The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-15
THANKED THE JUDGE
,,OSEs HOUSTON, GIVEN LIFE I'M
pRIsoNMENT, NEVER F'LINCHED.
CONVICTED OF MURDER.
KILLED DELLA GREEN CHRISTMAS
EVE AND MUST PAY PENALTY.

cOmpnnied Its terd1ct OF Gutlty
with n Recomme ndation to Mercy.
uouston's Victim a Girl of Less
Than His own Age-He Took the
ordeal of the Trial without Turn
inc Hair-Thanked the Judge
when Sentenced to Penitentiray
for Life.
THANK you, sir" This was the re-
sponse made by Moses Houston, To-
vear-old negro boy, TO Judge Seabrook,
when the latter sentenced him to spend
,be remainder of his life in the peniten-
tisry, for the wilful murder of Della
Green.
Sentence was imposed at $50 o'clock
yesterday afternoon and, thus relieved of
the necessity of further attendance in the
court room, Houston pranced gaily out.
He was in charge of a bailiff, but this
additional restraint had no effect upon
his temper. He was as calm and as de-
bonair as if the experience through which
he had Just passed was matter Of
every day occurrence and of no particu-
lar importance
When he was arraigned in the Superior
Court yesterday morning, the youth of
the prisoner was the most striking fea-
ture of the case. lie wore short trousers
and had the round cheerful countenance
Of many mulattoes. He seemed to be
rather above the average of negro intel
ligence and certainly gave no outward in
dication of being possessed of the "aban-
nd al INF uh inh fhn
law says shall be inferred to exist when
killing is committed under circum-
stances such as surrounded that with
which he was charged.
The selection of the jury occupied a
comparatively brief period and then Hous-
ton was arraigned, in accordance with the
solemn formula prescribed by the law. To
the questions of Solicitor General Osborne
he gave firm and ready responses. de-
claring his innocense of the crime of MUIR
der
The shooting had been done in house
near the corner of Harrison and Laurel
streets in Yamacraw, on the night before
Christmas of last year. Emma West and
Willie West were in the house at the
time and they both testified that the
shooting was absolutely without provoca-
ton save some contemptuous words
used by Houstons victim, and that il
was as cowardly and brutal as it was
unprovoked.
These two witnesses, the most import
ant of those introduced by the state,
swore that Houston and Della Green, the
girl who was killed, had been more or
less intimate for some months, and that
on the night of the homicide the boy and
girl had had quarrel Della was IA
years old.
The conversation said to have been car
red on between them was not particu-
larly elegant or elevatipg,t if Willie and
Emma West are to be believed. The gist
OF it Law in the fact that Della. treated
with supreme contempt Houston's as
sumption thet he owned her and refused
to acknowledge he had any right to die
tate to her what she should or should
not do. Then it was, according to the
states witnesses, that the fatal shot was
fired. The girl fingered until the follow
ing afternoon, when she died at the home
of her mother.
Houston made his statement to the jury
with the same composure which charac-
terized him during the entire trial. He
said that he had been asked by Willie
West to bring his revolver home from
the repair shop, where it had been left,
and did bring it to West on Christmas
eve. He acknowledged having had some
quarrel with Della, but said it had all
passed before the shot which fatally
wounded her was fired.
He explained to the jury that he and
Eddie Cohen, another boy of about his
own age, had been INDUCING in a good
natured scuff1e for the possession of the
revolver, which was lying under a nap
Kin on the center table of the room. In
the scuff1e the weapon had been discharg-
ed, but he had not known until some min
utes afterWard that Della had been shot.
Houston said that he had been gone for
a physician and had quite willingly sub
mtted to arrest, while he was returning
from this errand. There had been no rea-
son, he said, why he should have shot the
girl, and he declared he was absolutely
innocent of any intention to harm her.
William Mills, negro who has been
Fellow prisoner of Houston's at the county
jail. corroborated his statement as to the
scufiie with Cohen, but Willie and Emma
West. recalled for the purpose, swore that
Mills had not been in the house when the
shot was fired. They swore also that Co
men was not in the house. and Cohen,
whom the solicitor general was success
tul IN having found on the streets, claim
eo to nave left the house some time pre-
Vious 10 the firing of the shot which NOR
tslly wounded Della Green.
These were the essential portions of the
eVldehce' though there was enough in adj
oitlon TO keep the court busy until about
7 CLOCK. At that hour both the state
ana the defense announced they had con-
GUIDED the introduction of evidence and
tne arguments to the jury were begun.
MI Raiford Falligant made the arGu-
nheht Tor the defendant and Solicitor Cen
elsl w. w. Osborne for the state Mr.
osborne spoke only for about fifteen min
utes contending the evidence showed the
crime to have been murder, brutal, cow
aruly and unprovoked and asking of the
Jury verdict of guilty. Judge Sea-
brooks charge was short, crisp and to
.ne point. He wasted no time or words
IN non-essentials.
once, after the jury had retired, it
returned TO be re-charged 1t wanted to
know what penalty would be imposed II
verdict of guilty should be accompanied
ny recommendation to the extreme
mercy Of the court. Judge Seabrook ex-
plalned that imprisonment for life was all
the mercy the law permitted shown under
such circumstances. Ten minutes later,
verdict of guilty. with a recommended
'ion 10 mercy, was returned.
houston was directed TO stand up. His
nerve never faltered and he faced Judge
seabrook with perfect composure and
ten
houston" said Judge Seabrook you
nave been indicted and tried for the