The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-06-20

Flora Garrett, q MulattO Girl, Confess
es to Being its Mother.

On Anursoay morning laSt TWO negrt
boys were trying to catch turtle, said to b
in an abandoned vat, half full of water, a
the old barrel and chair factory, situate,
on the north side OF the city cemetery OF
Powder Springs street. The boys had
hoe and were punching around in tn,
water when the hoe struck an old tow sack
which they pulled out on the ground, and
to their horror dead male child rolled
:, out.
Joe Garrett, colored, lives in house Oh
the premises, and the boys, one of them
being CARROTS son, notified the women al
the house of the finding of the dead infant
CARROTS vile sent Deputy Marshal Parks
word, and be informed Mayor Glover, who
telegraphed to Coroner Green at Kenne-
saw, of the find. Coroner Green arrived
in the afternoon in buggy, accompanied
by DR.. J. E. Stephens, of Kennesaw.
Sheriff P. O. McLain had summoned a
jury, and they were sworn in as follows
7. w. Glover, elected foreman; w. S. N.
Neal, secretary; R. w. Moon, J. W.
Hardeman, G. X. Sanges, T. f. Campbell
j. P. Grower, s. G. Motley, J. L. WILEY,
D. p Parks, Jr, E. H. Northcutt and G.
I. Swan.
A number Of colored people were sworn,
and their evidence pointed strongly to
Flora Garrett, bright mulatto, about l6
years old, as the mother of the dead child
DR.. j. E. Stephens testified and his
evidence and that of the colored witnesses
were so much at variance that the jury
was at sea, and in order to wait further
developments, an adjournment was made
to o clock Monday afternoon, when the
jury reconvened and resumed investga-
! TONS
DR.. E. j. Seize, of Marietta, was called
and his evidence was positive that the
girl, Flora Garrett, colored, had been a
mother inside of three weeks.
The girl denied the accusation presist.
emily, but finally confessed that it was
true. She stated that the child had never
lived, and had been placed in the vat by
Nettie Hendricks, an aunt of the girl
three weeks ago Nettie Hendricks made
a similar confession as to the part she
took in the matter. 1t is claimed that al
the other inmates of the house were KEEP
in ignorance of the advent of the child.
The child was buried Thursday evening
no lung test having been made as t.
whether it had ever lived. Monday it wa.
deemed too late to make such test, as de
composition had set in and the lung
doubtless by that time had become inflated
with gas, rendering it impossible TO ascer
tain the desired information, although il
the child had been dead three weeks, the
lung test would have been useless, as de.
composition must have set in before
Thursday.
The jury, therefore, in accordance with
the evidence, rendered verdict that the
child came to its death by unknown cause,
and that its mother was Flora Garrett,
colored; and further, that Nettie Hend-
! TICKS, coIoreo, was accessory IN I'M
lawfully aiding the mother in the con.
cealment of the dead infant.
The two women were placed in jail on
charge of misdemeanor.
The girl states that Joe Rainey, color
ed barber, was her betrayer. He left the
city few weeks ago, and is now in Cal.
houn, Ga.
Messrs. Gober & Alexander have been
employed as attorneys tor the two women.
On Tuesday the prisoners were brought
before Justice c. c. VIM who fixed their
bonds at 800 each, for misdemeanor
Messrs. Chuck Anderson, H. s. Anderson
and W. P. Stephens went on their bonds
and they were released.