The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-11
GRAVEYARD INSURANCE
SENSATIONAL CASES AGAINST
BEAUFORT PEOPLE ~
ON TRIAL.
FALSE pHETEhSE AND FORGERY

FALSE Phk EhoE Emu Tlhueht
The Cases Are an Erial at TTen on,
Innes Couniy-- witne, ses, LAWYERS
and spec a'urs Nearly Double 'f"n-
toms Poppi alton Brilliant Lawyers
an Hesh sides OF the Case--pe0pie
ofyones County want o GIVE a Fair
and InparsiaI trial.
The special term of court for this
county, ordered by the Governor last
November, began yesterday The day
was consumed in the trial of petty
criminal cases. The main business OF
the court was the trial of the alleged
Beaufort graveyard insurance conspir-
ators, which will be taken up this
morning.
Judge Graham, who will preside, ar
rived Saturday night, accompanied by
the Solicitor, Hon. NJ. C. Richardson,
Mr.. p. M. Pearson, of Newborn. who,
with his partner, Hon. +. NJ. Simmons,
has been retained by the prosecution
since the cases were removed to this
county, also came in Saturday from
NewbeTn.
Col. Jno. w Hinsdale, Mr.. Simmons
and Mr.. Massey, came over by carriage
from Newborn Sunday. The other at
torneys GA the ground are Mr.. O. ii.
Allen, for the prosecution and Messrs.
w. W. Clark, o. II. Guion,b. j. Moore.
of Newbern, and c. i. Abernethy, of
Beaufort. representing the defendants,
and T. G. Wooten, of Snow Hill, ;. W.
Isler. of Goldsboro, and 7. c. Gilman.
of jacksonville, n. c.
The following are the insurance
cases removed from Carteret, which
stand for trial:
State VS.. Jacob C.. Delamar and Sci
den u. Delamar: forgery.
STATE VS.. Levi T. Noe and William
Fisher: forgery.
State VS. Selden d. Delamar: for
gerry.
State VS. c. X. Hassell and +. b. Del
amar: false pretense.
State VS. G. K. Hassell, Albert Wig
fall, Silas Blount and David Parker:
false pretense.
State VS.. C. X. Hassell and s. w Per
kins: conspiracy.
State VS.. c. r. Hassell, David Parker,
Silas Blount, Albert Wigfall and i. Il.
Delamar: conspiracy.
State VS. w H. Turner. Stephen i.
Turner, Levi #. Noe, Selden ID. Della
mar and r. b. Delamar: Conspiracy.
Tive other cases against some of the
Same defendants were tried at the Fall
Terra Of Carteret Court. The result,
as has heretofore been stated III the
News and Observer, was an acquittal
in sash. The verdicts in these cases
did much TO effect the removal of the
ethars
TrsHteu. the county seat of Jones
county. il quaint old town. Many of
the housee were evidently built in the
early part of this century, and few of
them are modern 1t is situated on the
Trent rivera little winding, black,
snaky-Iooking stream which joins the
Neuse at Newbern, twenty miles from
here. The trees in the town are COW
cred with long gray moss, and make
an odd appearance The nearest tele-
graph Office is pollocksville, twelve
miles distant. There is a railroad sta
ton 81 Cove Creek. on the Atlantic and
North Carolina road, about six miles
from Trenton.
A large number of witnesses have
been ssbpoenaed by the defendants as
well rs by the State. OF these, about
seventy-fve came up yesterday from
Beaufort and Morehead City. They
make quite an addition to town of
only three hundred inhabitants. Many
a. 4s,o try
have come in as spectators.
II Is probable that the case of State
against Harrell, Parker. Biount, Wig
fall zn1 r. b. Delamar will be taken up
first This is known as the "Wigfall
case" A negro named James Wigfall,
who WAS dying of consumption, as is
alleged by the State, was insured by
c. r. HayrelI, agent, eleven days before
his {Wigfalls) decease. His brother,
the defendant, Alb. Wigfalf, who was
the beneficiary named in the policy,
afterwards collected $4,000 from the
Bay State Beneficiary Association. The
death proofs were sworn TO by DIR.
L. Il. Delamar, and the cause OF death
given as typhoid pneumonia. DIR. Ed
ward Thomas of New York. who was
then living in Beaufort, made the med
ical examination. The State will offer
evidence TO show that the negro, James
WigfalI, had been suffering from the
disease of which he died for more than
two years, the same having first devef-
oped while he was at the St. Augustine
School in Raleigh. The negro's condi-
ton was so feeble at the time of the
insurance that he was unable to sign
his name 10 the application, and it was
signed in handwriting not his own.
The State expects that one or more
of the colored defendants in this case
will testify in its behalf.
The people of this county seem de
termined that these cases shall be
fairly and impartially tried Judge
Graham and the Solicitor made good
impression yesterday.
The court will he in session not less