The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-05-18

IA tall, black, young negro man,
out not not coal black; with very lit
Tie, fuzzy mustache; wearing dark
pants, with a sorter OF little white
coiored stripe in them; a dark vest;
white shirt; little dark or blush
coIored hat with narrow hrim
turned up all around; with his hair
clipped or cut very close ana short
round hehind.n
Taking the description along, young
Mr.. Rogers, who seemed to be acting
in cooperation with the sheriff and
other officers, began dilligent search
for the criminal; and in company with
Deputy Sheriff Ballard about sunrise
made the arrest of negro other than
defendant, and promptly placed him
in Jail. While on this point l quote a
part of MIR. Rogers tesrimany while
ON the witness stand in the case:
That about sunrise witness and
Deputy Sheriff Ballard saw q negro
(not defendant standing in the door
of an old dancing hall in Free Town
Tin the edge of Hillsboro); and as soon
as said negro saw witness and said
Ballard he ran around the house.
That witness and Ballard caught him
behind the house and arrested him;
and the said negro was wearing dark
pants and white shirt, no vest, a
long coat which looked like an old
overcoat, and had on his head
a little black crusher hat turn
ed up all around. His pants
were muddy and wet nearly up to
his knees, and he had on his person a
pistol and a knife. That witness
thought the negro when they arrest
ed him filled the description given
him by said Ella and Ola Sheriff."
After placing this negro, who, ac'
cordipg to Mr.. Rogers oprnion, suit
ed the description given by the young
lady, in Jail, the testimony shows
that a large crowd of excited men
gathered around it determined &c
summdrily execute him. The whole
town and community were in great
state of excitement at the time, AS
Sheriff Cox was passing from the Jail
to the public square he noticed a ne.
gro quietly sitting on a horse without
a saddle, but on a sack, in front of a
feed store. He asked the negro what
he was doing there, and he replied
that he had come to get some corn
with which to feed his horse. The
sheriff told him to dismount, that he
wanted him The negro did
so. The sheriff placed him
in charge of another negro
standing by, and finally put him in
Jail. 1t seems that many arrests 81
negroes were made that day, and thai
as many as eight or ten were impris
oned on suspicion of being the guilty
one. The negro whom the sheriff ar
rested and took from the barebacked
horse was the defendant, Isaac Bruce
No one disputes that at the time the
defendant was arrested excitement
was high, and the crowd of men ex
tended from the Jail to within fifty OF
hundred feet of where Bruce was
quietly sitting when arrested. The
next morning Sheriff. and his two
daughters were carried TO the. jail fol
the purpose of Identifying the crimi
nal. The young lady and her little
sister were admitted into the Jail first
All the negroes were standing in lint
and she was called upon to identify
the guilty one. In the presence of s
number of reputable gentlemen sht
selected the defendant, and was very
positive that he was the one who haC
raped her. Her little sister being
present probably saw her pick on
| this negro, and she also was quit
as positive that he was the one. Sher
rell himself was then brought into tn
Jail, and looking over the crowd o
negroes, stated in the presence of wit
nesses that he could not identify thu
negro. While on the stand at thu
trial, however, he positively swOr'
that the defendant Bruce was the one
He explained that reason why he die
not identify him in the Jail was tina
he was afraid he would be attached al
a witness and imprisoned until thu
trial. The injured girl and her little
sister also swOre positively on the tria
that Bruce committed the crime
Aside from this proof, there was ne
circumstance in the slightest way
duplicating him. He did not fill the
description given by the young lady
to the officers. He had no knife OIL
pistol on his person when arrested
He wore o white and not a dark vest
all day Sunday. Although a hard
rain followed soon after the rape and
the ground was very muddy, the
shoes and clothes of Bruce when ar
rested at about o'clock in the
morning, were dry. There was
no sign of mud on him.
He had no mustsche or whis-
kers of any kind; and the proofshowed
by himself land 1t was not contro-
verted) that he did not use tobacco al
all. Indeed. have examined closely
to find a single feature in the whole
case that would criminate him, and
have failed, except as to the positive,
uncorroborated testimony of three
witnesses. The young lady evidently
believed without doubt that he was
the offender. The young girl may
have been led into this belief by the
positive declarations of her older sis.
ter. The father denied knowing
Bruce when he saw him in the Jail.
re had the best opportunity of know
ing the negro that went with him to
the camp and evidently raped his
daughter that night.
There IL another circumstance
worthy OF mention here. Sheriff.
swore that while drinking in town
that morning be found his way to