Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-10

The Trial of Henry Whitfield in the su.
periOr Court Yesterday-FOund Guilty


periOr Court Yesterday-FOund Guilty
and Awaiting the Sentence of Death.
Henry Whitfield, the negro with half
dozen or more aliases, who set fire to the
residence of f. A. Exley. on Margaret
street, on Jan. -, was tried in the Superior
Court Yesterday for arson. He was found
guilty, and will probably be sentenced
to-day.
The punishment for arson is death, I'M
less the conviction shall be founded solely
on circumstantiaI evidence or the jury
recommend to mercy, in which case the
Judge may sentence to confinement in
the penitentiary for life. In this case the
prisoner admitted having poured kerosene
oil on the doorway of the house, fully estab-
fishing his guilt. The jury made no
recommendation, and the only thing that
remains is for the sentence to be passed.
ON the night the fire was dicOvered PO-
liceman Mathis was patrOlling his beat
near Mr.. EXley's house when he saw the
basement doorway in flames. The inmates
Of the house were asleep, but the officer
aroused them and With a bucket of water
f7G succeeded in putting out the fire.
Whitfield, who was known to Mr.. EXley
under the name of RIVALS, was suspected
Of having fired the place, and the next
morning was arrested. He was indicted
| by the grand jury at its first sitting.
The testimony during the trial yesterday
went to show that while the officer was
walking his beat he discovered Whitfield
near the house acting in a suspicious
manner, as though he was trying to avoid
| being seen. The policeman succeeded,
| however. in obtaining good look at him,
| and. noting his appearance allowed
/ him TO pass on. few minutes later,
| when he discovered the fire, he associated
| Whitfield with it, believing
1 OF "a in al / fE
| origin. Mr.. EXley was asked
| if he could recall any circumstance which
| would prompt anyone to attack him in
| that manner, and described Whitfield,
| who had been lOafing about the place
/ from time to time to see his wife, who
was a cook for Mrs. EXley, and had been
| ordered to keep away unless he could
come to the house sober and in season
able hour and with the consent of the
woman. This, it appears, provoked Whit
| fields resentment. The officer found the
negro the following day, when he con-
! fessed to having saturated the wood work
of the door with kerosene, but denied
| having set fire to it.
The prisoner offered no testimony on
his trial which could be regarded as mitI-
eating his 0ffense, and did not even make
his statement to the jury. That the State
| had made out its case was apparent, and
the only question which seemed to divide
the spectators who witnessed the trial
was whether the jury would recommend
him to mercy, and thereby reduce the
penalty from hanging to a lifetime ser
| vice in the penItentiarY.
The jury retired uudes the charge of
the court about 1 O'Clock, and shortly
after : last night agreed upon verdict
OF guilty without recommendation.
| The prisoner was handcutfed, and ac-
c0mpanied by Deputy Sheritfs Mendell and
Smith. was taken back to Jail. He is a
mulatto of medium height and about -
years of age. During the progress of the
trial he manifested less appreciation of
| the crime with which he was charged
/ than any one in the court room.