The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-07
ALONZO WILLIAMS PROPHEsIED
THE LENGTH OF HIS TERM.
FOUND GUILTY OF ROBBERY.
HE LURED G. j. HUNTER FROM HIS
HOME AND TOOK WATCH AND
MONEY.

GSy-DChAcu NJ
tempted to Establish an AIibi.
One Prisoner Thanked the Court
for the Sentence which lie Re-
ceived-Others Pleaded Guilty.
Alonzo Williams, found guilty of rob-
berry by force and intimidatio was
sent from the Superior Court room yes
terday to begin a. term of ten years
imprisonment at hard labor in the pen
itentiary. He had enticed C. ]. Hun
ter from his home at dead of night,
carried his intended victim to the Ten
derloin and then out in the country
and there smashed him over the head
with a club and relieved him of watch
and money.
Williams steadily protested his limo
cence, but the evidence against him
was too strong to permit any reason
able doubt to linger in the minds of
the members of the jury and the YER
dict against him was promptly return
ed. Just as promptly Judge Seabrook
imposed his sentence of ten years in
the penitentiary. In it's length it was
vindication of the prisoners ability
as prophet of his own fate.
On Oct. 3, late at night, Hunter,
who is a paper-hanger and lives on
Abercorn street, was summoned to his
door and there found Williams waiting
with a cab. The cabman said one of
the women of the Tenderloin wished to
have some rooms papered and that he
had been requested to bring Hunter
to inspect them.
The trip was made and Hunter
alighted, stepping from the rear of the
cab as, the driver descended from the
box. AS Hunter reached the ground
he received a blow over the head from
a club in the hands of Williams, from
which he fell insensble. When he re-
gained consciousness he found he had
| been relieved of his watch and $25 IN
| money. .
Things wagged on for a day or two
| and Williams, emboldened by success,
tried his hand again at the same game,
was arrested and committed to jail.
| He was visited there by Hunter and
| by him positively identified as the
man by whom, he had been assaulted
| and robbed.
Letter Hurt the Prisoner.
This was the story told by the prose
| CuIOI OH Tie SIduQ IL w as
substantiated and strengthened by a
number of facts offered in evidence.
among them being a letter Williams
| had written to his father and sent to
| the Jail Office to be mailed half hour
after he had been visited by the man
| he robbed. In this letter he speaks OF
| the trouble he had caused his father
! in the past and says that this time
he is up for good"
| girl with whom he had been living
| in which he exhorts her to be true 10
him. and expresses the belief he will
| be absent from the city for as much
| as ten years. IT was in this state
n1ent that his ability as a prophet OF
his own destiny was displayed. fol-
Judge Seabrook's sentence condemns
him TO absence from the city for the
exact length of time he mentioned
| The letters to hts father and inamora-
ia, it is needless to say, were not de-
livered to those for whom they were
intended, but We're kept safely and
finally formed valuable links in the
| chain of evidence in which Williams
found himself tangled.
The negro was represented at the
trial by Messrs. A. D. Harden and
William Pease, and in his defense in,
terposed an alleged alibi. Accordlns
to his own story he had never seer
the prosecutor until he confronted hin
in Jail; had not driven cab any day
of the week during which the robbery
had been committed, and was at home
and in bed on the particular night il
question. This story was corroborateC
by his father, but the jury found i
difficult TO masticate and impossible Il
swallow.
When the verdict of guilty was re
turned and sentence imposed a SECOND
indictment for robbery against vii
llams was transferred to the dead
docket. The solicitor general though
ten years was enough.
Prisoner Thanked the judge.
The case in which William William.
was the defendant had a somewhat
amusing finale. The defendant hat
been indicted for larceny from the
house of goods over the value of $50
conviction of which means a term o.
years in the penitentiary. The jury
found him guilty of larceny from tn,
house of goods under $50 in value and
he got off with a year on the gang
He was profuse in his thanks
He had entered the residence of Mr.
|. M. Falk and lifted a number of ar
ticles of jewelry and some money. TIL,
articles were worth more than $50. bu
to bringing Mrs. Falk into court I,
testify II was not possible to prove tn,
theft and value of everything that haC
been stolen. Therefore, ii was that tn,
jurys verdict was guilty of larcen,
from the house of goods under tn
value of $50
The court sentences YOU" said Sea
THE court sentences you" SAT-
Judge Seabrook to the prison
er. ito pay fine of $40
and all costs, or in lieu thereo
to serve twelve months on the chain
gang of the county"
Thank you, sah" said the prisoner
with great apparent relief, and "Thanl
you. sah," he repeated. with a funn,
little duck of his body, as bailiff pre-
pared to lead him out of the cour
room.
"You are exceedingly welcome" sal,
Judge Seabrook, and the court room
smiled.
Defendants Plead Guilty.
oliver Thompson. who had been in
dicted for assault with intent to muir
der Henry Roberts. having carved tina
individual in an intensely determine
fashion with a knife. entered a plei
of guilty, to be punished as for mis-
demeanor: He was sentenced to pa,
a fine of $50 and costs or serve lively
months on the gang.
Moses Wilson, charged with bur
glary. also entered a plea of guilty
to be punished as for a misdemeanor
= He was given his choice between pay
ing fine of $3.50 and all costs or serv
ing a year at hard labor on the publ
Wnrlxg