The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-13
BETRAYED BY A PAL
Two White Men Sent to the
Pen by a Negro.
J mes ,cksen Who Was implicated in the ellis
burg Pos.office Robbery Turns
States Evidence.

The entire morning session of Federal
Court yesterday was consumed in the
trial of a postoffce robbery case
1t resulted IN the conviction of two OF
the defendants and mol pros as to the
third
When the case began there were three
defendants-two white men ed. Jackson
and Tom Faulkner) and one negro Games
Jackson). They were charged with rob-
berry of the postoffice at Gillsburg, in
Vance county.
After the case had proceeded for some
time the District Attorney saw he would
be unable to make out case without
using one of the defendants as a witness,
so he mol pressed the case against James
Jackson, the negro, and put him on the
stand.
James did his best to earn his freedom
by swearing hard and loud against his
erstwhile co-defendants, but his cross
examination was far from satisfactory
and though the impression made by him
on the jury could not have been the best,
it was sufficient to convict
This cut the numDer OF defendants down
to two-Ed. Jackson and Tom Faulkner.
OF these, only Tom Faulkner put in any
plete an alibi as it is possible for man
to prove. 1t was such an aIibi as would
ordinarily have settled the matter so far
as he was concerned, but the jury evil
IDENTIFY did not believe the witnesses, for
after an hours argument by counsel on
both sides they returned a verdict OF gull
ty, as 10 both Jackson and Faulkner.
The circumstances of the crime of
fI,o so{o fNIl lone e
On the night of June 26th, 1899, the
postoffice at Gillsburg, Vance county. was
broken open and 500 worth of postage
stamps stolen. In the postoffice building
there was also store. From this there
was a considerable amount OF meat
lard and coffee stolen.
week or so later evidence was dis
covered pointing to the three defend
ants as the guilty men. Search warrants
were secured and in the houses of James
Jackson, the negro, and Ed Jackson the
white man, large part of the goods
were found. Faulkners house was not
searched but he was arrested on evil
dence showing that if he had not actually
assisted in the robbery he had guilty
knowledge of it and had shared in the
plumber.
ne OIu negro, OdIU6S JdChSOUs WHO GN-
identity helped in the robbery, though he
denied it, said that on the night of the
crime. Ed Jackson and Tom Faulkner
brought the stolen goods to his house
and left them, coming back later, from
night to night. and carrying them Off
He admitted using some of the groceries
and cloth while they were in his pos
session, but claimed that he had agreed
to pay Ed Jackson for them.
Other witnesses-two bsr-keepers and
a Jew northumberland to various times
on which Ed Jackson had traded with
them, using stamps instead of money
One time he bought pair of shoes for
Faulkner giving $50 for them and pay
ing the amount in money. Faulkner had
on these shoes when arrested. Also il
was shown that Faulkner accompanied
Ed Jackson to the negro's house one
night, in wagon to get some Of the
goods left there.
Judge Purnell gave w. H. Crowder. the
white man who was convicted of taking
the letters Of his niece from the postof
fee and destroying them, the maximum
penalty prescribed by the law for this
offense-twelve months in the peniten-
tiary.
In expression of this sentence Judge
Purnell declared that this was the most
aggravated case of the kind he had ever
known; that by the wanton and malicious
destruction of letters to a young lady
from her sweetheart, the engagement had
been broken Off and the young man
failing to hear from the young lady and
unable to explain her silence had mar
ried another girl.
The other cases disposed of Yesterday
we're as follows:
Y. S. VS.. George Johnson, retailing and
dstilling; pleads guilty 50 days in prison
with 800 fine and costs.
L. S. VS.. w. A. Gattis, ]. o. Duncan
and e. l.. Harris. of Ware failure TO pay
Brokers' Revenue Tax; mol pros
U. S. VS.. heodore Cooley, of Wake, re-
tfiling; judgment suspended on ray
D.ent of cost.
U. S. VS.. Chas Simmons, of Wake
breaking open a registered letter: re-
fered to postoffice department for invea-
tigation.
An order was allowed for an additional
time to file answer in the case of Deb
nam VS.. The Bell Telephone Company.