Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-01-21
AD- WILSON'S TRIAL.
He Receives q sentence of Pr Years In
ths F-niSentIRFy.


John Cooper last summer, and euga-
ging in other depredations. The
| charge or which he was tried was re-
sisting the Revenue Officers, in the
raid in which John Cooper
was killed, aud using deadly
| weapons. TIE facts OF the
/ operations Of this AmaTine gang of i'll
licit distillers, desperate and partially
unavaiiiug attempts TO take them,
| ETC., about that time, are, no doubt,
fresh in the memory of most of our
readers. 1t will be remembered that u
large posse of revenue officials about
/ the first OF August raIded them in
| their secluded aud we'll defended re-
/ treat in the m0untaii Gus regions OF
Blount county. The first attack re.
suited in J. b. nyder, one IF the
/ officials, being shot in the hand. Tue
attack was rene we'd with an in
creased force the next night,
under command Of Deputy Col~
IeclOr W. r. Cooper, ana this time
/ the fata! and well directed bullet Of the
blooi-thirsty dssPsradOss from their
| almos impt DetrabIe an buscade spilled
/ the life blood Of John Cooper, noble.
/ worthy ana iiuu. hearted man, sOn Of
/ Gen. J. \. CoopeT,the Collector. Will
son was afterwards captured in North
! Carolina, brought directly 10 this place
an q has been in jail ever since.
/ The prosecution was conducted by
/ District Attorney Andrews and Msj.
Petiibone. his assistant, while
/ Capt. Sam. p. Rowan, of Mary
vile, assisted by Capt. r. K.
/ Robinson, of jacksonville, who
were assigned ty the Court appeared
for the defense. The widowed and
/ grief stricken wife of The Iamented,
murdered officer appeared Oh the room
/ at the trial.
Gen. Cooper had had prepared a plot
| of the grounds where the tragedy &C.
| Cured, which was used to great adj
vantage in taking The evidence. The
case was very clearly made out by The
United States, but no defense what
ever was offered, there being
only one witness for the pris-
oner, aud ne told nothing that
had auy beaIing on the case.
| Without argument. tue case " ss given
to the jury, with tn instructions that
they had no juri> diclion ia case for
murder, Only for the Ctteuse of resist
ance, aud the jury we'e hardly out
/ - }, n
verdict OF guilty a. charged" The
prisoner nad mairtaiatd caIeless,
rather Indifferent AID iHs1leut frame
of mini through The trial, ami when
the death sceu,s were being portrayed
by witnesses, he was seen to actually
indulge la a hearty laugh, appa emily
making sport of the proceedings.
Judge Baxter, Immediately after the
rendering 1t the verdict, called VIII
sons attention. saying that what he
had To say was n0t expected 10 DO Nun,
the prisoner, any good, hul was i'll
u-,,,I,,l nero for spectators. He OWL
som had been clearly proven guilty of
extreme violation Of tue Iaw-had
attempted 10 fake the life of cue man
and succeeded in killing another very
worthy man, besides O;her desperate
deeds. lie (tbe judge had been per-
sonalty cDgniz ant or the state OF
affairs about the hauuts OF this
gang Of desperadOes in BiOunt
| county, how they were perfect terror
te the whole country, settling disgrace
and blame on many good citizens.
But they were urged on and sup
pOr ed in their violations at the time
| by q low class of demsgogues.
Ia The case just tried he said he
would give him the extent of the I.~
| 10 years III the penitenliary, in !he
case submitted by the prisoner, for
shooting Snyder, 10 years additional
and in the case for distilling still ?
years more, aggregating % years at
| hard labor, and he was only sorry hat
! this court did not have authoriry to
! inhjct punishment commensurate
/ with the air0ci!y of his crime.
/ The Judge said that if lie had any
/ idea that there would be a speedy or
Commensurate administration of JUS
tice by the State court he would favor
turning bin over at once, where he
could obtain justice.
Wilson was taken in charge aud re-
maGded to Jail. An Indictment for
murder lies against him now in the
State court, but nothing can be done
with him until he has served his time
out. The authorities of the United
States getting hold OF him first, would
not surrender him to the State court
for the reason that speedy justice could
hardly be expected.
Flejch Emmett, aLo.her one Of
the trio, who was the first
captured is yet in Jail awaiting a trial
in the State Court, after which the
United States authorities will have a
clip at him. Hut. Auarine, the third
and leader of the gang, is still at large,
roaming round in his mountain re-
treat, battling the skill of all the off
Gals and detectives, with the encour-
agements of large rewards.
FAT HOGS AND SEzOATS