The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-10
W0RLEY AND THE WHITECAPS.
THE TRIAL OF THE HANGING PART
OF THE CASE BEGUN.

The Treasurer of Murray Comfy the
First Witness Put on the Stand-He
Admits That He Was in the So
Called KulSIux Band and Claims
That the Motive for the Attack
on Morley Was the Fact That He
Gave Information to the Govern
menf
Atlanta, Ca. April 9.-The first days
evidence in the Morley whitecapping
trial was dramatically interesting.
James A. Dixon. treasurer of Murray
county. was put on the stand and CON
fessed to having been a member Of the
kuklux gang that hanged Worley. He
confessed he said. at the advice Of his
attorneys. and after conference with the
district attorneys in order to come under
the mercy of the court. "A year ago.
about" said Dixon, two men came to
my house and asked if l wanted to go
see Morley hanged. They came three
times, and made me 60 the last time. 1
drank some whisky and went We first
went to an old saw mill, where we met
lot of men. including Quares and But
Ter, who are among the defendants on
trial. There were about twenty-five in the
and said they were kluklux. They met to
visit Henry Worley to hang him for Civ
inge away the kuklux and reporting the
stills of Mcintyre, Thornton and others
who were in the crowd-several said they
We're going to hang him for that. They
sald II must be done; that Morley had
Deen reporting stills, giving away kuklux
anu beatlng MS family and would con-
tnue to do so unless he was hanged. /
Was on horseback and so was the crowd.
rms old mill was six miles from Worley's
mouse; we got to Worleys at y o'clock,
and they brought him out, tied him. put
MN ON a horse and afterward changed
him to Mclntyres mule. Mcintyre was
We stopped at Mrs Mrs w oIeiss,
Hen Us mother. but she said she did not
want to see Henry any more because
henry was traitor. That was my first
trip with the gang. They told Henry he
mad been reporting stills. He denied It
and they told him they were gong to
hang him. They had a pair of check lines
Topped them around his neck and rode
him under LIMB. one man climbed the
tree and tied the rope. Mcintyre drove
the mule from under him, but Worley
wrapped his legs around the tree released
the rope with his hands and ran away.
Several shots were fired at him.
DiXons confession will be attacked by
the defense on the ground that it was
doctored in details so as to sustain the
government. The defense takes the po-
sition that Morley was not hanged or
shot because OF his reporting stills, but
because he was brutal to his wife and
family His neighbors believe that he
beat his first wife to death and were in
censed at him just before the hanging
because, as Lawyer Glenn stated in his
address to the court, "he had Just thrashed
his wife's back into don rags" In under
taking 10 prove that informing was not
the cause of the killing Of Morley, who
was himself a moonshner, as evidence
shows, the lawyers for the defense claim
the federal court has 70 jurisdiction. as
there was no conspiracy as CHARGED but
the case is one for the state courts.
EX-Deputy Marshal Duncan testified
to-day for the government, but on cross
examination said it was common report
that Worley had killed his first wife and
that he was brutal to his family. He also
knew that he had been a moonshiner
Worleys wife is charged by the de-
Tense with having betrayed him into the
hands of the kuklux, and the defense
will use this to show that his brutality
was the cause of the kukuxing