ferguson was taken into custofdy and admitted that he killed the deceased, but attempted to prove that the said Rhodes had threatened his life, and also that he was temporarily insane when he fired the fatal shot. The state resisted all of these allegations an'd made a vigorous fight to have Ferguson condemned to die, but the advanced age of the defendant perhaps saved his life.Ferguson was represented by able j counsel in the person of F. M. Allee | and Felix G. Thurmond, while the I state’s interest was looked after by M. I Carter, district attorney, an'd J. H. I and W. M. Beal, the ableet law firm j in Sweetwater, where the deceased! Rhodes had formerly lived. Mr. Carter and the Bealls made a most masterful plea for the death penalty, and those who were present throughout the arguments In the case declare that better or more able speeches were nev er made by attorneys in the Mitchell county court house than were 'delivered by Carter and Warren Beall for the state.Thus the second chapter in this case is closed, and as to whether the defense will appeal or not is unknown at this writing.The report is current that on first ballot 11 of the jurors stood for the death penalty, while one wa8 for a life sentence, and that after It was seen that the lone juror was invincible the 11 came over to his side. As to this being true, we will not say positively, but the rumor is believed to be true.This is the first case on record in Mitchell county where a life sentence has been Inflicted for any crime.—Col-ora'do Daily News, (Saturday.)
Newspaper Details
Abilene Daily Reporter
Abilene, Texas, US
Mon, Jan 27, 1908
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Aug 2023
Other Publications Near Abilene, Texas
Abilene Semi Weekly Reporter
Abilene Semi Weekly Farm Reporter
Abilene Daily Reporter
Abilene Morning Reporter News
Abilene Morning News
