The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-19
POLICEMEN ARE PARDONED
CLuB8ED NEGRO RO85ER WHO
RESISTED THEM.
Caused a Riot at Edenton and Military
tia to be Called OUT The
Judge Criticised.

On the Goth day of last February, at
midnight, the store of A. q. Mitchell, or
Edenton, was broken into ana robbed. A
few minutes after an entrance was ar
fected, Charles J. Pratt, who was then
and still is regular policeman OF Eden
ton. was informed OF the fact He was
told that Neil Skinner, a negro bully,
was the guilty party and had been re-
cognized as he went into the store. There
upon Pratt went in pursuit of Skinner,
snmmoning John Harris and William
Leggett to help make the arrest. They
soon came ND with Skinner and informed
him of their purpose and the charge
against him. He violently resisted arrest,
striking Pratt a terrific blow and severely
biting Harris The fight was desperate
one and the policeman had to severely
club Skinner before they were able to
take him into custody or prevent his
further injuring them.
This incensed the negroes in and around
Edenton, and they threatened to take the
negro from the authorities A riot was
imminent and Mayor Vann applied to
the Governor for assistance. A military
company from Elizabeth City was there
upon ordered to Edenton to quiet the
rioters.
The officers who made the arrest were
then indicted for assault and battery
with deadly weapons and were tried at
the last (September) term Of Chowan
Superior court, Judge Timberlake pre-
siding. Greatly to the surprise of every
body the facts were not allowed to go
to the jury, but the judge passed upon
them, adjudged the defendants
guilty and sentenced them as follows:
Pratt to Imprisonment in jail for Il
months, and Harris and Leggett to i'm
prisonment in Jail for 6 months.
1t is said, though / cannot vouch for
the truth of it, that before doing this
Judge Undertake offered to pass very
light sentence on the defendants il they
would pay the negro arrested certain
sum OF money. This / am informed,
they refused to do.
The whole community was indignant
at the result OF the trial. Judge Timber
lake was severely criticised. A petition
was at once gotten up and signed by all
the best citizens of that section and
money was raised by popular subscription
to pay the expenses Of lawyers to come
to Raleigh and lay the facts in the case
before Governor Carr. Messrs. w. FL.
Bond and J. N. Pruden came. In addi-
written to the Governor, setting forth
the reasons why the sentence Of the
court ought not to be carried out
The result was that yesterday Gov.
Carr granted the men full and COM
plete pardon In doing so he gives the
following reasons for his action: Is
These men Officers of the law were
sentenced for assault and battery in
their efforts to arrest a supposed CRIMINAL
1t was abundantly proven that there was
no excessive force used in making the
arrest, the prosecutor alone swearing
they did, Competent medical examina-
ton failed to corroborate his declaration.
But had they used more force than was
necessary, there was much to excuse
them. A store had just been broken into,
as several had recently before. Pratt,
the policeman, was informed that the
prosecutor was the guilty party, and went
in pursuit of him. When caught he
desperately resisted arrest and fought
the officers, who called others tc' his as
sistance. If, under these circumstances,
human beings do not exactly measure
their acts they ought not to be too
severely condemned. Innocent men are
not apt to resist an officer of the= law and
| it was a very natural conclusion to ar
rive at, that the more desperate the re-
| sistance the more certain were lhey that
| they had caught the right man. They
were only doing their duty as they knew
| it, In my opinion, it would be little less
| than a public calamity for these men,
who thought they were doing their duty,
| and would undoubtedly have been CEN
sured and punished had they failed to
arrest this man, should now suffer hui
| initiating punishment and the alleged
| felon go free, under the direction of the
| court The crime OF resisting an officer
| in the discharge Of his duty is much too
| frequent. A complete pardon. is hereby
granted the three officers"