The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-02-16

trict.
Newton, ~ c.. February "a case oc-
Cured here this week that shows how
dangerous Il is in matters of life and
death, to take anything for granted in
stead of proving concluslvely all the facts
necessary to make cut a charge of mur-
der.
A man b. the name of Simon Hawser,
about eighty wears old and who lived by
himself few miles from this town. was
found dead in his dwelling house. An
examination of the BODY disclosed a Sc
we're cut ON the head and it was accepted
| by everybody that the old man had died
| OF the wCune
| negro by the name of Lemuel Travis
| lives within a quarter of a mile of Haw-
ser, and fresh tracks which proved to be
| those of Travis were found going and
returning from the house of Hawser a
| trail of some person coming from under
| the house was also found. Travis adj
lnitted that ne had been there on the pre-
yious afternoon, but would make no fur
| ther explanation. He strenuously denied
that he had harmed the old man, and in
sisted that he had died a natural death.
Travis was searched and a few gold coins
were found on his nerson for which he
presstently refused to account. 1t was
| also shown that only a few days before
! Hawser had sold in this town various
articles Of produce and chickens, turkeys.
eggs ana other things and had changed
his money AT the bank into &old as was
| his usual custom. On these facts the
| coroner's Jury returned verdict against
| Travis, although it was proven that the
house had moi been entered, unless with y
false key. that nothing had been stolen
that there was no signs of struggle,
| and there was no motive orr the murder
other than robbery, because Travis and
| Hawser were the best of friends The
money and watch of Hawser were in the
clothes he had on when he was found dead
/ All his private papers-deeds mortgages,
notes and other papers. were all intact.
an dappeared not to have been disturbed.
No weapon by which the blow could have
been ihicted could be found. Travis was
arrested and put in Jail lie stoutly
maintained his innocence and declared
that pawser died a natural death. The
coroner did not have a Dost-mortem ex-
animation made because the attending
county physician said that it was not
necessary and that the wound on the
TO every one to whom he talked that
there should be a Dost-mortem examina-
ton and that this would prove that Haw-
ser died . natural death. Travis was not
able TO employ a lawyer and therefore
had no one to look after his interest.
Travis also would not tell where he got
the gold coins and this added TO the be-
lief that he had murdered Hawser The
| nj al ha nc
stated Travis was found guilty of muir
der in the first degree. After the trial
the judge suggested to the prosecuting
attorney that in order to be perfectly GER
tain rs to the cause of death and not
make the horrible mistake of hanging
an innocent man. that the body he ex-
hdmco nj a post mo tenn made This
wa sdone an dto the great surprise of
everybody it was found that the wound
on the head was entirely superficial and
did not cause the fracture of the outer
skull bone. Inside the skull was found
a cancerous growth on the brain which
had undoubtedly caused the death Of the
old man. The verdict was then set aside
| and Travis was discharged and he then
made this statement:
He had cone to the house of Hawser
| sold Hawcer. Hawser paid him in gold
and made memoranda of the payment
on a piece of paper and put the same
| in his inside coat pocket. While sitting
there with the old man-this being the
| evening before Hawser was found dead
| HaWser fell TO the oor and died while
Travis was there. In falling the head
struck the floor very hard which made
! the wound on the head. Travis was that
Hawser WIS dead and he was afraid that
| he would be charged with numbering the
/ old man If II was known that he was
there when he died. no matter what ex-
| PLANTATION he might give of the cause of
| his death. Therefore he locked the door
| and put the kew in the old mans pants
| pocket. and then took up a plank which
| formed part of the floor and which had
not been nailed down to the sleepers and
| got under the house and managed to get
the plank back into its place, and crawled
out and Went home. An examination OF
| the clothes discovered the key in the
! pants pocket and the memoranda Of the
+, payment of the money in the inside coat
| pocket exactly as Travis had declared
Warden Green. of the penitentiary, re-
ports 275 conyicts in the central prison
1S5 on railroad work and about AIS on the