Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-27
THE oGLETHORPE TRAGEDY.
Trial and Conviction of Jones, the Wife
Murderer


Murderer
LEXINGTON, GA, April 23.-The case of
the State against Joseph Z. Cohen, alias
Joseph K. Jones, for murder, was called
last Tuesday, but the defense was not
ready. Some material witness did not
reside in the county, but Judge Pottle i'm
mediately sent for them, and it was
Thursday afternoon before the case could
be brought to trial. On Wednesday the
excitement was great. Lynching the
prisoner was openly discussed on the
streets, but wiser counsels prevailed and
the law was allowed to take its course.
The crime charged was the murder of a
poor, helpless woman-the wife of the
murderer Jones-all because his
treatment to her was so cruel that
she refused to live with him. 1t
seems that after their separation
he. made several attempts to persuade her
TO go back and live with him, but she re-
fused. He finally determined that she
should live with him or he would take her
life. Beyond doubt the murder of his wife
was premeditated. To show his cunning
! hC left the county, saying that he in
tended to 60 to Texas, but was absent
only few days. During this time he
went to Athens and bought a self
revolving pistol, returned to the home of
his wife and her mother and concealed
himself near spring from which they
used water. There he remained from
early in the morning until p. m, watch
ing an opportunity to kill both his wife
and her mother, Mrs. Matthews.
As they did not show themselves. he
finally became restless and left his place
of cOncealment, and the first they knew of
his return he was standiag in the door
with his pistol drawn, threatening to
blow their brains out. He made them
kneel, and made his wife promise to live
with him, and her mother, Mrs. Matthews,
to give him full control OF the plantation
and everything that was on it. 1t was in
evidence that he ordered Mrs. Matthews
to leave her house for one hour.
She complied with his demands, and has
tened to some hands she had at work near
by, and sent a runner to the Glade.
small village near, for help. In very
short time three gentlemen came to her
| assistance. On their arrival all appar-
emily was quiet. Jones and his wife were
standing near the fence-she on one side
and he on the other. He was stroking
the same time. She discovered it and
screamed, ''Oh, Joe, don't kill me; he is
going to kill me-" and while she was
pleading with this brute for her life he
fired, the ball breaking her arm and en-
tering her side. He then seized her, and
holding her firmly with one hand, he rals-
ed the other with the pistol drawn above
her head and fired, the other fatal shot
taking effect in the back of her head, kill
ing her instantly. Jones' next attempt
was to escape, but the gentlemen rushed
on and secured him.
All the evidence showed il to be one of
the most brutal murders that was ever
committed. The old dodge of insanity
was put up for him, but numbers of our
medical experts on the stand swore they
believed him to be sane man. His trial
was one of the most impartial have ever
witnessed. The jury was in their room
only a few moments, when they returned
a verdict of guilty Of murder without any
recommendation to mercy. On last Sat
urday, the 21st, Judge Pottle passed the
sentence of death on the poor hardened
criminal. He will hang on the 28th day
of May. l am told by those who knew
that the wife of this fiend was an amiable,
good woman. Nothing could be said
against her character. She was con-
nected with some of the best families In
Oglethorpe cOuAty, and married before
she was thirteen years old.
TEYTNGTON