The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-30
SUFFERED A SUN STROKE.

Nelson Farror. colored man who
raised Tom, said that as a child he
was very sickly-' nothing but a lit
tie knot
What was his mind as a boy?"
Il thought he had about half sense
Did he have much temper"
Didn't have any-not enough for
me. There won't nothing around there
that couldn't beat him.
Mr. Reddish. recalled, said Tom
Jones, while working for him. suffer-
ed sunstroke-fell off his mule into
a ditch, and after being taken home
was unconscious all night. This was
about four years ago.
A MAN OF AVERAGE SENSE.
Atlas Chavis, clerk of the colored
church to which Tom Jones applied
for license to preach. said those APP
pointed to examine him decided that
he didn't have enough sense to preach.
The boys in the neighborhood often
made Tom preach, the witness said,
and made much sport of him.
eve known Tom for 90 years and
he is not considered a. man of good
| sense"
On cross-eNamination Mr.. Pou ask
ed:
when you examined him for license
to preach you found he knew a good
deal about the scripture, didn't you?"
well he could tech up the New
Testament right lively. but he didn't
know much about the Old Testament"
You didn't consider him crazy, did
you?"
NO. But he didn't have good
sense
''Well he had too much sense to kill
| people didn't he?"
II thought he did"
but suppose it was proved that he
did commit it?"
''Well I'd think he was crazy when
he did it,
Albert Hunter (colored) knew Tom
Jones for several years and he was.
not considered a man of good sense.
On cross-eXamination the witness
said he was greatly surprised when he
heard of Toms crime-that he had
never thought he had either the tenn
| per or the sense to do such a deed
THE BLOODY CLOTHES IDENTIFIED
This closed the evidence for the de
| Tense.
Magistrate j. ID. Johnson, recalled,
! testified that he had known Tom
| about Is months and from his ac
| quaintance with him he was bound
to think the negro had too much sense
| to commit the crime with which he
stands accused.
This witness identified the bloody
overalls found in Tom Jones house
| the night of his arrest and the knife
found in the ruins of Ella Jones
house.
G.. a. Turner. the next witness, said
the knife was his property, and must
! have been taken from his house the
night of the murder. Tom worked for
! Mr., Turner and ate supper there the
night of the murder. The knife was
! lying on the window SILL outside, near
the kitchen door, and anyone could
have taken it, said Mr. Turner, though
| don't say Tom did take it.
Mr.. Turner thought Tom was as
bright as the average negro farm
hand, mentally capable of planning
and carrying out such murder as
that of Ella Jones.
HAS A BRILLIANT MIND.
Mr.. II. VI. Davis, recalled, was very
high and emphatic in praise of Toms
brillance of mind.
1T is strong" he perfectly
sound. | haven't the least bit of
doubt on that point He's capable of
planning and committing the crime
and then keeping it secret after
wards"
George Allen, colored, said Toms
mind was good. They'd been in Sun
| day School together.
On croSs-eXamination the witness
said he wouldn't say that Tom had
as good sense as he had, but he had
| good sense.
H. ID. Rand, a merchant at Garner,
| didn't think that Tom was real bright,
but he thought he knew the difference
between right and wrong and had too
much sense to commit murder.
/. S. Bagwell, also a Garner mer-
chant, considered Tom Jones an aver
age man mentally.
Another merchant. George Carroll,
believed the prisoner a man of aver
age intelligence.
W. E. Smith had worked with Tom
Jones and thought he had average
sense.
F. II. Winters thought the same.
Berry Blalock (colored) had never
seen anything wrong with Tom S
mind thought he had as much sense
as the common run of colored people.
Ed Coffeld (colored) said Tom had
little "meculiar'' ways sometimes,
but he can read better than [ can
and so | think he has more sense
ARGUMENT BY MR.. POU.
This closed the evidence in the case:
and at 3: 80 O'Clock argument by coun-
| sci began, Solicitor Pou making the
opening speech. In course of his ar
gument Mr.. POu said:
Il think / can show you design on
Tom Jones part, and that an orderly
execution followed that design.
He had lived illicitly with that wo-
man. That youngest child was his.
He was the father of that newborn
soul which took its fight in the flames
that he started. And that is the mo-
tive. He had confessed the paternity
to magistrate. He knew he'd have
it to pay for, and so he went to Mr..
Johnson, the justice of the peace, and
said I'll bring Ella down here tomor-
row night (the fatal night and We'll
| fix il mn