The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-25
CRIMINAL DOCKET FOR MARCH.
SOME INTERESTING INDICTMENTS
ON THE RECORDS.


err Been Arrested-Six Murder Cases
Now on the March Docket For
TrinI-FOur Murder Cases in
Which Motions For New Trial
VIII Be Argued-SOme Important
Forgery Cases, and Any Number
of Assaults with Intent to MUIR
der.
AS is customary in the superior court
the first month Of the coming March term
which begins next Monday will be given
to the criminal docket of the court, and
this docket is still rather long one,
though many cases were disposed of dur
ing the December term.
The greater part of the December term
was taken up with criminal business,
and altogether eighty cases were disposed
Of, representing about 100 defendants.
There are now something over fifty cases
| on the docket, many of the indictments
in which were found during February and
just before the. closing of the last term
of court. Then, too the defendants in
many of the cases on the docket have
never been arrested.
ct for the March term is that of Major
Lee, charged with murder and granted
new trial. His case is No. l. Lees case
has headed the docket for several terms
now, but it will be finally disposed of
next month. The Morning News recently
gave a full account of Lees case, he hav-
ing remained in the penitentiary fifteen
i
him a new trial. At the time the new
trial was granted the attorneys interest
ed did not take up the case it is said, be-
cause they thought Lee would be in dang
er of his life
Quite a number of old cases remain on
the docket Tor various reasons, princi-
pally from the fact that the defendants
have not been arrested. Among these is
that of William Smith; who was indicted
for murder April 49, 1892, Henry Mcguire,
assault with intent to murder; Caesar
Stewart, concealed weapons; Fred Haar,
Keeping gaming house; William Wright,
simple larceny; William McCrea, who was
indicted for murder Aug. s. 1894; Caleb
Reed, assault with intent to murder; Will
lam j. Barrett, assault with intent to muir
der, in which case there was a mistrial
March 22 1895; Charles, alias Siah Wright.
simple larceny; d. c.. SWindle forgery;
bills; Zeke General burglary; Dennis Hill,
assault with intent to murder; Thomas
Jackson, keeping a gaming house, Shep
Lundy, robbery; Jane Simmons, robbery;
William Stokes, burglary; John Monroe,
assault with intent to murder; Sharper
Brockenton and James Washington, sim
pie larceny; William Dempsey, William
c. Banks, William G. Girty Vincent
Thomas, all charged with a msdemeanor;
william Gordon, carrying a concealed
weapon, and w. j. Simmons, larceny af-
ter trust
There are several other cases which
were on the docket before the December
term was reached, but which are of more
recent date than those mentioned. There
are the case against II. NJ. Reeve and H
d. Twitty for forgery, three true bills
having been found against each of them,
charging them with improper manipula-
ton of naval stores receipts and obtain
ing money from certain banks on fraudu-
lent receipts Both are under bond
Ihomas V. Ponder's case is also on the
older list He was tried once for the muir
der of Frank Keenan, and sentenced to
life imprisonment but has secured new
trial, and the case will be heard a second
time at the March term. A true bill,
charging T. j. Mahoney with assault with
| intent to rape, was found July II, 1885, and
Mahoneys case will likewise be disposed
of at the March term.
Nearly all the cases in which true bills
were found at the December term were
| disposed of, with the exception of those in
which indictments were found just before
the adjournment of the term. Among the
unimportant cases which go over from the
December to the March term are the fol-
| lowing; William Johnson, assault with in
tent to murder; Molly Hamilton,
assault with intent to murder;
George Johnson, assault with in
tent to murder; James r. Rogers,
assault with intent to murder; George
Moesner, burglary; Louis Williams and
Robert Williams, assault with intent to
murder; Norton r. Fletcher, alias L. w.
Smith, forgery; John Ferguson, assault
with intent to murder; w. II. Murray. as
sauit with intent to murder Dennis Mitch
ell assault with intent to murder; Robert
Brown larceny after trust; Charlie Wal
tiers. assault with intent to murder; Nc
Leod King, assault with intent to muir
der; Tiny Butler, hog stealing; ]. A. Brun-
son, larceny after trust; Francis Lewis,
larceny from the house; Southern Cotton
Oil Company, misdemeanor; Harry Tur-
ner. assault with intent to murder;
| Charles Williams and Bernie Berrien, as
sault with intent to murder; Mayhem
Screven assault with intent to murder,
and Fanny Nichols, assault with intent to
murder.
The average assault with intent to MUIR
der case turns out generally to be a
shooting or cutting, not in ones own de-
Tense, by which it is frequently turned
into misdemeanor, though of course,
they sometime turn out serious cases, 'es-
pecially when it can be shown or prac-
tically shown, that IL was the intention
Of the party making the assault to kill
his victim The penalty in these cases
is from two to ten years, but when re-
duced to a misdemeanor the penalty Is a
fine or Imprisonment on the chain-gang,
or both, IN the discretion OF the court.
Among the cases in which there will be
considerably more interests is that against
Mai A. l.. Hartridge, in which there are
two true bills, charging him with forgery.
lie is stll at large. however. and it does
not seem likely that he will be found in
time for a trial at the March term of the
superior court.
There is quite a serious case against
Eddie Payne, George Sapp, James Frain
and Henry Brady, in which the four are
charged with making muir
derous assault upon Policeman
Murphy Their cases are pref
ty certain to be tried during March.
w. T. Bennett is on the docket on a
charge of assault with intent to commit