The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-06
CHARGED WITH MURDER
THREE NEGRO WOMEN SENT TO
 JAIL YESTERDAY.
Wife, Sister-in-law and Mother-in- law of Negro are Charged
 with His Death.

The trial of Charlie Sankey, Char | Iotte Staffney. Elsie James and Eliza Moore. negroes. charged with the mur-
 der of Peter James and Arthur Jurant, took place before Justice R. H. Jones yesterday. Charlie Sankey was discharg- ed, but the balance of the defendants were bound over to the grand jury with
 The trial attracted about three hundred Et groes. It Is said that almost every ne gro in Beat and surrounding country y
 vas here yesterday to attend the trial
 On account of the large number of wit mes ses and spectators. the hearing took plsce in the CireJit Court room in the county court house.
 that some weeks ago an attempt at wl,olesale poisoning occurred on the Reynolds place, eleven miles from the city; Seven or eight negroes were pois; Arthur Jurant died. A sack of meal had been poisoned and the meal was used in m aking bread, and every one that ate the bread was made i'll.
 The affair led to the arrest of Charlie Sankev. Charlotte Staffney, Elsie James and Eliza Moore on the charge of mur- der. Subsequently second warrant was
 sworn out for Check Williams. Zilia Will
 liams and Lou Young. charging them with murder. A physician from Mont gomery went out to the Reynolds place the day the negroes died. sHe performed an autopsy on the body of Arthur Jurant. and the stomach was sent to the State Chemist at the Alabama Polytechnic ln-
 stitute at Auburn for an official analy- sis. The trial of the negroes had in the mes ntime been set for last Saturday.
 hut when the case was called, 1t was an nounced that no return had been made by the State Chemist, and the trial was ing yesterday the case against Charlie Sankev. Charlotte Staffney. Elsie James and Eliza Moore was called first. Elsie James Is the widow of Peter James who d. to Ele,ta Ia mat G. ter; Charlotte Staffney is her mother.
 No report has yet been received from the State Chemist, but nevertheless the trial was commenced.
 pr. Pollard, who performed the au- topsy, testified that in his opinion the negroes, Peter James and Arthur Jurant died from the effects of poison contained making bread. He said that he threw some of the meal to a chicken, and in forty minutes the fowl was dead. The testimony of the State went to show quarreled, and that Elsie had threatened his life. Some weeks ago she decided to quit her husband and live with her mother; Charlotte staffney. The women I,an Moore. to assist her In moving her be- longings to Charlotte Staffney's house. Charlie Sankey drove the wagon. The James's house and go in. Another pegro woman was there at the time and the three women got her to go away on an errand. They held long consultaton; so the States witnesses testihed, ana then commenced to take out the furni- ture and other household goods. A sack of meal which had been in a cupboard % t was left In a barrel in the house, to- gether with some minor articles. The women then got into the wagon ana drove off. Peter James soon returned. He found his wife gone, also most of the furniture. He took the sack or mea! which had been left in the barrel and went to the house of the Jurants near rear by and gave the meal to his host The meal was made into bread the next day, and six negroes who had eaten or the bread were made violently i'll, and two of them James and Arthur Jurant, died.
 The three negroes who had been seen in the house where the meal was the day before. together with the boy who drova @ the wagon, were arrested. Justice Jones discharged the boy Sankey and held the three women to the grand jury without bail. , - o..
 Immediately after this trial WAS was, con cluded, the case against Check Williams, ZiIla Williams and Lou Young was called. The evidence against them was not sufficient and the defendants were discharged.