The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-08-18

that they knew of no insurance upon his
life, and he seemed much relieved.
one old man came to Mr.. Hiusdale
during the trial very much agitated and
begged him to find out if they had him
down, which Mr.. Hinsdale promised to
do if possible.
Ben Hester, boy who runs a sharpe,
said that Hassell had been after him time
and again to have his grandmother's life
insured, but he had told him he had no
desire to live on dead folks money.
Frank Piggott, another sharpe boat
man, said when Bill Fisher was talking
insurance around him, he remarked to
him IF any you all iusures me unbe-
knownst to me, III use my crackers on
you. I'll lead the one that does. lmean-
ing that he would shoot the mani )"
Frank said he told the people He wern't
gwine to have nobody splurgiug on him
after he was dead.
Ii Is perhaps not unnatural that the
eprance to outside insurance companies,
through lawyers also that were stran-
gers, into a community thus deadcned to
a large extent necessarily 20 the euormi-
ties Of such insurance practices should at
once excite the prejudice specially of the
friends of those interested and also of the
peaceful, law abiding citizens who, when
the truth came out in full color would be
among the first to depreCiate it,. But for
that matter this seems TO be the first feel
ing Of every small community when it is
first taken by surprise in the enforce
ment of law in connection with any
4rfy, 10
attracting wide attention. 1t was so in
the case Of the celebrated Shemwell muir
der trial, which lately took place in Lex
ington, N. c., in which Shemwell was
acquitted. Thus the lawyers of the State
had no easy task before them. Even at
the very first step they met with sharp
set backs. Their case came up
first through their own selection before
Justice Allen @. Davis. The defendants
removed upon affidavit claiming that
! they could not obtain justice before Mr..
| Davis. The case was, thereupOn, re-
moved to Justice W. W. Willis, who
was suffering from recent sickness, from
which he had not entirely recovered.
Recognizing this, and fearing he might
not be able to continue through the trial,
he associated with him another Justice,
who afterwards turned out to be the
father-in law of the smooth Mr.. Hassell,
the bell-weather Of the flock, The trial
was about to proceed with the court thus
constituted when some friend of the
prosecution suggested to the attorneys
that the associate justice was a son-in-
law of Mr.. Hassell. 1t took an hours
argument of counsel to convince this
gentleman that it would not be proper
for him to try his father-in-law, the
counsel for the defence holding
in the meantime that the court
was properly constituted and should pro-
coed. AT length the associate justice
arose and said that he was the son-in-
law of Mr.. Hassell but he had made up
his mind to try the case according to its
merits and his best judgment, but since
there was so much opposition he would
withdraw. Mr.. Willis next associated
with him Mr.. Mccain and the court pro-
ceeded to business. He remarked over
the table to Mr.. Willis that in his opinion
there was no conspiracy and he didn't
think the prosecution had any case. This
was necessarily heard by the junior coun-
sci for the prosecution who was sitting
near by and he came to the conclu-
sion that something had to be done
to remedy this state of affairs. The
rehearsal of many things that