The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-16

The DeiendAnt Teoti0e1 In His OWD Beh4sf.
Hrs Defense m AIlbi-Two Negro Mes
Give the Same Testimony - 60 HE whore
abouts as the Time Of the Crims-Ihe
Case to Consume an Todsy-Perfect Qnsse
Prevailing In Town
Especial to The Messenger.)
Rockingham, n. c., November Eth
court devoted the entire day to the ex-
~arniration Of Witnesses for the defence
in the case Of the State VS.. Evans About
twenty witnesses were examined. In
Guiding the prisoner and witnesses sum-
moned to prove character. and the end is
not yet.
Court will open at 9 o'clock in he
morning and the end will not be reached
before IL o'clock p. m, unless the at
torneys shall be limited in their speeches.
both as to time and number. The fight
OF the defence seems to be to rebut the
evidence of Miss Matte Cole as to the
identity Of the prisoner, and to prove for
him an alibi as to the particular time at
which 1t is alleged the assault occurred.
Thus far, the pre%ponderance OF evidence
seems to be with the state. and unless
the defence can bring out stronger testi-
mony or stronger corroboration Of that
already rendered, acQuittal will be out
of the question. This is your correspond
ent's opinion.
I Civ the testimony of the defendant,
the prisoner in substance. He said:
My name is John Evans. I was in
Rockingham the night before the morn
ing his crime was committed. 1 slept in
a room at the livery stable Of NJ. l.. Hin
eon WINS DouaIJ ond EIatch Tool slant
with me. We slept on a roll Of bagging.
We lay in bed until sun up next morn
ing, Saturday morning.) I slept on the
side next the wall, Fetch Teal next and
Amos Powell on the outside. Henry
Chambers came about day light for Mr..
Ingram's horse and buggy. Before this,
Mr.. Hale came in and asked for his pipe
wrench, got it and left. Later, Mr.. In
gram came. I did not see him, had my
head covered with a quilt, but knew his
voice. I remained in bed sometime after
the other boys got up. I remained at
the livery stable until after the sun was
up. I went then to Mr.. John Lewis bar
room with Henry Dockery and Adam In
gram. I left them and went over to
Mayor Everett's office, (at Everett's
store), asked a man there (Mr. Taylor,
the clerk) for some tacks; bought a
paper; asked the clerk If that was the
place where the clerk Of court stayed.
He said he was not there. l. said I was
accused by Mr.. Horne of some sort of
crime about nothing, and I wanted a
paper to show that I was not guilty"
The main burden Of his testimony was
to find a basis for pleading an alibi.
The two boys who acknowledged sleep
ing with him corroborated his statement
generally. all telling, with remarkable
| precision, the same tale. Much Of this,
it not all, the state expects to refute to-
morrow.
Several Of the negro witnesses proved
good characters by Messrs. H. c. Dock
cry, J. NJ. Dockery, Sheriff Smith, Suits
Maness and D. NJ. Morrison, which gives
some weight to their testimony, OF
course.
I am not apprised as to the further evil
dence the defence may be able to in
troduce tomorrow, but, be this as it may,
everybody seems disposed to give the
prisoner full time and every opportunity
to prove his innocence. Everything is
still quiet and the prisoner escorted by
two deputies still passes quietly and un-
harmed through our streets. It is
strange that some entertain a fear of
lynching when SO many opportunities
have not been untitled. The prisoner
may yet prove an alibi, but until this is
o the calm gentle words Of the tender
innocent, confident young Matte Cole:
H is the man." can never be hushed or
outweighed by doubtful, disconnected
testimony.