Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-11
SENT TO GRAND JURY
MIR. Davis Must Answer to the
Charge of Murder.
THE PRELIMINARY HEARING
Chief Yeoman Babcoclz, of the Cruiser
Brooklyn, to be Married in Hamp.
ton This Morning. Other
News OF Interest.

81 .f's IA
Mr.. T. Hall Davis, the young saloon
Keeper who is charged with having.
murdered Jette johnson. IL colorcd
man, by battcring his skull in with i:
hammer Monday afternoon, was given
4 preliminary hearing in the Folicc
Court yesterday morning before Mayor
Hope, who after listening to the evil
Genre, sent Davis on to the grand jury
When the case was called the court
room was crowded with Interested
spectators. many Of them being cclorei
and friends Of the murdered man
There was, however. the ,est of order.
and the hearing passed off with the
smoothness With Which Mayor HOPE
presides over his court
Davis entered the rool, in company
with Sergeant Cunningham who hu:.
brought him from tho Jail, where he
had spent the night. While ne appear
Cd to be rather broken up from the
night which he had passed in the Jail
the prisoner gave no evidence of being
at all concerned regarding the result Ct
the serious charge which he must an
swer before the jury-a charge that
will place his life in the hands Of twelve
Of his countrymen or perhaps result in
his spending many years in the peni-
tertiary.
a large number Of witnesses were in
troduced. but the evidence brought out
at the hearing was practically the same
as that given before the cOroner's in
quest Monday afternoon Just after the
murder had occurred, ana appeared in
yesterdays issue of the Daily Press
Davis was not, however, placed on
the stand yesterday.
After the hearing the prisoner was
taken back to the Jail and locked up
where he must remain until the case
is disposed Of in the County Court
Young Davis is on an excellent fam
lily. and his young wife, his mother,
father and sisters are all Frustrated at
the unfortunate affair. While they are
doing everything in their power 10
make his situation as pleasant as pos
sible. they realize the seriousness of
the trouble which he has brought upon
them and the shock has been a severe
one. He was visited in the Jail yes
terday by members OF his family.
Quite u number of his friends also
called during the day.
Mr.. Davis has always borne an cx-
cellent reputation, and was at one time
connected with the religious work in
Hampton. He is just % years old, and
is Of a very prepossessng disposition
The scenes around the place in which
the man was murdered we're extremely
horrifying. Lying on the floor was the
body of the dead man with pools OF
blood in places. While the usua! drink
selling was kept up just as though
nothing unusual had taken place. The
store was crowded With negroes.
The remains OF johnson We're turned
over to his friends. who a t once began
TO beg for assistance from everyona
with which to defray the expense CT
burying him.
The funeral services which took pace
yesterday afternoon at 4 O'Clock, were
attended by fifteen hundred colOre !,
people, and the large colored Baptist
church on King street was taxed to
its utmost capacity to accommodate
the gathering. The services were con
Quoted by Rev. Richard 'Spiller At
the close of the services at the church
the procession again formed and one
would have imagined it was Il May-da !
celebration from the manner in which
the streets Of the place were 'traversea
The hearse was followed by perhaps
500 uarkies, many Of whom carried
large bouquets of flowers, some riding
in carriages, some on foot and some or
horseback. After the funeral cortege
had passed over its route the remains
were taken to the colored cemetery
and inferred. The fact that so much
interest was manifested in the funeral
by the colored people vas the cause
for much comment among the people
here, many Of whom considered such
a demonstration rather suggestive OF
i'll feeling among the negroes.
The killing was the leading topic for
conversation yesterday. Some OF the
people are inclined to believe that one
of the other colored men in the saloon
may have committed the deed, and as
Mr. Davis was the only white man
sober enough to know what was going
on the colored men got together and ee-
cided to place the blame on him. This,
however, is hardly probable.