The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-17
The Trial of Browning Draws
to a Close.
EVIDENCE is CONCLUDED
AND THE GREAT ARGUMENT
HAS BEGUN.
TWO SPEECHES MADE YESTERDAY
Mr.. {. W. Pou for The State and MIR. F. NJ
Simmons for the Defense -Four Other
Speeches 10 be Made Monday.

Most of the testimony in the Brown
ing trial yesterday tended to excuse him
for the killing of his father-in-law. Some
of it. however, WAS adverse. "A strong
and forcible argument was made to the
court and jury that he should be held
responsible for the deed.
He saw the closed doors of two
houses opened. his own home and the
home of his aged father-in-aw, and IN
side beheld the CHASTITY skeleton of hls
own misdoing.
Solicitor Il. w. Pou drew picture
of d young sister-in-law with bane
in her arms, charging Browning with
being the author of her ruin, and pic
tur of an old man with but few more
years to live at most, passing about III
mortal dread of the despOilcr of his home
He was forced to listen to the charge OF
unkindness. to the charge of seduction
to the charge of gross ingratitude III try
ing to law the old man out of the house
that had been his for fifty years, and
the charge of the villainous killing of
the man whom he had so repeatedly
wronged. TO all this he listened still as
a statue. He shifted his clear dry eyes
from the Judge to the jury, from the
jury to the eloquent young solicitor,
whose every sentence branded him with
infamy. His wife sat beside him plainly
clad in the emblems of mourning. Next
to her sat the defendants sister and
near by his bright-eyed thirtecn-year-
old daughter. Such scenes were new to
them. They looked wistfully at the
court and Judge and quaked under the
whitening denunciation of husband,
brother and father.
As Mr.. Pou. after having spoken for
an hour and a quarter took his scat the
young woman drew a sigh of relief and
the defendant could not conceal his graf
ification that that part of the ordeal had
passed.
Mr.. j.. NJ. Simmons arose to make
the opening speech for the defense. He
spoke as one who earnestly believed
that the killing while it was deplora BILE.
was excusable in law and in fact. He
seemed to realize that upon him rested in
Il manner the responsibility of the life
or death of the man who had come and
placed his life in the hands of the court
and jury of his fellOwmen.
The eyes of the defendant
seemed brighter as they rested with
evident confidence upon the man
who was making such powerful APP
peal for his life. The young
women looked at each other. then 1T
the man beside them. at the speaker and
the jury. resting then as though they
would strengthen the appeal that was
being made. Mr.. Simmons spoke for
two hours and a half. making Il strong
and touching appeal for the prisoner at
the bar, the scenes pictured by Mr..
Pou were replaced by others more pleas
ing.
The friends of the defendant were
privileged to hook upon picture of
good, honorable citizen with no malice
or i'll feeling towards any one, being
bounded and prosecuted by an irate, dan
gerous man who was following him
about. his hand already stained with the
blood of two of his fellow creatures,
telling whomsoever he met that he had
Killed two men and that Browning, his
son-In-law. was to be his next victim
The best part of the day was spent in
the tedious examination and cross-ex-
animation of witnesses. Mr.. f.. NJ. Rose
began the opening argument for the
State at $3.50 o'clock and as stated he
spoke for an hour and fifteen minutes.
His speech was clear-cut and convinc-
ing.
He said: There were four vcrdicts
any one of which the jury might rem
dcr-murder in the first degree. murder
in the second degree, manslaughter and
not guilty. He defined the law as APP
pllcabe to these four verdicts.
How was this crime committed?"
said he. You must decide from the
circumstances surrounding its commits
sion. No human eye saw this tragedy
but those of Browning and Strickland
and Strickland is dead.
Browning had motive. He wanted
possesssion of the land, and so long as
Strickland lived he could not enter
One month before the fatal day, Brown
ing said at Daisy Bennus' house that he
would have possession of the land if
he had to kill his old father-in-law. We
are told that Strickland had persuaded
Browning. such was not the case. The
old man had done all he could to aid
and encourage his son-in-law. The old
mans life was taken a cruel, pitifu