The morning news., 1894-09-29
AN EARL9 COUNTY MURDER.
"A Prelimary Hearing That is At
traoting Much Attention.

traotinR Much Attention.
Blakely, Ga, Sept. 2S.-There is now
in progress in tae county court of Early
county, sitting hs committal court, one
Of the most intrestering trials that has
taken place fol quite a while in that
court. The CASE is that of JOY Moses, his
son Dock Moses, Simon Gay,
William Hudstn and Martha Hudson
Erasmus May, tolored. All the accused
are cOlored. The crime is supposed to
have been committed by one or more of
these accused parties Last Monday a
dead body, partially eaten by
buzzards, was found in the
swamp of the creek which winds its slug
gish course through the plantation of JOY
Moses, one of tle above defendants.
An examination showed the tracks of
two persons, which led TO the body, and
then away in ihe same direction from
which they came Following these up
through the field, they were found to
come from the.nouse of William Hudson
colored Baptist minister, a distance of
at least 600 yards from where the decom-
posed body was found From the appear
ance of the Footprints it seemed that
the parties were bearing load.
marks of blood were found in the path
u.
One of the tracks was made by a very
large shoe and the other by a small one
The murdeTfrs, then, We're a man and
woman, and this was the route over
which they carried off their victim.
OMartha HUDSON, the woman in the case,
is known not to have q character of the
best, and this fact, together with the
circumstance that JOY Moses and son
were both Suspected of being intimate
init \ lar. NJ, 81. ~.
been visiting ter, aud further tn at JOY
Moses had wsrned him to keep off his
plan tation, led to the arrest of all the
parties except Simon Gay.
Soon after She parties were lodged in
the county hil, Martha Hudson made
what purports TO be full confession of
the murder.
She stated that on Saturday night,
Sept. 10, about o'clock she left her hus-
band sleeping soundly andi went out in
the yard, and was met by Erasmus May,
the decease. They proceeded to the door
OF the cotton house, and were standing
there talking when some one concealed
In the corner of the cane patch fired, and
instantly the deceased sank TO the
ground, She turned and fed toward the
house, the unknown party pursuing and
overtakng her, dealt her a heavy blow
with the pistol, ordering her at the same
time tostop and help him carry off that
dead man" or else he would kill her. She
recogDi ed this party to be Simon Gay,
who lived on an adjoining plantation, as
did deceased and still another.
she then went on TO relate the details
of the moving Of the body across the field,
and how she and Gay threw it in the dark
swamp, and returned together toward
her house, separating just before getting
there; and how she had kept the matter a
secret until her confession to the sheriff.
This led to the additional arrest of Si-
mon Gay, who denies any completely in
the crime or knowledge of the same.
The story of Martha Hudson will not be
accepted without hesitation, as il is re-
ported that there are blood spots inside of
her house, which show unsuccessful at
tempts at obliterating the same.
JOY Moses is the wealthiest colored
man in this section, and has borne a GOOD
reputation heretofore, outside of a sus-
picion that has rested on him for some
time of being somewhat lothario among
the women Of his race