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THE BREVARDPetits Held In Masters Murder Case.{Continued from paget-iivss that Josse Masters had gold [teeth, anti that no gold teeth were Sunday, August 15, 1926, in the pres- found in the head of the body claimed cnee of Tal Petit and himself, and zo have been that of Masters. Mr. after knocking Masters down with a Galloway further elicited that all rock stabbed him in the throat and flesh was gone from the head and side with a knife. upper portion of the body, that theWhitmire was tried in December, hands were scattered about' and1926, term of Superior court and sen- that there were no actual physicateneed to fifteen to twenty-five years, feat urn by which the witness couldin the state penitentiary, la Febru-i have identified the body. His brother ary of this year he was released on drank a whole lot, and stayed drunkparole. Facing a revoke of his pa-; *£ long periods, so he had heard the ago, if found guilty of store breakingrole after being arrested two weeks j witness stated, ago, if found guilty of store breaking )V#ifanire Takes Standcharges, he made the assertion that; Louie Whitmire was placed on thehe was innocent of the murder stand. He appeared to be highly■barge imposed upon him live years nervous, continually clasping and un ago, and asserted that Arthur Petit clasping his hands. He was wearing was the real culprit Acting on this a clean pair of overalls, and aside information Sheriff Patton caused the from showing the marks of dissipation Petits to be arrested. The charges \u his face, was a neat appearing man as made by Whitmire are stoutly de- in his thirties. He told of leaving nied by the two Petits. Defense conn- his home in the morning, August 15, sel at the preliminary hearing Sat-[1926, about 9 o'clock, starting to Old prday made it appear that Whitmire [Toxaway. T°ld of seeing two men was endeavoring to implicate the two [tsn the way and later of meeting up Petits in order that he would not have,with Jesse Masters, Arthur and Tal to return to the State Penitentiary; Petit, Jesse offered him a drink of and finish his sentence. Wirt. E.1 whiskey out of a pint bottle. All Breese and T. Coleman Galloway rep-' took a drink. Stood about and talked resented the Petits, while Pat Kimzey i for some time, later getting into a represented the State. Mrs. Hazel'ear. went a short distance and met Owen acted as court stenographer,; up with two boys from South Caro-The courtroom was jammed to over- lina. More drinking. Car drove off flowing by people from all sections of Heaving Louie and Masters together, the county, j JK# the PetitsSims On Stand Ten minutes later, Whitmire testi-Eck L. Sims, rural policeman at j fled, Arthur and Tal Petit came up. the time Masters was reported miss- More drinks. Masters made the sug-ing from his home at Bosnian, and afgestion that they get off the road member of the party that found the1 as he had some more whiskey on him. body identified as that of Masters,'As they were leaving the original was first witness for the state. He-place, Arthur Petit said, ' Jesse has testified to the finding of the badly isonH* money on him, the witness stat-decomposed body nineteen days after ;ed. They went a short way and stop-Masters was reported to have left hisjped to take another drink; talked a boarding place at Rosman. He was little bit. Dispute then arose between positive that the body was that of Arthur Petit and Masters; they start-Masters. On cross examination byjed cursing and finally struck several Attorney Breese, Sims reiterated that I blows. Then it was, Whitmire testi-he was absolutely positive of the body ; fled, that Arthur Petit struck Mastersbeing that of Masters’. He was given with a rock, knocking him down, pretty severe grilling as to his'Masters got up and Arthur cut himvlt; v v . ____lt; .i_____...uu „Bpositiveness of identity, but maintained that Masters’ body it was.in the throat and side with a knife. Whitmire left immediately, he said.L. E, Masters, brother of Jesse suing to the home of C. C. Galloway, Masters, was next called. Witness that he was m awful trouble. Af ei testified to the finding of the body by shaving he told Mr. Galloway aboutthe searching party and asserted that the killing.he was convinced that the body found was that of his brother. Although in absolute decay, the head and handsLater he went with “Alonzo” (did not say Alonzo who) to the home of Ed Aiken; took a drink; came back-separated from the rest of the body, j Did not see Arthur Petit until thehe said he knew it was that of his next Sunday, Talked with him auio jail that Masters had about on him, the witness said, #Afraid of Being Killed “Why didn’t you teii this before.' Attorney Kimzey asked.