The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-20
was killed by a blow. Now who killed
her? Yonder is the man.
WILCOX DOES NOT BLANCH.


and pointed a finger in his face. The
prisoners expression never changed.
Now 1 shall proceed to show you the
motive, show you the opportunity, shcw
how he loved her no doubt, but the hell
that was in him has put her out of the
way
Eloquently and forcibly the lawyer
told of the love dream. the association
of Nell and Jim and followed their ac-
tions up to the fatal night.
He was in love with her desperately,
her love was growing colder and colder,
he continued. Jim had made UP his
mind to conquer or kill her. The devil
in him was growing bigger and bigger"
After saying Wilcox went to the Crop
sey home the afternoon to think over
the situation, he referred to the night
visit and declared loudly, ''Wilcox never
spoke but one word to the dear girl all
| that night, and that word led her TO her
DOOM
The lawyer claimed that Wilcox
brought up the suicide conversation be-
cause his mind was on deadly things,
and said he probably carried both poison
end a blackjack
f1e dTrdlSHeu w liCCX III IHeS9 WOEQS
of eloquence and scorn:
II have never heard or read of such
indifference. Here was a stricken fam
ily-the mother bowed down. the father
disconsolate, the sisters heartbroken-
and yet Jim came to offer nc word of sor-
row, not act to help solve the mystery.
LIKE CLCVERIUS."
''He sits there now, the sneaker said
in thanderous tones, turning towards the
defendant, ''as cold as death and as re-
lentless as the grace That's the sort of
men who carry weapons and make mid
night assaSsins-men like DuTrant in
California, who met death smilingly; like
Cluverius in Richmond, the slayer OF
Lillian Madison; like the murderer of
Mckinley.
such men have got the stuff in them
to commit hellish deeds and the same
stuff sustains them to the grave. 1t
comes from hell and to hell it goes back
with them"
The lawyer made calculations and fig
ured that there was twenty minutes un-
accounted for. He said Cluverius was
hanged when he had accounted for all
his time but six minutes.
Mr.. Leary would plead turn Wilcox
loose, give him a chrome, let him go and
kill somebody else
Here some one began applauding, hut
the Judge stopped it quickly.
''They asked Mr. Cropsey about the
detective. If l had daughter slain by
a midnight assassin, / would give up
aOl1a fC,. lnfn ffxya To h 6iF11
down and send his body to the grave,
his soul to hell
Il see before me men, who have Girls
budding into womanhood, sweet wiyes
and lovely sisters. l will tell you if the
women of North Carolina cannot be pro-
tected we had best burn the law books,
tear down the jails and court houses and
dissolve the Legislature, and then go
back 70 barbarism."
DEMANDS WILCOX'S DEATH
The orator read several verses from
different parts of the Bible and said:
In the name of God and the names
of these wives, sisters, mothers and
daughters, ask you not to let the guilty
escape. L ask you under your oatns TO
bring in verdict that will put Jim Will
cox to death
The speaker here painted pathetic
picture of sorrow in the Cropsey home.
The Misses Cropseys began weeping.
He turned to them and said with pathos:
Weep on; we mingle our tears with
yours; we echo your sighs.
The speaker also expressed sympathy
for the Misses Wilcox, who sat nearby
with sorrowful, downcast eyes, and said
he would do anything honorable 20 put
them back where they were before No
vember 20. He referred both families
to the religion which Nell embraced.
SPEECH OF BOND.
Mr.. Bond, of Edenton, spoke during the
entire afternoon session and spoke elo-
quently and forcefully. He brought
tears to eyes of spectators during several
pathetic flights.
Mr.. Bond said there was something
indescribably horrible to anybody but a
brute about the murder of q youn woman,
that when suspicion attached to any
one the feeling grew until reason was
almost dethroned and it was compara
BILE to a storm in the Indian Ocean. He
expressed sympathy for the stricken
family, and said he saw four of Nells
sisters sitting before him in sombre col
ors attesting silently affection for her
memory.
The sea of faces before him was Il
testimony of public interest He said Mr..
Sawyer had perhaps uninconsciously dis
torted and exaggerated the evidence
against this friendless young man who, |
after all had one heart which beat for
him in silent prayer-his mothers.
Big tears came into the eyes of Mr.. |
Aydiett, Wilcox's leading lawyer.
Mr. Bond expressed admiration for the |
demeanor of Judge Cropsey and his
daughters during the trial.
He told of the different degrees of MUIR |
der and pictured the touching hanging
scene that would follow a verdict of
guilty. and the remorse that would fol- |
low If it were shown an innocent man
had been slaughtered. He begged the |
jury not to be swayed by dramatic ap-
peals. even though it required a nerve !
of iron.
He said he would attempt to show there |
was not enough evidence to convict Jim |
Wilcox. nor even to show Nell had been
murdered by any body He then took UP /.