The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-10-14
NOT GUILTY..
The Massie Murder Still a Mys-
terry.

dBroeQ upon u VeruicC!
I'VE have" and Foreman Buford
handed the Indictment to Clerk Kizer,
who read: 1--WE, the Jury, find the .pris-
oner not guilty as charged in tho in
dictment."
Thus was disposed the case of Edward
Daniel, alias William Hazlewood, for
the murder of Thomas G. Massie.
Argument in the case was resumed
at 10 O'Clock yesterday morning by
Captain Berkeley, counsel for the ac-
cused.
Captain Berkeley began by saying:
"This poor afflicted prisoner at the
bar, child of shame, this man on
which Almighty God has stamped his
character on his face, as indelible as on
his bow in tho sky. Look upon him.
camo before you to defend him. His
face bears the Indication of mans in
humanity to man. He has been incar-
cerated in the vilest dungeon ever
known in a Christian land AS vile as
the Black Hole of Calcutta.
"Look on him as he sits there, gentle
men, the victim of the vilest and most
damnable plot over conceived by a
human mind"
Captain Berkeley's speech was not
connected. He made no effort to con-
meet it. Ho took up the evidence of Mr..
Yates, and wanted to know if it had
been considered possible that he might
have assaulted Mr.. Massic. lie stood
on tip. toe aud fairly hisseG in the face
of the jury the name Of John Grasty,
and roundly charged his testimony as
fabrication. He whispered to them the
idea of poor half-witted man being the
victim of detectives working for blood
money, taking him out in tho dark
hours of night, frightening tho poor
imbecile half to death.
Then throwing his head back and
graspiDg the lapels of his coat, he
Numbered his innectives against the
testimony introduced by tho common
and the other evidence relating to the
alleged confessions as false. He took
up the stone on which it was claimed
there was green paint, and taking out
his pen knife scraped 1T, saying: eff
that green paint isn't put on there by
God Almighty, then, gentlemen of the
jury, I'll eat the stone. Speak of it
being splattered on there in Mr.. Massie's
yard. No, God Almighty's own hand
splattered those spots upon that stone,
and they can't BIO Gaken off,"
1t was hiss, howl of frenzy, when
he spoke of Yates coming by the sceno
of the assault between and S o'clock
in the morning and finding stone
while the moon was shining bright. 1t
was in laundering tones that he an
nounced to the startled spectators that
the moon SGT at $3.50 O'clock that morn
ing. He spoke for an hour and half,
during which time no covered all the
points in tho case and belabored the de-
toctive evidence so severely that 1t
seemed to fade to nothingness. His APP
peal to the jury was pathetic, and in sub
hitting the case he only asked them to
look upon tho prisoner and then tho
evidence and say if he was guilty.
Roy b. Smith, commonwealth's attor
ney, closed the argument. His speech
throughout was review of the testi-
mony. He claimed that the detectives
evidence had been backed by circum
stances which could not be refuted. He
described the assault on Mr.. Massie, an
aged and peaceable citizen, on his way
home, and placed the accused In his
tracks, following him up and then run
ming away to some dark place Of con-
cealment.
Mr.. Smith held that the confession
secured by Grasty had been corrobor-
ated by witnesses who could not be
gainsaid. 1t was unfortunate that
Mr., Massio did not hear his latter
statement, but he had heard enough to
substantiate what Mr.. Campbell and
Grasty said. The prisoner, it was
true, had been in Jail for months, but
it was no fault of the commonwealth.
He had made every endeavor to get a
trial, and ii the counsel for the &C.
cused had insisted. it could have been
had long ago. He urged the jury to
weigh the evidence for what it was
worth, and submitted the case, saying
he was glad that it had come to n close.
The jury retired NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and in five minutes they were back
with their verdict. When it was read
the prisoners face lighted up. Friendly
persons and sympathizers gathered
around him, and for the first time he
was seen to smile, and as Captain Berke-
ley placed two silver dollars in his
hand the smile grew to broad grin.
Some one else gave him fifty cents.
Then another crowd gathered about
him and Mr.. Smith came up, and hold
ing out half dollar, said, "Bill, do
you know what that is?"
Yes sir; it's half"
well, take it; you may have it," and
another smile lit up his face lie
seemed 10 feel better toward his kind
prosecutor had suddenly become O
friend. lie could not understand it.
Yet he knew what money was, and de-
scribed every piece shown him.
Examining the Bids.
City Engineer Dunlap was bnsv VOC