The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1901-11-20
Three of the South Lincoln
Criminals Sent to the
Penitentiary.
John Albritton, Ase Brown and
Jim Bob Brown Plead Gull
ty to Arson and are Sent
up for Five Years.
other Cases Disposed of-The Grand jury
Adjourns After Returning IL Bills.

Brookhaven. Nov. 1S.-Some fine
work was done for Lincoln county in
the Circuit Court this morning. John
X. Albritton, the leader of the band
of law-breakers in Southwest Lincoln,
who was hiding out and Guiding the
sheriff and his deputies all last week,
had offered to surrender late Saturday,
and it was understood was ready to
throw himself on the mercy of the
court and make the best terms he
could. 1t was also made known to the
court that Ase and Jim Bob Brown.
two other prominent members of the
gang, who had been confined in Jail
ever since the first of last week, were
also in a penitent state of mind and
desired to throw themselves upon the
mercy of the court.
These three men were indicted joint
| ly for the burning of two public school
houses and church near the Lincoln,
| Pike and Amite county line last sum
mer. There we're separate indictments
against them for the burning of each
| house.
Albritton was first arraigned on an
indictment charging him with assault
with intent to kill aud murder K. l..
Brent in Bogue ChittO on Sept. |, to
which he pleaded guilty. He and the
Browns were then arraigned jointly on
| the arson indictments. The Browns
stood up and pleaded guilty to all three
! of these indictments and Albritton not
| guilty. Subsequently Albritton was al
lowed to withdraw his plea of guilty i'll
| the case of assault with intent to kill
and murder, and enter plea of guilty
| in one of the arson cases with the
| Browns, and the Browns were allowed
to withdraw their pleas of guilty in
! two of the arson cases.
! Judge Powell then ordered the
prisoners to stand up, and when they
| had done so, sentenced all three to the
State penitentiary for term of five
years. At the same time he notified
them that he would simply order a
stay of proceedings in the other cases
against them, and that they would be
/ called upon to answer i'll the future on
| these if their present sentences proved
insufficient to properly reform them.
John Il. Albritton is the most nOtO-
rious man in Lincoln county. He was
an intimate associate of John j. Sas-
ser, now under sentence of death for
murder and since Sasser was convict
Us
catch up Sassers mantle and become
the recognized leader of the toughs.
In addition to the two indictments for
arson above mentioned there are still
| two indictments pending in the court
against him for assault with intent to
kill and murder and several others for
smaller offenses, all except one being
returned by the grand jury at this
| term of court. Albritton says that he
was not guilty of the crime of arson,
to which he pleaded guilty. and had
only intended when he surrendered to
plead guilty to the charge of as ant
with intent to kill and murder, but he
said he was convinced the State would
convict him of the arson charge on
fake testimony. and hence decided that
the cheapest way out was the course
he adopted.
The results reached in these cases
are highly satisfactory to all good
citizens of the county, and Judge
Powell and District Attorney Greaves
are being warmly commended for the
effective work they have accomplish
ed. In the southwestern corner of the
county, where this lawless band oper-
ated, matters had reached point that
all law abiding citizens felt that there
was no security to either life or prop
erty, and that if they did not receive
relief at this term of court they would
either have to sacrifice what they had
and move out or take the law into
their own hands. Times Democrat
| sSpeciui