The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-16
GUILTY Or NOT GUILTY?
DID Cradle and the Bell Boys and
Bran,ley Murder John 3. Bonner
THIS THE JURY SHALL ANSWER
(Editoriai Cofrcspondeace.J

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WAsHISGTON. Y. C, Jan ! +, '96.
The public mind always shows inter
est, always betraYs more or less excite
ment, when a person i on trial for his
lie, be the charge what 1t may. The
trial now in progress IN Beaufort coan-
ty court in Washington is no exception.
On November D, 1895, at his home
III Aurora il the county OF Beaufort,
John z. Bonner, orc Of the best and
most useful citizens OF the county, was
fOulIv murdered. Suspicion soon rest
ed against two young white men nam
ed David Cradle and w. II. Brantley
They were arrested and Cradle confess
ed the crime, but implicated no one
else at first Later he made sweep
ing confession and named two other
Young white men with Brantley as &C
completes in the crine-Uriah Bell
and Sheriff. Bell These were arrest
ed also and all were committed to the
county jail in Washington. The Bell
boys and Brantley were placed III the
same cell together, but Cradle was put
IN another part of the jail from which
there could be no possible communica-
ton with the others.
A special court was asked for to try
these defendants. 1t was granted, and
Judge r. F. Hoke was appointed to
hold the court The people of the en-
tire county were pleased at the appoint
ment Of Judge Hoke to this court.
The court was set for last week. The
counsel for the defense entered plea Of
abatement, as was stated in a special to
THE DEMOCRAT last week. This was
oyer-ruIed by the court, and d special
yenlre of three hundred and fifty jurors
was drawn from the box and the trial
was set for Monday, Jan. 18th.
Many Of the witnesses remained about
the court house all last week. The
Jurors were all here yesterday when the
court was opened.
| There are two separate indictments,
/ one against Cradle alone and the other
against the Bell boys and Brantley
! together. The case of the latter was
called and the work of selecting the
jury began The entire day was spent
in selecting the jury which was com
pleted about s o'clock last night.
There being three defendants, and
each one having twentv-three peremp-
| tory challenges. there were sixty-nine
possible peremptory challenges for the
each case there were twelve possible
peremptory challenges by the State
Neither the State nor the defense ex-
hausted the peremptory challenges
| The challenges for cause being unlimlt
ed, there were only about thirty left OF
the three hundred and fifty special We
nire when the last juror was selected
The Jury being completed, bill of IN
dictment against the Bell boys and
Brantley was read and court adjourned
until this morning 9 80.
THE JURY.
The following compose the jury
James T. Boyd, John l.. Peele, Joseph
! Robertson. A. ?. Lewis, E. S. NOrheet
! Richard T. Waters, George II. Elliot
B. F Bradley, J. T. Kicks, Lewis Ali.
good, J. B. Noolard, F. H Waters
These are the only men, save the thirty
| left out of three hundred and fifty
who did not say they had formed the
opinion that the defendants were
guilty.
THE COUNSEL.
The State has strong counsel in So
licitor w. J. Leary and Mess. Chas. F
Warren, John H. Small and w. B
Rodman. Also the defendants have
good counsel The Bell boys have
Mess. b. B. Nicholson, S. I. Beckwitl
and James E. Moore. Brantley ha.
f. S. Simmons and Cradle has S. c
Braggaw and S. S. Mann.
There are one hundred and sixteer
witnesses in the case, about equally di
yided for the State and the defense.
The entire jury as selected we're tax
en- from a part Of the county remote
from the place of the crime.
There was a trial for capital crime
here two years ago, but no court pro
ceedings of any kind for many year,
have excited so much attention as the
present trial.
There are mum bers OF persons here
who are not interested IN the trla
except in a general way From all ap
l. /