The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-15
TRIAL OF A LITTLE BOY.
. STRANGE SCENE IN THE HOW
ARD COUNTY COURT.

charles washington Accused of the
Murder of Beulah Layton Her
little Sister Running Around in the
court-Was thu Lad Guilty of the
Crime a-The Evidence.
From, the Baltimore american.
F1I1coTT CITY, Sept IA very pecu-
liar case was brought up IN court to-day at
.bis Mace. A small boy, who is supposed
~ he 10 years old, yet who hardly looks 7,
vvas nut on trial for his life. He is charged
with the murder of child not 2 years old.
Tho crime was a cold-blooded one, and it
soams incredible that he could have COM
,,,;tted it, So incredible does it appear
that many will not believe that the young
ster did not. This boy is Charles Washing
ton. a copper-colored young thing. He
lived in the house of R. D. Layton, a farmer
in the Fourth district, near Florence. Their
fatber left this kid with his two little girls,
sadie and Beulah-Sadie nearly years old,
and Reulah Just 16 months-and an hour
after the father found the two children on
+he bed with their throats cut. The younger
was hurt so badly that it died.
The case was set for Monday, but there
was so much on the docket that it was not
reached until late to-day.
WHEN THE YOUTHFUL CRIMINAL
WAS brought in every one stared. Here
was the smallest shrimp of boy, looking
more like a veritaole brownie than any
thing else AS he sat in the dock he looked
lost Every one stared at him in wonder
When the clerk arose and read the indict-
ment, in which the name of Charles Wash
ingtou was heard SO frequently, the
brownie didn't know whether to cry or
not. He rubbed his hands and shirt sleeves
over his eyes, not quite decided what
TODD. He held in the salty tears and wrig-
cited and suuirmed till one thought there
must be several worms tied in one aud sit
ting there. He rather airily clad The
costume of Eve after the fall was rather
less scanty. He wore a ripped shirt,
through which his copper skin showed. His
trowsers, whose lower extremities reached
half way between his knees and his waist,
we're no better. That was all. Judge Miller
had the boy placed in a chair before the
jury,
so THEY COULD SEE HIM.
There he wriggled, while his black eyes
flashed, though there was a troubled look in
them Late in the afternoon he looked so
appealingly at MIR. Wooten that that gen
tleman said: "What's the mattera'
Use SO hungry" replied the kid. He had
had nothing since breakfast.
While the trial went on another child
divided the attention of the court. This
was another actor in the strange crime.
Little yellow-haired Sadie Layton was run
ming around the room, laughing cheerily
and making friends with the men. Once
she ran past Charlie and even grabbed his
arm. The boy wouldn't even look at her as
she played around him. The child frolicked
on as the trial went on
There was but little trouble getting a
jury, and then States Attorney j. D.
Mcclure stated the case. Henry E Woot-
ten said that if the state could prove that
the boy committed the crime they must also
show that he was capable of approaching
the enormity and consequences of the crime.
William A. Hammond and Mr.. Wooten
were counsel for the boy.
EVIDENCE OF THE DOCTORS.
The first witness was DR.. Basil Crawford,
who attended both the children. He said:
| reached the house on the evening of June
20. A lady, a stranger, held one of the
children, which afterward proved to be the
oldest, in her arms. She told me the child
was badly mutilated. There was deep
incision in the neck over the windpipe
The cut extended almost to the vertebr8 in
the back. After dressing the wound, |
asked if the other child was as badly hurt,
and said: 81 hope the other ones wound is
not so serious" "Oh," she said, "shes
worse hurt than the other; her windppe is
nearly severed" | found in the younger
ones neck an incision from the left margin
almost straight across, deep, and nearly
evering the windpipe.
Two knives were shown the DOCTOR one a
aitchen knife, and the other butcher knife.
be was asked if either could have made the
wounds. His reply was that the butcher
p;nife might have made them. The butcher
E.nife is supposed to be the one with which
line wounds were given.
/ DR.. Ridgely Warfield of Baltimore, who
assisted DIR. Crawford, said he helped to
dress the wounds next day, and that he con-
hdered the wound necessarily fatal, owing
% the extreme youth of the patient and the
pss of blood. He considered the boy to be
6 or years old.
STORY OF THE CHILD'S FATHER.
R. D. Layton, the father of the child, was
called. He lives in Howard county, near
Florence. He said: II was working about
sighty-fve yards from the house, in po-
iato patch, with Baker Bowie. The only
persons in the house were the two children
and Charlie. When | went into the potato
patch Charlie was in one part of the yard
and Sis (Sadie) was IN another. She started
to follow me, when | drove her back. After
l had been in the potato field some time l
called for Charlie to bring me some water.
He answered me. though didn't see him,
and he came to me few minutes later. He
said: Mr.. Dolph, somebody is in the
house cutting the children's throats.' l
said; oh, pshaw; there amt moth
ing like that and then told him to
go to the spring. When he came back
with the water he told me this again. Then
the colored man called to me and asked
what the boy had said. | told him, and |
went to the house. The steps were bloody,
and there was blood upon the floor. Charlie
had walked up to the house with me. Both
children were on the bed, which was bloody.
Sadie had her head toward the head of the
bed and was lying on her face. Berlah was
at the head of the bed, lying on her face.
When coming in from the field Charlie told
me that some one had done it and gone up |
the road. | sent Charlie for my wife and |
went out to see if / could find any man.
Next morning l took Charlie out behind |
the woodshed, and told him | would hang |
him if he didn't tell me the truth. l made |
a pretense as if to hang him."
By Mr.. Wootten-How did you pretend |
you'd hang hims
Il had rope. He said man had done |
IT, Then / made him go and show me |
where the man had gone after he had done |
IL" Mr., Layton also told how he had dis |
covered mans tracks and how he had fol- |
lowed them. They turned out TO have been |
made by neighbor as he returned from his |
work. Layton considered the boy an in |
ellgent one for his age, and thought he was |
about or Z.