The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-02-05
The Parker Poisoning Case.


The two victims froa poisoned whiskey |
re now lying in their graves and the uni
ersal i'm pression is that at least one foul
murder has been committed. Who did the |
Iiabolical deed? All! that is the question. |
This crime has incurred the just infigna- |
ion of the people of Granville county. No |
me denies that the two men were poisoned, |
md since the action of the grand jury no |
e is held accountable for it. The public |
sentiment is such that demands an i'm medi- |
tie apprehension of the guilty party or
parties. or late years the increase of
crime in the county has been alarming, and
,y the few convictions the heretofore fair
,ecord of old Granville has been made
black as midnight. We are OutspOken in
saving that through Justice to the people
and the reputation uf the county. some
prompt action should be taken even to the
of detectives by the Board OF
County Commissioners for the ferreting
out of these crimes. The guilty should by
all means be brought to justice.
Desiring to learn what occurred during
the pending of this case at Granville
court last week, We asked Mr.. Henry to
give US q true statement of the facts,
which is in substance as follows:
The grand jury having failed to find
a true bill against Rogers, this an
being made in open court,
Mr.. Henry thereupon demanded that
the grand jury be polled so that the
names of those who voted against true
bill might be known, inasmuch as it APP
peared from the statement of one CT the
grand jurors that nine We're in favor OF
returning a true bill and nine opposed
After some discussion the Court held
that such proceeding was contrary to
the practice and could not be done.
Messrs Graham and Strayhorn, counsel
for the defendant, Rogers, then asked the
Court to discharge the prisoner.
Mr.. Henry then requested the Court
that he be permitted to address the Court
in opposition to the motion OF defendants
counsel, which request was granted, and
when court convened after dinner, Mr..
Henry said:
"On the second day OF January, 1891,
there was perpetrated III this county one
of the BLACKLIST and most diabolical muir
ders that has ever shocked a civilized
community. W. T. Parker and his negro
servant took a drink Of brandy ard i'll
twenty-eight minutes were corpses. They
were poisoned with strychnine, as was al
forwards discovered, and as their symp-
toms indicated. Upon investigation by
Coroner J. A. Rem, thoroughly consci-
entiOus and intelligent officer, and jury
composed of as good men as there are in
the county, C. NJ Rogers and the wife of
the murdered man Parker were arrested
and a mittimus issued for their incarcera-
ton in JAIL A writ of habeas corpus was
obtained by prisoners from his Honor
Judge R. W. Winston, returnable before
your Honor in Durham. You continued
the case until the succeeding Saturday.
Your Honor then heard all the evidence
at great length, held that there was
probable cause, and held the prisoners in
a bond of ten thousand dollars each to
ans wer at this court. 1t appears that the
grand jury now stands nine against the
bill and nine in favor of it, and it seems
that as it requires twelve to find a bill,
that the return OF this grand jury must be
mot true BILL and thus the prisoner,
Rogers, against whom only bill was
sent, the State being forced to make O
witness of the woman, will escape for the
time an investigation of this case in open
court by Judge and jury. And thus,
notwithstanding the COroner's jury have
pronounced that there is probable cause,
and that he ought to answer in open
court; notwithstanding your Honor, one
of the greatest and best Judges in North
Carolina, and one of the brightest orna-
ments to her bench, after thorough in
vestigation, by holding them to trial,
announced that there was probable cause;
and notwithstanding thefact that nine of
the eighteen grand jurors say that there is
probable cause. it seems that three grand
jurors (that being the number in addition
to the nine required to find a billy are to
prevent an open, fair investigation of
this matter, in which every good citizen
of Granville county and of the State is
most deeply interested. 1 beg, in the
meme of the murdered men and their
loved ones, and in the name of the good
citizens of Granville county, the fair fame
of which county is most deeply involved,
that your Honor will hold the prisoner, c.
M. Rogers, to answer before another
grand jury, for the murder of W. T..
Parker, with whose murder alone he was
charged in this bill, and if not, then, that
your Honor will hold him for the murder
of Brack Bailey, for whose murder he has
not yet been indicted, and all of this ask
in the name of Justice and no thing more"
Counsel for the defendant, Messrs. Gra-
ham and Strayhorn, then addressed the
Court, saying in substance that the argu-
ment and prayer of Mr.. Henry was I'M
precedented, that no man had ever before
stood up in Granville court and attacked
and impugned the motives of it's grand
jury, and that the prosecution of Rogers
had become persecution.
Mr.. Henry replied that he had not i'm
pugned the motives of the grand jury,
that the gentlemen jumped to the con-
clusion, that he had recited the facts sim
ply to show that three grand jurors in
effect were preventing the man, c. N.
Rogers, who was most closely connected
with the crime, whose brandy and whose
bottle contained the stry chime, and who
had been held by the Coroner's jury, the
Superior Court Judge and half of their
body as so closely connected with the
murder that he ought to answer, from
being put upon trial, and that from re-
cital OF the facts he left it for the public to
form it's own opinion about the grand jury
and that the charge that either he Mr..
Henry or his client (Mr. W. S. Parker,
OF Henderson, were in any way persecut-
ing Rogers was in thorough keeping with
the result of the investigation of the case
and that he repudiated the charge with
scorn, and that gentlemen who thought
it persecution for one to hearken to the
voice of a murdered brother for justice,
surely had but slight conception of the
most sacred relations of life.
Judge Boykin announced that he
would not hear further discussion, and
that under the circumstances, the grand
jury having found mot Il true bill, there
was but one thing for him to do and that
was to discharge the prisoner.
That this foul murder is to go un-
avenged is due to no fault of Mr. Henry.
With a determined purpose to fix the
crime upon the guilty party or parties,
as well as a sincere desire to clear up sus-
picion under which any innocent person
might rest, he has worked indefatigab!y
upon the case from the time he was EN-
ployed by the brother of the dead man
Parker until it was disposed of in the
manner above mentioned at Granville
court last Friday afternoon.
If you have painful sense of fatigue, find
your duties irksOme, take DR.. j. ii. Nc.
Leans Sarsaparilla. 1t will brace you up,
make you strsng and vigorous.
$'n%I17N1IEIN7