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BIG CROWDS ATTENDCOURT SESSION TODAfTO HEAR TESTIMONYTwo White Men Charged With Rape of Negro Woman Were Tried Here Today.The Superior Court in its second week was formally called to order this morning at ten o’clock by Judge W. E. Thomas. An extra panel of jurors had been summoned for the occasion as it was known that the Five Forks cases would be tried, one involving a charge of rape and the other murder. After the jurors had been empaneled the case was called of the state versus Henry Price and C. V. Moore, young white men, charged with rape. Attorney J. B. Burch appeared for the defendants and Attorney C. E. Hay was associated with the state in the prosecution.The call of jurors was begun and^al about eleven o'clock twelve jurors hac; been selected. In addition to thf usual auestions Judge Thomas directed that they be asked if they had contributed toward a fund with which tc | pay attorneys for the state and ii I they had been approached with refer ence to the case by anyone prior tlt; the proceedings. Only one juror was disqualified on that score, this bein* Mr. J. J. Paramore of Boston, whlt; had contributed toward a prosecutioi fund.The case started with the testimonyof Eliza Manning, grandmother of thlt;principal in the case. She stated tha she was with her granddaughter am two men came to the house and de manded a match. This was in th-night. They went away after a refusa and later came back. When they cam back they broke down the from am back doors and chased the negrlt; woman into the field. Eliza stated sh-ran toward the house of Lacey Mit chell nearby for help. The younj negro woman who claimed to hav-been the victim of an attack statei the facts as given by her brandmoth er with the exception that she des cribed the actual details of the con sumated crime, in which she identifiei the two men as the perpetrators. Sh said one choked her three times t prevent her screams and the othe held a pistol at her head.Lacey Mitchells wife was brough to the stand and told that Lacey ha-been killed after the committmen hearing of the two men in Septerabei , She said he was shot. Deputy Sherif White stated the two boys were ar rested after the crime on the sam day and that they had been in jai since. He said that one of them wor eyeglasses on the day of the committ ment hearing, which the woman ha said made her fail tc recognize hin The woman said that he had his hai shved off and wore glasses at th committment hearing.The oefense offered no testimon except the statement cf the defend ants. Both went to the stand and tol identical stories. They stated they ha been out that night and coming bac toward home heard someone sereai for Lacey Mitchell. They went t Laceys house and they went down t the Alex Thomas home, where the found the woman. She did not te Lacey what was the trouble,, bot young men said. They stated that the | had nothing to do with it and did nc 1 even know about the crime at tt time. Lacey Mitchells wife stated the Eliza came for Lacey and that st did not see the boys at the time it 01 cured.The case was concluded and bot sides began arguments shortly aft™ three o’clock. It was expected th the case would be finished this a .ternoon. Judge Thomas had asked a jurors to leave the court room as th€ might have to act on the case of rau der in connection with the death lt;Lacey Mitchell, which case the stai contended was the result of the rai and was an effort to get rid of material witness, in that the victim claimed to have told him all about after it had been done.The court room was crowded 1 capacity during the entire day. Tk judge 'vas forced to order the deput sheriffs to clear the room of thoj standing in the front of the railing an to preserve quiet during the tria There has hardly been in man months such a big crowd at a tria They came from all sections of tt county and especially from the Fi\ Forks section, located on the roa from Thomasvile to Barwick nee Patten, inhere the negro lived an where the white men involved are ah living.The two defendants were in tfc midst of a number of friends durinthe day and one was supported by hi wife, who had two young ehildre with her at the time the trial openeiBabies were ordered from the corn room as the trial began so as to prlt;
Newspaper Details
Thomasville Times Enterprise
Thomasville, Georgia, US
Mon, Oct 27, 1930
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Raniqua L.
NA, 30 May 2023
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