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Raw, a Ralph Wilson Freed by Authorities After Sensational and pro_ ] Unusual Trial Here Friday in Which it Was Decid-^ j ed He Was Innocent. — Incompleteness of Identifica-j tion and Completeness of Negro's Alibi Forced His Release.—Many Witnesses Were Examined.—The!:ts onMlALACOF' it v Ladd Wilson, alias Ralph Wilson, of the examination, pointed to tluTne-i “ I negro, was declared not guilty of the pro, whom she had partially Identified llama cr,me of raPe ,n ,he Superior Court in the direct examination for the So-. , of Thomas county, convened in special Heitor General, and said: “You are not I Juf iat ne session by Judge Thomas for the pur- poBtlve now, this Is the'boy? Shest an- p0si^Qf deposing of this case. The answered: “It looks just like him, grand Jury and the petit jury were this significant statement being unMiArJuiquible a summoned Thursday, together with all challenged and unchanged during the prices witnesses, of which there were more entire course of the trial, i raw than thirty. Dr. Sanchez wa,s introduced and tolde-war The grand Jury was composed of the of his visit to the young lady, and the !following citizens, being the same as examination that, to his mind, pro-' . liddle that of the last term, held in October: duced conclusive proof that there had A n t his W. M. Parker, foreman; O. P. Grlffen, been an assault. The examination was, mornHiti ulti- W. H. Leonard, C. H. Garrison, R. Sin- In Its final stages, microscopic In char-, ert . bene- gletary, F. Y. Speight, C. M. Heeth, acter. , . guari: A. W. Davis, H. W. OrifTen. H. R. The sister of the young lady told with Noble, T. A. Futch. J. C. Cash. J. D. gf finding the girl at about 4 o'clock, “ mi‘mustdown Baker, F. L. Bradshaw, F. C. Jones, R. with the rope around her neck and The jlower G- Fleetwood, W. L. Ball. S. L. Heald, unconscious, and of taking steps to! the 1i con-,r- A- Bustle and J. F. Lindsey. get her. to bed. The rooms were torn j thatirees ' ‘ After ,he formal reception of the up ttnd two of the trunks had evident-! less, t af- Indictment, Judge Thomas called the \y been rifled. The description of the chareturn case an(* t*lc Htate and *be defendant, place was then given, a school house'h, . through his attorneys, by appointment, being about a half mile away, and“rid Messrs. J. M. Austin, D. Roy Hay and members of the family working on a l.la, OI U H H Merry, announced ready. There building In sight, along the highway. car‘yu ”*, was a delay of some minutes owing to a short distance from the house. Mr. of S£■' the absence of Dr. Sanchez. Hon. J. Ben Rogers was next Introduced and begar’r* t J ! B. Cheshire was associated with Soil- told how he went to the'A. J. Williams , haVethreeThethe f tal. I withcltor General C. E. Hay, in the prose- p|ttCe hunting for a negro. Ralph Wil-ipitul | cutlon. son being a possible suspect. He wentonly - The first twelve men called were at once to where the negro was work-! qualified, 1 and after consultation be- Ing In the turpentine fields and as he tween attorneys for both sides were cable up. the negro handed another accepted ‘In a bedy. The Jury was negro a package wrapped In a hand-jeer sicomposed of J. W. Nelms, Arthur T. kerchief, or a rag. The other negro, N0 dtChastain. W. B. Watkins, Jr., W. A. wus later made to give up a package, | wa8 £Curtis, C. C. Wurst, William Miller, and It contained the gun produced In I The„ !C. A. Trice, W. O. Thompson. John court. It wus a plated pistol, tallying I ens j,[I/C Dixon, W. A. Wheeler, R. H. Chason with the rescription of the one given |jjjne IfO and G. W. Murphy. by the victim as being shinyt ex-ijtwAttorney Austin prepared to con- cept that It was rusted on the barrel jat At. t m t . A . . - 1. _ *%»%/! nlflAfl n n 4 AmI n 1 A A V A AAA 1~f.tr duet the case for the defendant, who and sides to a material extent. It was1f was brought Into court at about Ilia hammerless .38. ITERUn- o’clock, not being In the slightest de-j« The negro was taken to the house I I EPA' L gree perturbed, us far as outwurd ap-j and was not identified by the girl, al-pea rupees went. H Mr. Austin suggest- j though her parents said they wanted iO ed, when the young lady was called to • him held on suspicion, until further the stand by the state, that the court j investigation was made. Others had, .proceed with*all spectators excluded, been brought there for her inspection J : The state agreed that this was expedi-1 also. This was the day after theyork onl and all spectators were excluded crime was committed, cials fmni the court room, with the excep- The question of the clothes of the ;erv- t*on attorneys, those interested negro was entered into on all oc-einir ,n thG catfe* uncl two reporters. j casions but without any means of de-* •» ? finitely fixing his apparel except thathe wore either leggins or high topagerlem-Victim Telit of Attack, The victim told the story ,of the at-tagc tack In a few words. She did not ap-nec- pear under a particularly severe strain rec*/and proceeded with calmness, and vork , without' any undue feeling, as mJghtshoes and overalls. The finding of the pants in the negro’s house was related by Mr. Earl Webb. The mother of the victim told of the circumstances immediately after the astati-WaToUnihave been evident had there been a, nault and her efforts to OHcertaln IfSun of ter fifty CharU dent clarge crowd present. She stated that j anything hud been taken during the t nK0rternoon; of fining of the trunks. , She missed!she went home on the afternoon.November 29th, at 2 oclock, by . tier j two handkerchiefs and said they watch, nobod^ being In the house. She were found on January 26th aboutINsat down and played the piano for a short time. When attracted by atwo months after the crime wus committed after a search warrant by thenoise, she turned and saw a negro mother In a pile of clothes whichenter from un adjoining room, with a pistol pointed at her, and a rope hangnr- Ing over his arm 4 u When ho Huid to her. “Hold up youri rotten Augua Suptei man I The that I ’abor— I hands, or I will kill you., she started toward the door, but he caught her Just us she reached It, und jerked her ive to the floor by her hair, which hud i been braided and was hanging down ! her back. She was chocked into In-. ! sensibility, with a rope pround her ”yn neck. She did not reguln conscious-*lt,“ ness until 10 o’clock that night. She 1 88 said the negro was yellow and had on Jca brown punts, dark shirt and leggings. * j The trousers, taken from a house of to. thG brother-in-law of the negro, where the he had been staying, and a pistol were the produced, und the young lady stated The they looked like the pistol he had and mve the breeches he wore.| On cross examination, she stated iree thut she gave a description to the j sheriff. Attorney Austin, at the closelU S.were stated to be those of- the-defendant. They were under a pile of quilts and were positively identified I °Pera* os belonging to the family and were I PaRy taken from the negro’s effects by the lady herself.The State proved that Hartford • O’Neal’s house was the place where the negro’s goods were stored. He never saw the handkerchiefs he said.Mr. Vonler, who had charge of the search, said he saw the mother pull the handkerchiefs from the quilts.Sheriff Davis went to the stand and told of the identification. at the Jail, stating that he presented three negroes for her Inspection, all very much alike and that she pointed to the one on the right and said he was the right one. This was said to have been stated when she had walked off with^ihe Sheriff, which precluded Its admission It not having transpired In the presence of the defendant.State Rests CasePacifNeaArOn 1 Feb. 1 routine hoard of the The w Saturd;along I J’nlted
Newspaper Details
Thomasville Times Enterprise Semi Weekly Edition
Thomasville, Georgia, US
Tue, Feb 08, 1921
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
FL, USA 26 May 2020
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