The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-18
She Perfectly Identified, the FieDd Whose Eyes
Dropped--Meh Bowed Their Heads
~ "a A 3s
With Tears and Anger and Pity
Before the Young Cir

4 Il 81 49,
From Staff Correspondent.)-By a jury
of twelve, three of whom were negroes,
George Brodie, negro, was TO day al
1890. after seven minutes ofidehberation,
found guilty of the 'crimeoof rape upon
the person of Miss Mamie Catlett,
white. and a few minutes later he was
Sentenced to be hanged on September
list next. Vs sa@e ,
| Judge Brown had yesterday ordered
! Sheriff SmithJto Summon a special venire
5of fifty citizens and they were on hand.
b There was! some delay in getting the
iurv. due time being taken for examina-
ton. Eleven, We're rejected, all but three
or four being white, and after twelve
men had been accepted, and sworn in the
jury was found TO be composed of tho
ifolloWing.neh ihJeRe drdqr in which they
werekaccented,aDEEs
/ Il !, IN IKep r1ley9, ] barker. N Edwards.
Henry NJ, Daniel, W. O. Mitchell,
Junius Royster, (negro), Rufus II.
Daniel, Sam Foster, (negro). w. II,
Check, L. RI. Crockera&N. H. e'heVasso,
John W. lhHdy, (negHl,saD. II. ,ReaNs.
Arb thcrt any deputies ?'aasked fudge
Brown quite quietly Of the sheriff, as
court was called to order at $50
Sheriff Smith nodding his head affirm
ativelv, 9lP juage said: THE people OF
tie county are atgoihg TO disturb this
Pris9ast lsst 5tlielp CHE deDut5ses' go
home" H f-
The sheriff pressed his way out through
the overflow of people in the court house,
~ -
had settled over the mass as an accom-
paniment of this well-timed remark Of
Judge Browns.
/ 1t was blue, sea breezy Fnd of a
morning and everybody appeared TO be
6n asbuoyant good humor. so much so at
some moments that Judge Brown took
occasion a little while lateFsto remind
those present that the occasion was a
solemn one and that there should be
no laughter nor exhibitions of levity, but
that the preceding should be in cons
sonance with the grave import Of the
matter in hand. IN
lust now came in George sBrodie with
his counsel, Messrs. Bridgers and Harris.
looking not quite so clipper: in fact, #
he had been white. one would have said
he was pale. but black as he is, one can
not say. Yet the same slick look was
in his face with his eyes sliding side
wise in his head with the glibness of so
much quick silver. He stood up before
Solicitor Bernard, the while crust of
fhis hand uplifted steady-perfecflr
steady He did not seem to be bothering
much about the import of the ominous
words thatswerea being addressed to him.
with his mouth boyishly half-open and
his tongue playing with a sillyish moves
ment from one side to the other. Ssh
| Judge Brown ordered the bar cleared
and the decks were being made ready
for action. $500 AMs
Z Sitting 1t the prosecuting table lit
tie way from the prisoner were Solicitor
Bernard. Mr.. W. r. Shaw, Mr.. T. +,
Hicks, Mr. a. T. ZollicOffer. Among
Others within the barxwere Messrs.
Frank Spruill. ofI.otlisburg. who is here
to assist in the prosecution of Moss
charged with bribery, Messrs. George A.
HarrelL Aleek Cooper, ]. r. Young,
Thomas Horner. Henry Perry, Messrs.
lC. L. and @. w. BlacknaH, of Kittrell,
James A, Kelly. editor =. II. Manning,
Revs. A. sMcCullen and Shaw.
+ All was in readiness, and the jury hay-
ing been impressively impannelled sby
Solicitor Bernard, the witnesses were
called. e A ed ae 9
NAmong1 them came forward Miss Cat
lett. She was accompanied by her sis
ter, Mrs Clapton. There was something
in the effect of her appearance horribly
distressing. The young boys were or
dered out of the court. The moment
was dramatic. .+ta&s7"
1t was an ugly moment: a moment of
pain, OF pity, of danger. Brodie sat just
| against the railing; he was very conyen-
lent to the hands of those pressing be-
| hind Did he know the narrow escape
/ he was passing through at that mo-
ment? | heard Of it afterward. From
| the story as it was told me God only
/ knows how it was that he was not drag
ged over the railing and torn asunder be-
| tween his seat and the door. Perhaps,
| it was largely due to the respect for
| Judge Brown and his exemplary dignity
/ and promptness during the conduct OF
| the case. That, as it was told me, fig
ured largely in the arguments pro and
con. That young girl was pressing he1
| way through the gate of the bar and was
crossing the floor towards the witness
chair; she was in fell view, a 1.-the
graceful figure in dress of simple
white, stylshly made. The young wo
man wore a white sailor hat with a
white band and soft whitish veil
| Young woman is a hard word to use
| here for she seemed but a child. one
stepping from the outskirts of girlhood
into the strange mystery of maidenhood
Istepping just tentatively, with thai
startled thrill of innocence and misgivine
which Pushes the worlds heart as moth
ing else does-this first blush of the vir
gin--ye men with babies on your knee
Not an eye seemed turned toward thu
beautiful face and figure; men seemed
Ito fear that they would add embaTass
ment to the poor trembling thing-but
forsooth there were sable shadow
abroad in hearts and on brows as wei
and a sable stiffness too; many eyes wer
filled with tears. The distress had
weird, unearthIy quality about it. was
Erevenge at play or was it pity! Me-
staggered as il under a great pang-le
one not try to touch with analysis tn
sacred emotions of that moment-emo
tfons col0red with h0lly-berries and win
ter log fires and apple-cheeked tots AM
spring houses with sunny hair,and blacl
berry stains and bare feet laughing be
hind some daddy, and stout hearts bare
lagainst harm to crib and cot and the bi;
bed in the corner-and revenge? Perhap
sO-but those tears-and that tenderness
that weighted down the heads and turn
ed away the eyes from this pink-cheeB
ed child Her full gray eyes, long-lashe'