The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-08

and her head fractured in manv places
a bloody axe on which long hair wa
clinging, lay beside her.
Three weeks later Slocum was ar
rested in stable on Greenwich street
When asked why he killed his wife, h,
| replied: 81 didn't know what I wa.
doing. | was drunk! 1t was rum
Slocum was tried before Judge Mar
tine, and defended by Il. j. Heinzelman
who, il has turned out since, was not q
lawyer at all, although he had been
practising in the courts for several
years. 1t was shown on the trial that
Slocum had threatened the lifts of his
wife several times.
After a five hours talk the Jurors
found him guilty of tho crime as
charged Slocum was sentenced to die
IN the week commencing Monday, May
), 1880. Through tho laws delay, Slo.
Gums e1ecut ton was deferred. lie vas
re~senteEced, and short time before he
was to DO put to death, his counsel
again invoked the ail'of the law and
secured another stny. Slocum was the
hrst upon whom sentence to death BIZ
electricity was pronounced in the Court
OF General Sessions. On the second of
last month, Slocum was brought down
from Sing Sing and arraigred before the
general term Of the Supreme Court for
sentence for the third time.
Counsel claimed before the general
term that as Slocum was dofended on
hi trial by a uoan who was not law
yer, he was entitled to STAY of pro-
ccedings and new trial. Other tech
meal objections were also made by his
counsel, but they were overruled, and
Slocum heard himself sentenced. for the
third time to die by electricity
JOSEPH WOOD.
Joseph Wood. colcrcd, killed Cha-les
Rutfin. also colored, in n grocery. store
i'll shanty near Shaft 2t, on the line of
the new acqueduct, on Sunday, May 10,
1852 Wood and Ruflin were lahorers
employed on the acqucduct Wood
worked regularly, while Ruihn was. not
steadily employed. Wood was in the
State only three months when he shot
kuihn, having come here direct from
Ohio.
Woods home is in Amherst county.
Virginia, whore his parents now live.
kuiln was the leader OF tho Mulligan
gang, which committed deprcdations
upon the laborers and residents along
tho acqucduct nightly. llo was a dos
perato character, and always went
armed On the Saturday before the
murder Ruilin and Wood quarrcled in
lannon's saloon, at Tarrytown, over Il
game of cards, at tho close of which
kutlin threatened Woods life. On the
day OF tho murder Wood met Rufiin in,
the Italian shanty grocery, which was
really saloon. Ruilin accoSted Wood,
but the latter refused to speak to him.
y fight ensucd, during which Wood
shot Rotlin with pistol, whiuh he had
bought Some weeks before for IS cents
Pm Hin
days later.
Wood was eleven months in tho
tombs before no was brought to trial.
After his conviction and sentence tho
case was, OF course, brought 10 the
court of appeals. The Judgment and
sentence was affirmed.
His lawyer then applied for writ of
habcas corpus in the United States
circuit court on the ground that there
were no colored men on the grand or
petty jury that disposed OF Woods case.
counsel claimed that men Of Woods
race were Disseminated against in the
preparation of the case. This plea
proved Intellectual
Wood, like Slocum, through the
efforts of his counsel, succeeded in
having the execution of the sentence
TO death deferred Oh two occasions. lie
was brought from Sing Sing last month
with Slocum and sentenced for the third
time.
HARRIS \. sMILER.
Smiler on April 3, 1889, murdered
Maggie Drainey, one of his three wives,
at 2s4 Seventh avenue. Seven years be-
fore he had married Margaret Weiss,
who was very young. He subsequently,
married Lizzie Gates. Smiler in turn
deserted Lizzie and two children, of
whom he was the father, going to live
with Maggie Drainoy, with whom he
went through the form of marriage
ceremony.
Smiler got drunk frequently and
abused Maggie. When she left him he
procured pistol and swearing that he
would 'ilX" her, searched several days
for her. lie finally found her living
with Mrs. Wilson at PSI Seventh avenue
and shot her dead without any warning.
lie had practically no defense to offer,
and was sentenced to be electrocuted
during tho week commencing August 4,
1890.
Ills counsel took an appeal which had
the effect of staying the proceedings
until after the time fixed for the sen
teDcc To go into effect. The Court Of
Appeals sustained the conviction and
Judgment and on January 10Th last
Smiley was resentcnccd 10 die during
the week commencing March 10th, the
same week i'll which Slocum was to be
olcctrocutcd. Smilcr's lawyers gave up
the case, but Il. j. lIeinzelmann, who
then pretended that he had been add
mitted to tho bar, was assigned to
defend the case.
Subsequently when it was aecertaincd
that licinzelmann was not qualified TO
act as his counsel, cX-Assistant Distric.
Attorney Ambrose III. Purdy was
assigned TO the case Mr.. Purdy waited
L. IL.