Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-30
1NIILLL GEL [ ON ! | YEAR. |.
DIXON v. CONN SENTENCED TO THE
PEs1rESr1ARY IN PETERSBURG.
PRISONER is ONLY NINETEEN.
Judge. Plain Talk to Him-Wil1 APP
NV for pardon-A Dinuiddie Negro
Get. Ten Year.-Deepening the Up
per Appomattox Canal.

PETERSBURG, VA, September %
(SpeciaI. 1.-THE first criminal case heard
nd determined here under the new Con
stitution without a jury, occurred IN the
Corporation Court to-day. 1t was that OF
| the Young white man, Dixon v. Conn, IN
dicted for felony in having obtained by
false pretences the sum of sl25 IN this
| city on the second day OF last June.
| The Constitution provides that in any
criminal case, when a plea of guilty is
| rendered in person by the accused, with
| the consent of the attorney for the Com
| monwealth entered of record, the court
NAV proceed to hear and determine it.
When Conn, who was represented by
! Hon. Charles T. Lassiter, as counsel. was
arraigned, he pleaded guilty to the charge,
| the consent of the commemorative at
torney to dispensing with jury was re-
| corded, and the court took the case In
| hand The court, having been made &C
uuainted with all the facts in the case.
no evidence was heard, and beyond brief
statement by the counsel for the accused,
! there was no argument
IS ONLY NINETEEN.
Captain Lassiter in behalf of his client,
stated that he is only about 10 years old,
| who reside in North Carolina; that from
what he had been able to learn, the &C.
cused had, when boy, received a severe
| blow on the head, from the effects of
| which he had never fully recovered, and
| which, at times, rendered him irresponsi-
| BILE for his acts; that he was addicted to
| the morphine habit, which furthermore
rendered MIN mentally irresponsible.
The court sentenced Conn to one years
! confinement in the penitentiary. In pass
| ing sentence Judge Mullen expressed great
| sympathy for the young man, sympathy
| he feels for all young men who bring such
serious trouble upon themselves. He
spoke feelngly Of the conduct OF
young men, who often thoughtlessly and
| heedlessly. and without consideration Of
| consequences, commit acts which bring
| disgrace upon themselves and their fami
| lies-a disgrace which would, to some ex
| tent at least adhere to them through
| life no matter how Strenuously they
| might strive to build up good character.
| The courts remarks were delivered III
gentle and tender spirit and their force
was appreciated by all who heard them,
as well as by the prisoner, who was visi-
| bly, affected.
| On motion of Captain Lassiter, the court
SUSPENDED the execution of the sentence
until an application for Executive elem
| ency can be made. It is understood that
this application to Governor Montague at
once. accompanied by a full statement OF
| all the facts bearing on the case.
NOT SO FORTUNATE.
! At the last term of the County Court of
| Dinwiddie, a negro charged with house
| breaking, represented by colored at
torney from Richmond, pleaded guilty, dis
| pensed with a jury, and with the consent
| of the Commonwealth attorney, submit
| ted his case to the court. He received a
| sentence of ten years in the penitentiary.
MATRIMONIAL
Announcement is made Of the coming
| marriage of Miss Alice R. Seward, this
accomplished daughter Of Mr.. Simon Sc
| ward, Of this city, to Mr.. Robert ]. Pow
| ELL Of Savannah, Ga. The marriage will
take place at the residence of the brides
parents on Market street. Tuesday eve
| ming, October 7th.
! Mr. e. M. Roscher, of Richmond, quail
fed to-day to practice law in the Corpora
| tior Court of this city.
DEEPENING THE CANAL.
About 200 hands were put to work to-day
| by the Virginia Passenger and Power
Company, widening and deepening the up
per Apponlattox canal west of the locks.
Several hundred more hands are needed
| to push the work.
TIE criminal docket of the Corporation
Court was finished to-day. Out of the ten
or twelve cases, only two got light SEN
fences to the State prison. To-day Beard
Nelson, charged with robbery from the
person, was acquitted by the jury.
HENDRICKS SERIOUS CONDITION.
John l.. Hendrick, of Danville, Va, who
was brought to the jail here last week
so badly wounded, is in bad condition. He
| is suffering great deal, and it is believed
| that his condition is attended with dan
ger. The shot he received at Hamlet, N.
| c., from the detective who tried to arrest
woundins the lung and heart. 1t is this
wound that troubles him.
In the Mayors Court this morning Will
| liam Jones, colored was fined $40 and
costs for permitting betting on pool in his
house.
Mrs. E. A. Butterworth aged 70 years,
died Saturday evening at the residence of
her son-in-law, Mr.. A. G. Smith, in Din
widdie county. She was the widow of
T. M. Butterworth. Her funeral took
place to-day, with the interment in Bland
ford Cemetery. She leaves a daughter,
Mrs. A. c. Smith, of Dinwiddie, and a son,
Mr.. James NJ Butterworth, of Mecklen-
| burg.
Captain M. c. Jackson, on account of
his other duties. has resigned the position
of secretary of the Country Club, and
Captain N. T. Patterson, has been elected
in his place. The membership of the club
is limited to 100 gentlemen and 200 ladies.
The trial Of Goodman Brown, Jr., for
murder. which has been in progress since
| Tuesday of last week, will probably not
be concluded before tomorrow night
While in none of the wards of this city
was the full white vote registered, yet in
every ward the whites have big major
| ity- The negroes registered quite freely
in the First and Sixth Wards, where they
have a large population.