The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-19
TO BE PUNISHED BY DEATH.
NELL FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER,
WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION

Jury Required Less Than Two Hours
10 Make Up Its Nerdict-Case Was
in Progress the Entire Day and the
Verdict Was Received at O'clock
at Night-The Manner of the Death
of james Ruzhcc. the I5-Near-oId
Lad Whom Nell Slew, Explained
at Length to the Jury-The Prison
err Made Two Lengthy statements,
Pleading Self Defcnse-The Tcsti-
mOBy and the Arguments in Detail.
The trial of William 5. Nell, charged
With the murder OF James Buzbee,
brother Of Meus wife, and a lad of 10
years, began in the Superior Court yes
terday morning. II continued until 715
O'Clock in The evening, az which hour the
case went to the jury
After less than two hours deliberation.
the jury returned a verdict Of guilty, with
out recommendation. Sentence viii be
passed by Judge Falligant at 1890 o'clock
this morning, and win be death by hang
ing, the only sentence, under the law, Thar
can be imposed for The offense of which
Nell has been adjudged guilty. The exc
cution will be set for some day during the
latter part of next month.
An hour or more was spent in the Sc
lection of the jury TO which the fate of
Nell was to be committed, and,
though this part of the proceedings SEEM
ed long to the spectators, it was consd-
erably less than had been expected by the
officers of the court and others familiar
with the circumstances of the particular
case and the commonly experienced diff
Guilty of securing jury in cases of like
character and prominence. 1t usually hap
pens that very large proportion of the
jurors called have discussed and argued
the evidence with others until their minds
are not thoroughly impartial between the
state and the accused" as runs the ju-
ror's oath to which they are required to
subscribe.
Before the jury was finally secured six
ty-two of the panel was put upon the
voir dire. OF these the state struck nine.
the defendant twenty, the latter the full
allowance, and twenty-one went off for
cause The jury finally secured, consisted
of Messrs. Edward S. Everitt. Frank
Stewart, Wallace W. MaIard, Charles II.
Konemann, z. NJ. Dougan Edward j. Has
lam, Herman Rosenhelm, c.. D. Melton.
Thomas j. Coffee, John C. Dusenberry,
H. H. Mcdonald and Richard w. Farr
When the solicitor general began the
reading of the indictment the court room
was filled with interested and absorbed
spectators, drawn by the importance of the
case, its attendant circumstances and the
relationship existing between the slayer
and his victim. The nature of the testi-
mony, very often unfit for publication, re-
waTded the constancy of those of the
spectators who was looking for this form
of spicy and salacious entertainment. The
crowd in the court room, many of whose
members were standing all of the time
did not decrease during the day, new ad-
ditions taking the places of those whom
business or other duties called away.
The story of the Witnesses.
The story brought out by the witnesses
Tor the state was that told in the Morn
ing News of the day following the homf-
eide. without any material variation. one
OF the witnesses, Lula Taylor, told the
story she swore to on the stand to
Morning News reporter, within less than
Two hours after the death of the boy, ana
While his mother was still in such a hys-
terical condition that it was feared she
would become seriously i'll and that it was
impossible for anyone to see her. 1t was
the story tod at the coroner's inquest, the
morning after the commission of the bom-
lclde, IN sight of the body of the dead by
and in the solemn presence OF death
Occupying seats on the judges rostrum
were three local clergymen, DR.. John D.
Jordan, Rev. Oswald F. Cook and Rev
James A. Smith. These gentlemen all
continued interested spectators, following
the testimony of the witnesses clos -Iy,
throughout almost the entire day.
To the indictment and its charge of muir
he wa Fstfe rgs1 -.
itor general, the defendant pleaded not
guilty, in voice calm and composed and
without any visible trepidation or fear
whatever Indeed, to one of his friends
who spoke to him about the case Nell
said he expected an acquittal and that
when the verdict of the jury was returned
1t would make him "A free man, free 10
80 where he pleased and to do as he pleas
ed. The nerve thus exhibited left him only
at very rare intervals during the trial of
the case against him.
Coroner John A. Goette was the first
witness called by the state. The testimony
Of the coroner was purely formal, his
statement being that he had held an In
quest upon the body Of the boy the day
following the homicide. He also described
the wound from which death had result
ed. DR.. A, NJ Winders. a physician Iiv-
ing in the southern section of the CITY tes-
tilted that he had been called upon to al
tend the boy after the shooting had been
done. and that he found young Buzbee
suffering from a wound in the abdomen.
the pistol pail having severed an artery
causing death
Young FenneII,s TESTIMONY.
X. J. Fennel, a young man who lives
In the house adjoining Jhat on the cor
ner of West Broad and Twelfth streets
occupied by Nell and his wife. and in
front of which the tragedy had occurred
was the next witness. Fennen swore
that he heard two pistol shots and ran
out from his own home TO the street
He had previously heard he swore. Mell
cursing little child adopted by the man
and mis- wife and had also heard the ami
mated quarrel between Nell and his wife
that preceded the homicide only bv a few
minutes, When he ran out into the street
ne found Buzbee lying on the ground
wounded, while several excited women cir
culated around the lad PROSTATE form
AT the request of Annie Nell the wife of
the defendant. he had gone in search 10
an officer and found Mounted Patrolman
No.