The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-03
ABE SMALL WRITES A LETTER.
Asks Judge FaIIigant Not TO Deprive
Him of His Attorneys.


letter from Abe Small has been re-
ceived by the superior court.
It rarely occurs that a condemned muir
derer breaks through the bounds of pro-
fessional etiquette and makes a direct APP
peal to the judge who sentenced him to die
on the gallcws, but that is what Small. the
slayer of Policeman Neve, has done.
While the other prisoners in the jail
were Longing around, or singing and
praying Sunday, Small was studying out
his case and figuring on his chances for
life. He had read in the Morning News
that there had been a petition fled before
the court by his lawyers asking that they
be relieved from further service in the
case, after having procured new trial
from the supreme court on the ground of
a technicallty.
Knowing that his life had been spared
twice already by the efforts of Messrs.
Ravenel and West, his attorneys, Small
realized what their dismissal from the case
at this vital moment would mean TO him.
He decided to appeal to the court him
self and ask that Judge Falligant refuse
case. He wrote a letter with pencil,
which, robbed of its bad spelling. reads as
follows:
Chatham County Jan. Aug. 1.-Hon.
Robert Falligant, r. j. c.: Honorable Sir
Having been acquainted through the
public press of the desire of my counsel,
Messrs. West and Ravenel, to withdraw
from my case, and knowing full well the
injury I would receive from such with
drawal l respectfully ask that you
use your influence with said attorneys to
continue in the case until the final ending,
as l have every confidence in their ability
TO clear me of the awful charge of which
l am accused. Very respectfully,
Abram Small.
Judge Falligant will probably decline to
relieve Messrs. West and Ravenel from
further service In the case and they will
most likely continue with their client to
the end. 1t is not known whether the
case can be reached at this term of the
court or not, as there Is such vast pile
of civil work to be disposed of by the
court before the adjournment of the June
term.
The prisoner is a very shrewd negro,
and it is clear that he is wide awake to
his own interests.
The Small case has furnished many in
steps have been taken in the case which
are rare features in murder cases. The
attorneys who have upheld the cause of
Abe Small from the time he was first ac-
cused have made il a remarkable case by
reason of the novel features they have
brought into it, They moved for a new
trial first on the ground of alleged error
on the part of the court in not emphasiz-
ing certain law. The new trial was grant
ed and the case went to trial again, re-
sulting in a second conviction. Then the
attorneys made another motion for a new
trial, at the same time petttioning the
court to quash the former inquest, the in
ference being that they wished the body
of the dead policeman to be exhumed and
another inquest held, although it had been
several years after the killing. On the
motion to quash the inquest the lawyers
failed before the supreme court, but they
gained a new trial on the grourN that
juror and a witness on the second trial
had become entangled in a colloquy.
After securing the new trial, Messrs
West and Ravenel petitioned to be dis
missed from further service in the case
believing they could be relieved at that
point without effecting the fate of their
client or raising prejudice.