Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1900-02-01
TOM SMITH TO BE HANGED
HERE ON MARCH 9TH.
For the Murder of Charley Louis
CaWthorno Near Selma On the
Night of December 26th,
1898.

the murder of Charley Louis
Cawthorne on the night Of
December 26, 1898, after occupy
ing two days of the Superior
Court here this week, was
brought to a close late yesterday
afternoon, by an able speech
from Col. T.. NJ. Argo, the coun-
sc for the defendant, who made
an eloquent and fervid appeal for
his client. Solicitor Pou never
more earnestly represented the
great Commonwealth of North
Carolina. His graphic descrip-
ton of The bloody transaction
stamped an indelliole photo
graph Of the scene on the minds
of the jury and all present. It
must have been a solem moment
for the prisoner at the bar. Once
or twice he rested his face on bis
hands. The court room was
crowded to standing room only
and the silence at this particular
moment was so intense that the
light rustic of the wind on the
lOosened window blinds seemed
to make q loud noise The eio-
-quence of the able Solicitor was
SO impressive as to fill the minds
of his hearers with a feeling OF
awe, as he recalled in particular
detail the horrible circumstances
of that midnight murder.
The very fair and impartial
charge ofHis Honor, Judge Hoke,
was delivered to the jury about
$50 O'clock and the jury retired
and returnedwith their verdictof
"Murder in the First Degree"
about 8 o';iock.
Wren court convened this
morning at 10 o'clock the first
business was to pass sentence
on Tom Smith, which Judge
Huke did in a solemn manner and
with impressive voice, saying:
"Tom Smith, stand up. Il is not
my purpose to harrass you with
mention IF the awful deed you
have committed. You have been
adjudged guilty OF the highest
crime knownto the law, that of
numbering a fellow human being.
You must realize the awful SOL
emnity Of the ofense. The sher-
if of this county will remand you
hence to the common Jail Of this
county, where you VIII remain
until Friday the 9th day Of
March, when and where you will
be taken to the place of execution
prepared by the law, between the
hours of 10 and 9 o'clock, and
hanged by the neck until you are
dead, and may God have mercy
on your SOUL"
The story of the killing of
Charles Louis Cawthorne, a
young white man about Is years
of age, is familiar to our readers,
with the exception o. a statement
made by Tom Smith to MI. J. O..
Ellington in the jail at Smithfeld
the day after the homicide occur
red, This statement was not in
troduced at the former trial in
Johnston county, because Mr..
Ellington did not divulge the
statement of thhe negro until af-
termards. On the witness stand
here Wednesday Mr.. Ellington
said: 81 went to the Jail room
after Tom Smith was arrested, I
asked why he did the killing, he
said he did not know why he did
it. He said he had a dream a
few highs before. He dreamed
he went to the pump after Wafer,
and could not get any. After
awhile he said he pumped uI
some watermelon seed and theI
he pumped up a snake and cu1
his his head off. He said this
dream ment he would have to Kill
somebody, and when he heard
these boys coming down the roaG
he felt like the tine had come fol
him to do the killing. He said he