The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-15
BONNER MURDER TRIAL
Developments In the Trial Of the Men Al.|
cused Of Numbering J. Q. Bonner. B
JURY SELECTED FROM AVERIRE or $50
So Many Challenges for Cause .hst
Only Thirty TaIisrnnn Were Ieqt
Out of the 900 snnmoned-lGo
Witnesses In the Case The Case os
The He'll Boys Comes Up FIRST.

Washington, N. c.. Jan. 14.-(Special) 4
On December 90. 1896 John R. 3on..F
ner, one of the best and most usefuI 4
citizens of Beaufort county, was foully:3
murdered Mt his home, in Aurora IA
Suspicion rested upon two young (
white men named David Cradle and 4
w. III. Brantley. They were arrested q
ana Cradle confessed the crime, but 2
implicated no others at first. Later he Z
made sweeping confession and i'm. ~ \
plicated two other young white mer, s
WIN Brantley as accomplices in tho
crime, namely: Uriah Bell and Sherrell
lSeil. l'hesc were also arrested and all
were lodged I'm the county jail here at
Washington. The Bell boys and Rrant.S
ley were placed in the same cell togeth.&
er, but Cradle was placed in cell in )
another part OF the Jail, from which
there could be no possible communlca-
~ special court was set for thefr triplt
last week, and Judge r. Il. Hoke WasS
appointed to hold the court When the \
case was called at the opening of the
court the counsel for the defense put
In a plea of abatement. This was over
ruled by the court. a special venire Of
800 names was drawn from the fury
box ana the case was then set for
Monday. January 13ts, to give time
for getting all the Jurors to court. r E&
Yesterday morning when court was
opened all the jurors were present The
work of selecting the jury commenced
and II was s o'clock last night when the
jury was completed. There are two
separate bills ofindictment-oue against
Cradle alone and the other against
the Bell boys and Brantley. iS}IaszS
Therc being twenty-three peremptory5
challenges for each defendant and four
In each case for the State the possible
number of peremptory challenges were:
eighty-one. with an unlimited number
OF challenges for cause on either sides
Neither side exhausted the peremptorys
challenges, but SO many were the chalS3
lcnges for cause that when the jury
Yves completed there were only abolits
thirty left out of the $50 summoned. !. ..l2
The following compose the jury. as
selected: James r. Boyd John 4, Il:
Peele, Joseph Robinson. a. p Iiewissi
p. S. -Norfeet r. II. Waters, Richard
t. Waters, George H. Elliott, B, TS
Bradley, J. II. Kicks, Lewis Alligood
and ]. r. Woolard 5,5.s5t
The States counsel are able lawyerHi
| Besides Solicitor w. J. Leary, the State.
has Nessrs. Charles r. Warren, John
| II. Small and w. b. Rodman
The counsel for the defendants ares
For the Bell Boys-B Fl. Nicholson. j:
| II. Beckwith and j E.. Moore, all strong
| men. Defendant Brantley has E. s.
simmons and Defendant Cradle has g.
| g. Braggad and S. S. Manu. All the
| lawyers are strong and influential men.
/ There are 160 witnesses in the case,
the number being about equally dlvid-s
ed between the State and the defense.
| The case of the Bell boys and Brant-s
ley will be taken up to-day, and it Is
| thought that the day will be given to-
| Cradles evidence. There Is considera-j
BILE interest taken In the case here and
the. whole State will watch the case
| with interest Ga5