The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-10
BLOIS CONVICTED AGAIN.
A Recommendation TO Life ImpTiSOl-
ment Saves His Neck.

Held That Bacon's Testimony Was
Not Sufficiently Corroborated as to
Blois Identity, and That There Was
Even Less Confederation Than at
the Former TriaI-1Iay go to the SUI
preme Court Again.
A second time Joe Blois has been con-
victed Of the murder of August Meyer,
and unless the supreme court interferes
again he will spend the remainder of his
life in the state penitentiary.
The jury returned a verdict last night
about O'Clock after being out nearly
four hours. The verdict was guilty. but
with recommendation that the prisoner
be sentenced to the penitentiary for life.
The prisoner was sentenced at once.
The trial was re-Opened yesterday
morning at 10 o'clock The state put up
two more witnesses, Detective Morgan to
prove the location of Meyers house, and
the surroundings, and II. Garwes to prove
a part of the defendants statement on the
occasion of his former trial The defense
put up no witnesses in the case which
gave them the opening and conclusion of
the argument.
THE WORK OF THE STATE.
The prosecution endeayored to make out
strong case against the criminal
Bacons testimony was to the effect that
he had seen Blois from the Win
dow, strike Meyer with
soda water bottle This testimony
was corroborated as to the wounds, but
not as to the identity Of the criminal.
Bacon, however swears Blois was the
man who struck the blow.
After Mr.. GaZan's argument, Hon. Z.
G. duBignon opened for the state in an
eloquent and powerful argument. He
charged BlOis with being the leader in
the conspiracy, and the man who struck
the fatal blow BlOis had made the
statement that Meyer had been more
than mother to him. This was referred
to by Mir. duBignon as making the crime,
which, he argued, the evidence
showed Blois had committed,
all the more fiendish. Solicitor
General Fraser closed for the state in a
strong and clear argument, in which he
reviewed the evidence against the crimi-
nal from the beginning
During the argument Valentine Shat
fer, baker, who had been listening
intently, fell in an epileptic tit. He
was carried into the sherid's ONCE where
he soon recovered.
THE CASE OF THE DEFENSE. u
The defense made out its case along the
same line as before. IL was undoubtedly
the lack of confederation of Bacon's tes-
timOny that saved BlOis' neck.
MIR. Jacob GaZan opened for the defense.
He held that there was even less evidence
to Corroborate Bacon's testimony than on
the occasion of the former trial. He took
the position that under the evidence
Blois was either guilty or he was in
nocent. There was no middle ground. If
BaCOn's testimony was to be believed
Blois was guilty. But under the law as
laid down by the supreme court in its de-
cision, Bacons testimony being that of an
accomplice as to the identity of the
prisoner had not been corroborated, and
that he held was necessary if the pris-
oner was to be convicted.
Mr.. Livingston kenan followed the
solicitor general concluding for the pris-
oner He made a strong argument on
the line of the decision handed down by
the supreme court
BLoIs' STATEMENT
In his statement made just before the
| arguments began Blois said he put
| up Meyers horse the afternoon
of Jan. "a, 1892, after which
he left the premises. Meyer gave
him some instructions about putting out
| some signal lights. He said he then went
to his boarding house and changed his
! clothes, that he then went down West
! Broad street, that Mr. O'COnuOr passed
him and spoke to him near West Broad
and Bolton streets. Mr.. O'Connor went
| down Bolton street and Blois TO Purse
and Sims streets to see his girl. He
staid there sometime and went to another
! house.
He said he went to the stable about 10
o'clock to feed the horses, and as he
| opened the door he saw Mr.. Meyer on
| the floor in tie factory. He says he took
| two or three steps toward him and
! seeing his condition became frightened.
! He says he the went across Duffy street
| lane and told Amy Wallace about it, and
said he was going to tell MIR. Lubs how
! he found MIR. Meyer. Amy told him
| that was right, and he went and found
Mr. Lubs. MIR. Lubs, he said, came with
! him and then went for Dr. Sheftau, leav-
| ing him and Mr.. Lubs' clerk in the fac
| tory with Mr.. Meyer Mr.. Lubs asked
| him ii he was afraid to stay and
he said no, WheniDr Sheftau came he,
! Blois, was told TO get some water and a
rag, which he did. He held MIR. Meyers
head and washed him off. A few minutes
! after that he was questioned by Mr..
Garwes as to what he knew about it. Ser
! geant hillourhy came up afterwards and
also questioned him, and found no indica-
! ton OF crime about him. He also referred
! to his three arrests. denied all completely
| in the crime, and stated that nobody
knows what Mr.. Meyer had done for
! him, and that he was a father to him, and
| that if he had known anything about the
attempt to kill him he would rather have
been killed himself in an attempt to save
MIR. Meyer.
GOT THE WRONG SENTENCE.
The case was given to the jury about
| $50 o'clock Supper was ordered for the
! jurors and it looked as if they were going
to make night of it. They came down
however, at o'clock with a verdict of
guilty and a recommendation that Blois
be imprisoned for life.
Judge talliganU asked the clerk for a
blank sentence which was handed him.
Joe Blois, stand up, said the Judge.
He glanced at the sentence, a smile
spread over his features and turning to
the prisoner he said:
You may sit down again"
The clerk had made a mistake, and
handed the court a sentence to the gal
lows, which had been prepared in event
of conviction without recommendation.
| The mistake was soon rectihed, and life
time sentence was made out.
TO THE SUPREME COURT AGAIN.
Mr.. Jacob Gazan at once filed a motion
for new trial In the former decision the
supreme court held that Bacon's testi-