Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-05-27

| charged with larceny OF the goods
belonging to Field. Then he was ais,
questioned for the first time with refer
"nce to the murder and made the state
ment he made in Court "Wednesday
| Field was then arrested and they were
both lodged i'll Jail. Morris and Alice
had already been placed under arrest
FELTON, was thoroughly questioned ON
cross examination but about the only
result was to bring out the damaging
fact that he had often heard Alice
threaten Turner's life. Mary Bailey,
colored, whose home adjoins that of the
Turner's testified that she had heard
Alice and John quarreling and had
heard her tell him if he didn't quit
meddling with her business the first
thing he knew he would Ego like Amer.
lea Holland Holland was killed al
his home i'll Pocomoke City last year
Mary also said Alice told her Thursday
morning that Turner changed his stock.
ings and put on his boots Wednesday
night and left home about o'clock.
Deputy Sheriff J. Henry Young testi.
fled that the road from Pocomoke to the
place where the body was found was
very muddy and that Turner had on
shoes that were scarcely muddy at all
except where they touched the ground
as the body lay. Mr.. Young said when
Alice was arrested she was very quiet,
but when she saw the body became
almost hysterical. On her way back
from the inquest she said ut is done
now and can't be helped but I would
give $1,000 to have it undone." James
Bailey testified to having heard Turner
and his wife quarrel over her gentle
men fellows" Irving Corbin testified
that on Saturday. December II Sam
Morris said to him: Alice Turner is
too nice woman for John Turner. and
before Christmas day in the morning,
as close by as it is, John Turner won't
have any WIFE" Justice of the Peace
Schoolficld testified to statements made
before HIM as coroner and identified q
quilt bearing a stain which is said to be
blood as having been produced before
him at the inquest. This with other
articles identified as Alice Turner's was
found in the loft which Dude" Field
had i'll charge. Mr.. Schoolfield also
stated that Field seemed rather reluc.
tant to identify the property which
FELTON, was accused of stealing.
On Thursday the prisoners were put
upon the stand and they denied nearly
everything. The day was consumed in
examining and cross examining them. At
five O'Clock the evidence was all i'm and
Court adjourned till 100. Court also
dismissed all the witnesses i'm the case
At 80 O'Clock the Court said it was
ready to hear the States Attorney, who
presented his case i'll most able manner.
opening his remarks with the statement
that he had a most unpleasant duty to
perform and one he did not relish, but a
horrible murder had been committed
and he believed the prisoners were
guilty of the crime. He then set forth
the evidence of FELTON, and other wit
nesscs and after doing SO gave way for
counsel for the defense, Messrs Samuel
II. Townsend, Charles o. Melvin and
John ii. Handy. Mr. Melvin arose to
address the Court, when Judge Page
said they did not care to hear further
argument. Judge Page then delivered
the Courts opinion rs follows:
NOT GUILTY
AT the trial of this case, and since the
final hearing. the Court has given pain
full. deliberate and prolonged attention
Ia this case, and since the meeting of
the Court we have listened to the ad-
dresses of the States Attorney. We
have been fully impressed with the
gravity of this case. grave to the prison
crs because their very lives depend upon
it, grave to the public because there can
be no question that Il hideous crime has
been perpctrated
We have also been anxious ON another
ground. We have been anxious less on
the one side we should hold the reins of
justice too lightly aud fail to give way
to the public demand that somebody
shall be punished for this crime. and on
the other hand we have been anxious
less we deny to these prisoners the
benefit which they are entitled to, the
benefit of the reasonable doubt.
That terrible crime has been com
mitted seems TO be admitted on both
sides. Ii is admitted that John Turner
was found 4 or j miles from Pocomoke
City with these terrible wounds upon
him, all of which the doctor says were
sufficient To produce death, ON this cold
rainy night. Those wounds carry with
them the evidence ,as the States Attorney
has stated, of Il deliberate and deter
mined purpose To put an end To his life.
and the only question which the Court
has to deal with is. what the prisoners
at the bar had To do with it, And in deter
mining this question we are not to
indulge III any suspicious. but we are to
decide this case strictly according to the
testimony that is before us. That is all
we have to do.
Now the States Attorney has truly
said that this case rests upon circum-
stantial evidence, and we have had no
witnesses produced before us who saw
the blow struck, and nobody who can
tell the details of this transaction. But
it Is alleged that circumstantial evidence
places beyond reasonable doubt the
guilt of these prisoners. Circumstantial
evidence has been likened sometimes to
a chain consisting of IA series of links,
and tn be this it is obvious that the
whole strength of the chain depends
upon the weakest link in il, and if any
one link hc not of sufficient strength the
whole chain is vanquished. Are all the
links i'll this chain of sufficient strength
To make the whole chain strong from
beginning TAI end, or are there enough
facts i'll this case all pointing in the
direction of the commission of this crime