The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-20
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Justice Montgomery Hears
Habeas Corpus Case.
Messrs Chas. J. Jones and Sam Mcintosh 10 be
Released on Bond il Solicitor Robinson
Thus Agrees.

| Yesterday the habeas corpus case in
which Charles ]. Jones and Samuel Nc
| intosh. OF Moore county, sought release
| Montgomery, of the Supreme Court, was
| heard.
| The two men. prominent citizens of
| Moore were represented by ex-senator
| j. G. Black, ex-Solicitor II. F. Seawell
! and Mr.. L. J.. Spence, all of Carthage.
| The State had no attorney present, but
| Justice Montgomery conducted careful
| examination and brought out all the evil
| dence. The men are charged with the
| murder of a negro, George Ritter. which
| took place March ii year ago about IL
! o'clock at night, this being done, it is as
| serted, because they suspected Ritter of
| burning barns in their neighborhood, ten
| miles from Carthage.
Mr. and Mrs. w. w. Baldwin were the
| first witnesses. Tehy testified that Mr..
| Charles Jones boarded with them: the
| night of the murder, after leaving his
| shoes in the sitting room as was his GUS
| tom, he retired about o'clock in q shed
| room, and in the morning got up about
| sunrise, and put on his shoes in the Sit
| ting room.
Mrs Sam Mcintosh testified that her
| husband retired about o'clock and did
| not leave the bedroom till sun up next
| morning. Her son corroborated this. Mr..
| Geo. c. Graves, a prominent merchant of
| Carthage, testified to the good character
| of Messrs. Jones and Mcintosh and to
| that of Mr.. and Mrs. Baldwin, Mrs. Nc
| Intosh and Mr.. Mason Mcintosh. He
| knew nothing of the killing, except from
report, and only heard that it took place
early in the night.
| The States witnesses were then put
| on. the first being DR.. Gilbert McCloud,
| the coroner. He said the killing of Rit-
| ter took place between 1890 and II
| o'clock at night. That Ritter and his
| wife had retired, and their daughter had
| just come in when a party of men came
| in and took Ritter out That the negro
| was shot in the side of the back, in the
| back of the head in one arm. and that
| he was mutilated as for the crime of
rape. The place where this occurred
showed struggle and an attempt to
| hang him at a pine tree, his flight for
two or three hundred yards, his shooting
| and mutilation, and finally the dragging
of his dead body to another tree by the
| road where it was strung up. There
| were rumors that this was done because
| of Ritter's being suspected of reporting
Illicit distilling, of some connection with
| barn burnings or because parties living
| in adultery with RittCr's sister wanted
to get him out of the way, as he o1pCs al
| such conduct. He said Ritter was SIM
! pie, inoffensive negro, and that he held
| the coroner's inquest privately so as to
| be able to arrest guilty parties before
| they could escape. He said Jones was ar
| rested. but was released for want of
| evidence and that he and Mcintosh had
| been indicted at the recent term of court
| in Moore. That three or five men were
implicated in the killing, and that infor-
nation had leaked from people who at
| first feared to talk.
| Mr.. J. y. Barrett was next heard He
/ said he had been told that William Rich
ardson. Sam Mcintosh, c. j. Jones,
| Rowan Jones, John W. Mcintosh and
| Neil Mcintosh did the killing. That they
met at Mr.. w. w. Baldwin's house. At
! this point the defense objected to his
| hearsay testimony, but Barrett next pro-
| ceeded to tell that G. ]. Jones had told
him that he did the killing in the man
ner that has been stated, while Jones
/ Frick mutilated Ritter with a knife Mr..
! Barrett acknowledged that there was
4
| dants.
| John Dawson knew nothing of the
| killing, but that the neighbOrS some
| eight months before were to meet and in
| vestigate the burning of barns in the
| neighborhood
Jos. B. Richardson, who has been as
| ISOLATED with j. ID. Barrett in dstilling
| and who also is on bad terms with
l IaI,
| asked him to go and help carry Ritter
| out, but he refused. The witness got
/ tangled up with the lawyers, and in re-
| spouse to one question said to Mr.. Sea-
| well. cts none of your business" He
| was very rude in his language and was
1 reprimanded by Justice Montgomery His
! answers went to convict Jones. He, as
| well as Barrett. acknowledged to have
| violated internal revenue laws in distil-
1 ling, and that their property had been
| sold and bought first by one and then by
| the other.
1 Both defendants were put on the
/ stand They testified that they were at
home the night the killing occurred, had
| nothing to do with 1t and knew nothing OF
| it till next day. They had tried to have
| a meeting some eight months before to
| investigate the cause of the killing but
| nothing came of it. Both testified as to
| being on bad terms with Barrett and
| Richardson
Justice Montgomery declined to re-
| lease either defendant on bond without
! an agreement or an understanding from
Solicitor L. d. Robinson. Pending this
the men will be kept in JAIL and if So
licitor Robinson agrees xthey will be re-
leased on bond. which will not be less
than thousand dollars each.