( “I was afraid 1 might gel rimed,he answered. •Mr, Breese subjected Whitmire toa cross examination. Mr. Breesei questioned him as to his reasons for[not telling the story that he had jus*itold before, and about his not tellinganyone about the matter before going! to prison. Whitmire stated that he had told Mrs. C. C. Galloway on the dav of the killing and later that he had told a Gordon Barnes about it ‘while in prison, and that he had tola his wife about it after he was pa-! roled.Asked by Mr. Breese why he hadnot put Mrs. Galloway on the stand, (when he was tried before, and why hehad not gone on the stand himsek inhis own defense, Whitmire replied that his reason for not going on the stand was that there were two charges against him at the time and he was afraid that would hurt him in his case. That he had told Mrs. Galloway, who is his first cousin, to say nothing about the matter at all.At this juncture, Kimzey asked him who was his lawyer, and he repliedMr. Breese. This caused a titter inthe courtroom and a tilt between the lawyers when Breese asked the witness, “What did you tell me?” Ob-iject, said Kimzey, and the objection was sustained by Justice Shu-ford, but the spectators were furnished with an interesting lawyers' mixup between Breeze and Kimzey. Mr, Breese charged that Kimzey had the 'witness tell who his lawyers were in “the first murder case in an effort to place Mr, Breese in an embarrassing position before the crowded courtroom, while Mr. Kimzey asserted that the question put by the defense counsel I was not according to correct procedure. J\ In an effort to break down Whitmire’s testimony. Attorney Breese• drew from the witness that he had told several people prior to the murder hearing in 1926 that he knew nothing at all about the killing, among those he told being his brother land his brother-in-law.Present TroubleOn request that he tell how he came to be in jail now. Whitmire said that he “got drunk or crazy, whatever youu m. a * * . 1 , * „• !' .. ..., note for *75 at the Brevard Bank. He said that he did not go back to thescene of the killing.i call it—broke in the store with anearra pinway he wore his shoes, the toes of w hich had a tendency to “turn up.|tVV| k/l I. U ■ I, I 1 J A. V f Oi I1* * A, VI Mlvi 4 * *he wore, and the to him: Well, don’t ever say nothingbrother by his clothes, small knife he short time, took a drink. Arthur said axe, stole a pistol and later pawnedJ “ —— - the pistol at Reid’s Siding for a drmkI of whiskey. That Deputy Toni Worn!'(-aught him and brought him to jail.I He asserted that he had not told atty-(lallowav, the witness was emphatic Witness said he saw Tal Petit on one anything of importance while in- •- • ‘ jail, but stated that he had beenf Iabout this— it won’t do If they get you up, you won’t get much, and theyOn cross examination by Attorney might give me life.”in his statements that he knew the the following Monday after talking Ihdv was that of his brother, and no to Arthur, and that Tal told him toamount of questioning by Mr. Gallo- say nothing about it. Arthur came way could shake him from the fiat to see him while he was in jail after statement that it was his brother’s he had been tried and convicted and body. Mr, Galloway brought out dur- told him to “make the best of it you ing his cross examination of the wit- can.’ Arthur also told him while in“crazv-like while in jail—mind got.off/’ tdj -W«MiL*■ Whitmire further testified on cross examination that he had seven or eight dollars at the time Masters was ‘killed: that T. E. Reid had signed hisTIII ADAA1 FunnfftDrimnrrlMrs. C. C. Galloway, a neat appearing middle-aged lady, was next caib 1. She corroborated a pa l of Whitmires testimony, saying in effect that she was getting dinner on the fateful Sunday when Louie came to her homo. She thought he was drunk, Louie wanted to shave and she procured hot water for him to use; noticed that he was nervous, and that Louie told her that he was in bad trouble—saying that Arthur Petit had killedJesse Masters and asking her to say nothing about it. Witness said shetold Louie she did not believe it.On cross examination by Mr. Galloway she testified that she had told the solicitor that she “didn't know whether Louie or the others had killed Masters, She said that she had not been placed on the stand and that she was not under oath, and further thatshe did not believe at the time that either the Petits or Louie would do a thing like that. Mrs. Galloway made a good witness for the state andthe spectators listened intently to her testimony and her answers to questions by Mr. Galloway,On completion of Mrs. Galloway's cross examination the state rested, No defense was put up. Attorney Kimzey made brief speech asking that the Petits be held on the charge to Superior court and that they not be allowed bond.Motion Denied Attorney Breese made a strong appeal for release of his clients, asserting that Whitmire, who had been sentenced and had served part of his time was “grabbing at a straw ' in an effort to keep from having his parole revoked. He declared that Louie Whitmire had concocted the story about Arthur Petit and derided the testimony of Mrs. C. C. Galloway, asserting that she had failed to tell the truth at the time of the first murder hearing to the solicitor, and that she was now trying to help her kins-man. ?T2JaMotion for dismissal was denied by Judge Shuford, and the two Petits were bound to December term Superior court. Bond, if allowed, to he arranged by Solicitor FJess.Tal Petit is a heavy set man of medium height, fair and ruddy, and looks to be about forty-five or fifty-He was dressed in overalls, blue shirtand wearing a short top coat or mackinaw, Arthur Petit is a clean andneat appearing young fellow of theearly twenties. He wears glasses and has a bad or “cross eye.” His mother was ir. the court room Saturday andsat beside him during the hearing.Neither of the Petits seemed to be inthe least nervous, the younger assisting his counsel in the hearing, speaking from time to time to his lawyers during the cross examinations, which were severe in eachinstance.OF 1Will seto §45.ifor $Idcost yocash $6$30.00$10.00.No\as longfor youfer is (the lintbe wait—*-«
Newspaper Details
Brevard News
Brevard, North Carolina, US
Thu, Nov 26, 1931
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Judy A.
USA 21 Dec 2022
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