The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-05-08
GUILTY Y,
WAS THE VERDICT OF THE
JURY IN THE TRIAL OF
AVERY BUTLER AC-
CUSED OF MUIR
DERING HIS
FATHER
SENTENCED TO HANG JULY
18TH.
The Little Murderer Hears His
Doom Like Il Hardened
Criminal.
WILL THE GOVERNOR COMMUTE IT7

In the case of Avery Butler,
the law with its measure of JUS
tice is following speedily on the
heels of crime. The murder
was committed April 18th, on
April 10Th the son was arrested
charged with the crime, on April
29th he is put on trial for his
life, on May 1st the jury return
a verdict of guilty, and on May
the End he is condemned to hang
for the terrible crime. There is
a diversity of public opinion as
to whether the boy should hang;
some think that the safety of
the public and the vindicatiOn
of the law demand that he hang,
others that the Governor should
commute the sentence to life
Imprisonment, but there is no
diversity Of opinion as to the
boys guilt, the evidence, though
circumstantial, is yet conclusive,
We intended to give the evi-
dence in full, for W. expected
new developments during the
trial, but nothing material was
brought out beyond what was
known before the trial. The
evidence was substantially as
follows:
The deceased, soon after the
shooting, said to DR.. Stevens
that it was small white boy
with a cap ON, about the. size o1
his son Avery. 1t was upon the
suggestion of DR.. S., referring tC
a difficulty with John Simmons
in which q woman was concern.
ed, that the deceased thought
that Simmons was his murderer
Avery Butler went to Mr.. Bea
mans, where his brother was
working, on Wednesday before
the shooting and got his roth
er's gun. He cnt the slug o.
iron, that was found in the de
ceased, from rod of iron a
Williamson's blacksmith shop
on Thursday and asked hov
much powder it would take t.
throw it through a man. On
Friday, the day before the shoot
ing, he told Mrs. Williamson, t.
whom he was hired to work
that his father had always treat
ed him bad aud had often Sc
verely whipped him, especial!
when he had helped his siste
to elope and he intended t.
whip his father some day an
get even with him, and that j
he ever whipped him again tha
: he would kill him. Avery wa
| seen with a gun near the plac
of the shooting a half hour be
: fore it occurred. Soon after
occurred he came up to NJ
Williamson's house from tx
: wards the lot, barefooted, whil
he had on shoes in the II ornin2
He told Mrs. Williamson ths
he heard following down at hi
G fathers, that he would go dow
q and see what was the matte
q and if h. called her to com
He went and soon called her, a
ter doing so he ran down th
Il street for a doctor. He to]
: some one a day or two befol
g the shooting that he had dream
v ed that his father was shot, {
Sunday after he said that b
dreamed the night before thi
IL his father was shot with a pie
= of iron. On the same mornil
he was seen cleaning mud tro
his shoes. The gun that ]
" borrowed from his brother w
~ found in the branch not far fro
the shooting a few days aft
. his father was buried. Aft
10 he was arrested he confesst
d that he killed his father, b
this confession was ruled out
Judge Graves and was not {
lowed before the court as e.
dence.
:" The jury that convicted t
boy was as fair a one as cou
T. have been gotten any whe
le and the able counsels, Mess
!, d. B. Nicholson and W. r. All
- for the defendant, did all
~ him that possibly could ha
It. been done. The examinat1
rd of witnesses was sKillfully do
es and their speeches were Fl
Id The jury recommended Exec
tive clemency.