The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-04-01
EVANS MUST HANG.
State Council Conclude Their Investi-
CATION Of the Case-Grave Charges by
Republicans Against an Appellate of
the President
Bureau
Raleigh. Y. c.. March -.

Raleigh. ". c.. March =.
The almost universal comment here. on
the part of officials and of the general
public. as regards the presidents acts
and recommendations concerning :ho
Cuban crisis. Is most uncomplimentary
TO him. The harshest expressions are
used. mingled with surprise at his course.
The appeal of the Bell Telephone Com
pany against the reduction OF rates by
the hallway commission will b heard be-
fore I-ede.l county superior court.
4 federal prisoner from Georgia ar
rives at the penltentia-y today.
The council OF state today took up the
matter of the life or death of John
Evans, the negro convicted Of rape at
Rockingham. J. A. simms. who was sent
by the council 20 talk with two necroes
wno were IN jail with Evans at Rocking
nam, says ne talked with John Hines
and Jim Peterkin and that they said they
heard Evans counsel tell him in his cell
not TO tel! certain things: that if he did
ne would surely be hanged. this advice
being after Evans had made the state
ment that on the morning Of the outrage
ne had gone to see his sister and passed
oy the place where it occurred. Evans
counsel arrived here today with affida-
WITS Tor the council of state. One was
from John Hines, who says he was In
JAN When Oliver Dockery talked with
Evans; that he and Peterkin We're in a
cell together on the opposite side OF the
Jail; that he did not hear one word OF
what Evans said: that later Peterkin
asked what Dockery had said about
Evans getting his neck broken: that Pc
terkln IS an ex-convict and that he would
not believe MIN on oath, and that he so
told Mr.. Simms. D.. B.. Brown, another
prisoner, says he was in the cell with
Evans; that he heard Evans swear to
Mr.. Dockery he did not take
with his sister that morning and say he
did not know where she was staying:
.nao ME, Dockery said he would not
touch the case unless Evans was limo
cent; and that Evans swore he had not
seen his sister since August.
Several affidavits as to the good char
acter OF those making affidavits We're
also filed. A transcript of the record of
richmond county was filed. showing that
Peterkln, one of the negroes who made
the charges against Oliver II. Dockery,
was sent TO the p~enitentiary for larceny.
was IN Jail for assault with a deadly
weapon and Is now wanted in South
Carolina for burglary. The report of J.
A. Sims was read to the council OF state
Two others from Claudius and 0. H.
Dockery, making emphatic denials of the
whole story, were considered. The coun-
CHS session lasted three hours. There
was a lively scene between Oliver Dock
cry and Governor Russell. Dockerv said
Slmms had been sent to get the evil
ueHce because he was bitter towards ne
groeS. Ihe governor spoke quite sharp
~ 10 TINS and Dockery replied in kind.
ne governor requested members of lha
council to say nothing to any one.
"A telegram announcing the result was
sent to Rockingham and it was annouEc-
ed that the result would only be given
out from there. But it was quickly made
clear that the decision was unfavorable
to Eva and that the latter will be
hanged next Friday. This appears to
end one of the most interesting cases Oh
record in North Carolina. Governor Rus
sell had twice said within six days past
that Evans would be hanged.
Aver, who was in 1896 pOpuliSt state
chairman, has letters from Congressman
Pearson, dated in August of that year,
saying he was "unalterably opposed to
Congressman Martin Pearson said: Il am
squarely against the gold tandard and
a warm friend of bimetallism."
The chamber Of of this city
met tonight to consider the very impor-
tant matter of securing an army post
here.
Z Ohio Wilson has an ardent desire to go
to congress from this district. His
chances are no better than are those of
Congressman Strowd for a return.
A blind deputy sheriff yesterday after
noon brought a convict from Beaufort
county to the penitentiary.
The negro paper at Winston charged
P. H. Lybrook, the new republican post |
master there, with miScegenation, and
yesterday Lybrook and NJ. L. Stuart, late
public printer, had a fight about the
statement.