Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-11-13
THE AGE of CONSENT
a tELEBKAiED CASE.
true to Her DuSky Lover

a CEkE 00A EO OiOE.
true to Her DuSky Lover.
Paul Davis, the colored youth charg-
90 wi,h rapiDg cora T~itchen, = IL
Year vsd, white, girl. shc being under
tne age VI cOnsens was called IN the
, HeDric0 County Court, Monday, Mo-
vemDer San and neE trial granted by
Judge Mlcknsm
ihsreupon commonwealth Attor-
ney CONWAY X. oands entered nOlie
prCsequs, ana Davis left ths cours
wishoot mOioststioE,
ooL-cHILDRkE'a FoEDNEss.
This is one Of the noss remarkable
cases an the criminal annals OF Virgin
Ia. Paul aud Cora lived IN. the So me
uelRhborhOod, attended difforpnt
scnUol Duiilings. bu. were often seen
going dow n che road TO point, where
their paths would necessarily lead an \
Gffferent dir~cti"ns-
W Isei heads saoJk their heads grave
| ly. and tue attention. OF the TwisheIt
iamiiy Was calit d 10 the intimacy. Co.
Ia WOULD send notes to Paul and Wber
the house wnere he Was staying and
REMAIN these for hours.
LOVED HIK pksRLY.
These notes as produesd at the trial
were OE a must iOfing character. Her
intatuation Tor The eolOred youth Was
of n mozt prUnouDced kind.
Paul was empiOyrd for IN sny months
at che iw'chelrs farm de slept up
stairs, Hsd mad % pass through the
be-d-room ln v hich air. AMI Mrs. Car
To- A TwsSnslI their suns and daugh-
tsrS slept.
kor come cause, he left the place
b1t Cora was.a frequent visitor 10 the
p ace ~ here ne lived. 1t was discov.
ersu shortly afterwards that every
,hsng WAS not, ali right With Cora. Ar
investigation OF The matter revealed
the truth,
CHARGED HITnzsk eRfmx.
} Twichel called on Paul aud charged
bim with the vn-Ese. He carried h m
20 the Hs nrico County Cuurth puse in
ghIs city ALT, gave him up TO the fl
GERS warrant. charging HIM with
rape <as sworn out. rwichell testified
then that his daughter WAS fourteen
wears OF age.
CHANGED TIRE AGE.
Later, rp,n being advised that IN.
age of cor mt was fourteen years, he
swore out another warrant charging
p .ul Davis with ceruaiiy tnowir z
female under the aRe of consent This
] time he. swOre that his daughter was
thirteen years ot age
This made il look dark for Davis, for
under that construction of the law,
Paul could be hanged
Nhen the prisoner was led from the
| ;ienrico County Jail for trial, Twicheil
standing in the doorway drew ~
vnIver. and fred at him pointblank
he bullet entering the abdomen and
TO all app arsnees being fatal wound.
IN THE SAME JAIL.
Twichell was disarmed, and for
| weeks spe mt his time in the came Jail
/ in which Paul Davis was incarcerared.
| Was several months before Davis
was arvainRed for trial Twichell
-wore that his daughter was born
| April 10, 1888, and the alleged family
records were prUduCed~tO prove this
fact.
horn Co .ora Twichel1 during th+
month of March, 1897.
Testimony wes adduced to prove
/ that it Was of cOlOred percentage. Cora
testified that Paul was the father
/ A NINE YEARS sKwrENcs.
Davis was convicted and sentenced
/ 20 nine years IN the Virginia Peniten-
tiHry.
Msnv persons called at the PLANET
L Office concerning the case, and Squire
4 George ". Thomas, counsel for Davis
visited the editor requesting that he
i would assist in securing the necessary
,uformnr,on from Buffalo, in order to
prove that Cora Twlchell was born q
Il wear earlier than was claimed ~ the
rial.
He stated that IN those cities record
# births,we kept and thst this InIor-
nation would tree Paal Davis.
THAT oRIxvOps oaAReE.
4 He was charged. with kaOwiDg . fe-
fmAle under the Age.of fourteen years
fF she we're over that age, there would
l ,,.. no case aRain~t him n u new trial
eould be- granted. Edsdor Mitchell
agreed 10 secure the information e.
Hs wrote TO MIR. r u. ). Peregrino oi
he Buffalo Spectator. asking hum t.
90 to the Office of Hoard Of Health ana
! | secure the Information.
He sent the certificate, but it was
| rot duly certified, aud while good in
New York state Was useless TO tbs
.runsei IN this. 1h5 bill Of 81 there
or had been paid, "a for the certificate
md the other for services. The certi.
ficate was returned, bus was lost in tht
mails. and a duplicate which Cost An
.ther 81 was secured.
e GOULD EoT UEDERsTAND.
) Despite the fact that an extract from
! the Virginia law was enclosed which
! required thet such certificates shall b,
certified TO by the Judge Of and COur
q a court of ReeOrd should Do attach
4 I'll and MIR. Peregrino had entrusteS
The work TO a lawyer, the papers wsr'
Hound again defective, being certified
% hy = deputy clerk
o Mr. PeregrinO was prompt in retnrn
n .nk Lhe papers, but the attorney there
n .ould not understand the REQ uire
= ments in other etates. A bill Tor 50
was made out and forwarded 90 Edsto
a Mitchell. Again. he had TO return tn
4 Iapers aud again they Were nos up =
3 he requirements.
The 5UDGE 0RAsTED THE REoUEsT.
In the meantime, Lawyer Til ma
and Editor Mitchell went before JudR
ickhAm to ssk him TO delay the trls
He had decided To settle che questio
a II a new trial, bus finally consented .
a 20 do.
Even after this . further continu
d | anee had Co be asked for. IL VA the
z that Lawyer Thomas decided TO sen
q Deputy CLERK T. +. Taylor to BnflaI,
a New York with the papers 70 has
Il them proprr rly attestsd.
REfP TO BUrEALo.
A.. .-~.,-.;r,,, 80 - ol.S a. n.