The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-15
Jones Said Men Gagged Him
and Poured Poison Down
His Throat
AN INcREDULoUs JURY
Didn't Believe the Tale, and Ac-
Quilted the Defendants.
One of the Strangest Cases Ever Tried
in North Carolina Just Conclud-
ed at Chatham County
Court.

At Pittsboro has just been concluded
the oueerest trial Chatham county
has ever known And the lawyers say
there has been nothing like it il the
State before.
The trial consumed more than three
DAYS of the courts time, and on shis
account the civil docket had TO be
postponed to the next term
The case Was State VS.. Robert Cheek
and John johnson. The defendants
were charged.with attempting TO pois--
on Thomas Jones, a brother-in- law OF
one of the defendants.
Solicitor Bynum, eN-Judge 4. y. Wo-
mack and Mr.. Hayes represented the
prosecution, while Mr.. Ii. 4. LONDON,
of Pittsboro, and Maj.W. a. Guthrie, Oh
Durham, appeared for the defendants.
After a long and tedious trlal, III the
course of which some forty witnesses
were examined, the defendants We're
declared mot guilty the jury remain
ing out about four hours.
JONES, STRANGE STORY.
The case against Cheek and Johnson
rested largely on the testimony OF
Jones himself.
Homes told one of the strangest sto-
RES that ever came from the witness
stand.
He is a distiIler and runs regular
government distillery. Early one night,
he said. two men, Robert Cheek ana
John Johnson. came to the still, caught
him and dragged him fifty or hum
bred wards from the road into the
woods.
There they threw him down and
o-agoed him. After his mouth had been
nrized open, one Of them, drew from
his pocket vial Of poison. He took
The vial. pressed it to Jones lips and
poured the deadly stuff down his
throat.
In ten minutes he was unconscious.
And he came to consciousness only
when. five days later, he found himself
back in his fathers house.
The interval was q perfect blank to
him. He does not remember one thing
he did or one person he saw during
that time. and has no idea of the scope
of his wanderings for those five days.
The last thing he remembered tand
this he graphically described) was the
two men forcing his mouth open. and
mourning the poison down his throat.
That is the tale he told on the Wit
mes stand.
WHEN he WAS FOUND.
His fathr said that one night about
ten o'clock he heard a strange noise
on the front porch, and went out ~
see the cause of it.
He found his SON lying on the porch
unconscious. The young man was ar
most barefoot. and his hat was gone.
When his son recovered conscious
ness he told the story Of the two men
dragging him into the woods, and
giving him poison.
The shoes were afterwards found
hidden in bee-gum.
JONES' EXPERIMENTS.
One witness went on the stand, and
testified that he bought liquor at I'll
most half the regular price from
Jones. Jones carried him down IN the
woods to get the whiskey.
How can you sell this whisisey 50
cheap?n he asked Jones.
.I'ye been making some experiments
lafely.' Jones answered. *and have
found a way to make two barrels OF
whiskey out of one
He said Jones explained thai he
tried the doctored whiskey on him
self first, and finding that II didn
kill him. went to selling ii.
Jones never did state 10 him exactly
III what the experiment resulted.
WHAT WAS THE PO1sON2
Four doctors, Drs. Moore, Lutterioh
Mann and Chaplin, were put on the
stand rs experts. They stated thai
they knew of no poison III all materia
mediea that would render man un-
conscious for five days, and not XII
him.
Furthermore, they knew no poison
Except surely fatal drugs like Pfnssle
acid) that would render man uacon'
scious Ia the short space OF ten min
ltes.
The defense offered proofs Of an alb
for both defendants at the time Jones
alleged the crime was committed.
Jones own wife went on the stand
against him.
These things, added 70 the expert
testimony of the doctors regarding
poisons, influenced largely the jury ~
determining the verdict.
e the jury had believed Jones story
the defendants would have been in the
penitentiary as soon as the sheriff
could bring him to Raleigh.
But Jones' story was SO strange and
improbable that the jury did not think
ii sufficient to condemn the defend
ants.
There was a vast doubt as to the
truth OF Jones story, and the jury
gave the defendants the benefit OF that
doubt.
But Jones story would be fine
groundwork for novel, even if I
calm, prosaic, practical jury does de
cline to believe H.
FARMERS, INSTITUTES.