The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-09
CRIME AND TRIAL.
The Murder of Pearl Bryan and Con-
victiOn of Her Slayers.

The main facts of the atrocicus crime
are fresh i'm the minds of the public. The
decapitated body of the poor, betrayed
Greencastle Und.) girl was found in the
woods back Of Newport on the morning of
Feb. 1. The head was never found, and
the body was identified by running down
a clew found in the name of the firm from
whom the girl had bought her shoes. Jack
son and his roommate, Walling were soon
after arrested for the murder, and Will
Wood also arrested as an accessory,
but he was soon after discharged when 1t
was shown he was only a poor, weak fool
who had been used by Scott jackson. In
the long trial a wealth of evidence was
adduced to show beyond shadow of a
doubt that Jackson and Walling were re-
sponsible for the girls death, though each
accused the other of the deed. each main
tanning that he only helped the other under
a misapprehension.
Among the strong bits of evidence was
the incontrovertible evidence of Hackman
Jackson. who drove the pair with their
victim from Cincinnati to the Newport
woods. He claimed that On the night of
Jan. 81, on which the murder was supposed
to have been committed. he was ap-
preached by Walling and offered s. 20 drive
a cab to Newport He accepted and started
on the trip in rockaway cab. TO which
was hitched gray horse. Walling sat on
the cab seat alongside o. him, and when
out in the country he heard groans in the
back OF the cab which sounded like those
of a woman in great pain. He was about
to Jump from the cab and run away when
Wallirg pointed a revolver to his head and
made him drive on. The negro claimed he
drove to the spot or near the spot where
the girls headless body was found and
said he saw the men carry the girl over the
| fence separating the Alexandria pike from
| the Lock farm.
Subsequently. with the police he drove
over the route in the dead OF night, but
| not without some little coaching and diff
| fculty. He claimed that as soon as the
men had gone he became frightened. and,
hitching the horse, ran all the way back
| 10 Newport. He identified both Jackson
and Walling as the men who were in the
| rockaway.
| After a trial lasting nearly month
| Scott Jackson was declared guilty of the
| murder of Pearl Bryan. The verdict was
returned Nav IA by the Jury after being
| out two hours. They inflicted the death
penalty and Judge Helm set the execu-
| ton for June 80. His attorney secured
| ing his appeal TO the Court of Appeals
/ for a new trial. The Waliing case was
| then taken up, and on June Is the jury
1 brought in verdict of guilty and fixed
| Walling's punishment at death. Jackson'a
/ case was first taken up by the Court OF Ap-
/ Jackson. and Prosecutor Lockhart the
| State. argued the appeal before the Judges
| Walling's appeal was then heard by the
| court Colonel Washington representing
| Walling. The attorneys FOR the prisoners
| sprung another surprise by dropping from
| not open and that the sheriff was unduy
| influenced against the prisoners. These
| grounds for the appeal were thought tc
| be their strongest. but the appeals were
| heard only on the alleged errors OF the
lower court in ir5tructing the jury.