The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-03-26
ESCAPED THE GALLOWS
GROVES GUILTY OF MURDER IN
THE SECOND DEGREE.
The Court Sentenced the Slayer of
Henry Wall to Twenty Years in
the PenitentIary.

Not guilty of murder and the felony
of murder in the second degree"
This was the verdict the jury in the
John Groves murder trial, when it filed
into court yesterday morning at 1870
o'clock and announced to the court that
it had agreed upon one.
The convicted man heard it without the
slightest demonstration, save the quick
flashing of his eyes and the swelling of
the veins in his neck. He stood with
uplifted right hand while the verdict was
being read, and ut its conclusion dropped
into q chair by his attorneys side.
1t was all over now Nothing was left
but to pronounce the sentence. That 1t
would be a long term in the penitentiary
no one who had heard the evidence could
doubt Indeed, many had guessed that
| it would be murder in the first deg zee,
and they now thought Groves had reason
| to congratulate himself on the verdict 90
| tina: his neck had been saved.
This was evidently the view of the
| matter taken by Judge Adams. In pass
ng Judgment upon the convicted man,
| he said:
This is an awful crime of which You
have been convicted. You have taken the
life of fellowman. the highest crime
known to man. The jury might have
convicted you of murder in the first de-
gree, and instead of being sentenced to
serve Il term of years in the penitentiary.
you might have beene sentenced to be-
hanged.
This is another demonstration OF the
end which befalls man who so far for
gets himself as to be engaged in the
| business you We're engaged in on tn,
| night Of the murder You seem to have
| been raised well. You had good oppor-
tunities, and come of Il good family, and
you might have been better man.
The court sentences you to hard la Dor
| in the penitentiary for a term of 20
years"
Previous to the pronouncing of this
sentence Groves counsel, Mr.. j. c. l..
| Harris, made Il motion to set the verdict
| Of the jury aside, on the ground that the
court did not charge the jury. rs request
| ed to do, that it made no difference wheth-
er pistol was found on Wallis person
or not, so that he acted in such Il man
ner as to lead Groves to believe that he
| had one and that he would shoot him
with it, and in so doing the defendant
was not guilty.
| The motion was denied and Mr.. Har-
ris gave notice of appeal to the Supreme
court. This will not mean that Groves
| is to be again put in jeopardy of his life,
even If n new trial is granted He has
| been acquitted of the charge of murder
and can now only be tried for murder in
| the second degree of which he was yes
terday found guilty.
| The jury took the ease at IL o'clock
| Wednesday night, and it was just 81
hours before they brought in their YER
dict. They stood on the first and many
subsequent ballots as follows: Murder in
the first degree. 1 e white and = colored
| Jurors: murder in second degree 4 o.
white and one colored); manslaughter ,
| ,all white). Finally the murder and
! manslaughter men agreed TO go to those
| in favor Of murder in the second degree,
as fair compromise.
Groves does not look like a bad man,
and those who have known him long
! time say he is not. He is tall, well built
athletic Dressed up he would be con-
| sidered a good looking man. He does not
| look his thirty-odd years. Hsi kinly
| blue eye gives his face n rather meek ex-
preston. and contrasts strangely with
his black hair and dark brown must
ache.
To man Of Groves age, 20 years
in the penitentiary generally means in
the penitentary for life.