The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-29
PAINE's TRIAL.
BE is Guilty OF stabbing Not IN His
Own Defense.

The trial OF Edward Paine on charge
Of assault with intent 20 murder Henry
Ryals, February s, last. took up the time
Of the superior court yesterday and at
tracted considerable attention. Friends
OF the defendant and prosecution watched
the case with interest all day and almost
as many spectators were present as usually
attend a murder trial.
The circumstances OF the cutting are
well known. II occurred in a house of
ill-reputo near Laurel Grove cemetery and
was the direct result of a drunken orgy.
Ryals was attacked while in bed by
Paine, and while the difficulty was at its
height, John Cooper, a friend of Paine,
came into the room and took hand.
When the row was over Ryals had nearly
a dozen severe stabs in his body. and for
while it was thought the wounds would
prove fatal
Paine and Cooper escaped at the time,
out the former was caught next day in
the garrett of negro's house in Yama-
craw by Policeman Scully Cooper went
to South Carolina and remained there
until a few weeks ago, when he returned
and surrendered TO Solicitor General
Fraser, because, he said. he heard Paine
intended TO put the crime upon him.
Cooper was one of the witnesses against
Paine. He denied having cut RIVALS, and
said he only acted the part of the peace
maker, but ran away for fear he would be
held liable
Paine denied the cutting. He said no
was fighting with Ryals when Cooper
entered the room and tooka hand, While
Paine did not make a direct charge, he
left the intimation that Cooper piled the
knife.
Seabrook, Morgan & Way defended
Paine, and Mr.. Morgan made strong ar
gument in defense of the young man. He
took the ground that Cooper made the
deadly assault, and that the only crime
Paine could be convicted of was assault
and battery
Solicitor General Fraser argued from
the standpoint that Paine attacked RIVALS
in bed with knife, and went on to prove
this by the statement of Ryals to a man
named Sapp, who was attracted to the
house by the difficulty. Sapp said Ryals
told him that Paine had, cut him and
asked that he be arrested.
The case was given to the jury at $50
O'clock and at 10 o'clock brought in n
verdict of guilty of stabbing not in his
own defense. This reduces the crime from
q felony to misdemeanor. Judge Falli-
CANT reserved sentence until this morn
ing.
The second trial of the alleged Meyer
murderers will begin in the superior
court to-day. Jim Gay will be the first to
answer at the bar. He was convicted and
sentenced to death in March, 1893, but
Judge Falligant granted him a new trial
after the supreme court reversed the cases
of Blois and Hayward. William Pease,
Esv., will defend Gay and the trial will
probably last two days. Hon. f. c. du-
Bignon will assist the state in the prose-
cution.
A mistrial was declared in the Daniels
damage suit against the Savannah,
Florida and Western railway, after the
jury had struggled with it for two days
and two nights. The jury stood to 4 in
favor of the plaintiff
Henry Sack has been indicted by the
superior court grand jury for wife beat
ing. Mr.. Sacks Indictment was the re-
suit of an attempt ON his part to get in
dictments against certain parties for re-
porting that he had ill-treated his wife,
but after hearing the evidence of several
witnesses the grand jurors decided the
charges were well founded and found a
trua hill AGAINST Mr. Gaclr