Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-26
KING Gull TY
Of BATTLES
MURDER
ONE OF THE PITTSBURG RIOT
Frs PLACED ON TRIAL IN SU-
PERIOR COURT YESTERDAY
MORNING.

Henry King was yesterday afternoon
convicted before Judge John S. Gambler
in the criminal superior court on the
charge of firing the snot that killed Bailin
Ed Battle while the riot was in progress.
He was given a life term in the peni-
Tertiary.
The jury found King guilty of murder.
but recommended that he be imprisoned
in the penitentiary for life.
Henry King. the alleged murderer Of
Bailiff Ed Battle, who was slain In the
Pittsburg rioting, when four officers met
their death, was yesterday placed on
trial for his life in the criminal superior
court.
The selection of the jury was begun at
$3.50 O'Clock, and the following jury was
selected: s. J. Mitchell. NJ. NJ. Anderson,
C. c. Carter. c. c. Walters, ]. II. Mallory,
L. c. Johnson, Z. L. Dupree, j. Webb.
]. r. Holiday, II. A. Kellam, n. l.. john
son and S. p. Moncrief. .A
The selection of the jury occupied only
IS minutes. and the taking of evidence
was Immediately begun, the state intro
ducing the first witnesses.
The crime for which the negro King is
on trial was one Of the most sensational
and thrilling murders ever known in this
section of the state.
VIII Richardson, negro desperate,
barricaded himself in a house on McDan-
lei street, in Pittsburg, and defied arrest.
In the pitched lattle which ensued four
brave officers were Instantly killed.
While the rioting was in progress Henry
King, the negro now on trial for his life,
came out Of the house, armed with shot
gun. with the evident intention of shooting
his way to liberty. Several officers covered
the negro and forced him to throw down
his shotgun. The negro was held prison
er until It was decided that the house in
which Richardson was doing such deadly
shooting was to be burned. y
Then, at the point of a Winchester, and
under dire threats Of death If he refused,
King was forced to return to Richardson's
stronghold and fire It, He was then re-
arrested and sent to the Tower.
Later, II was discovered that Baliff Ed
Battle, who was the first man killed, had
been slain, with a shotgun and the grand
Jury returned a true bill against King
charging him with the murder.
King is represented by Attorney James
Z. Warren, councilman from the Third
ward, and Attorney Claude @. Smith, while
Solicitor c. ID. Hill rpresents the state.
C. H. Swift, an undertaken, ! testified
that he prepared Battles body for burial.
He had known Ed Battle for eight or ten
years He found three shot wounds, one
in the neck. one in the diaphram and one
in the wrist of the dead man. He ex-
tracted two of the balls and found them
to be buckshot.
In his opinion the death of Battle was
caused by a shotgun wound. Swift was
not cross-examined by the, defense,
Deputy Sheriff A. J. Shropshire, for ten
years a deputy sheriff OF this county, was
the next witness called.
He identified Henry King, whom he had
never seen before the day of the killing,
as the man he saw standing 20 feet in
front Of the house in which Richardson
was FABRICATED. He did not see King
with a gun. but he heard some one shout
to King to put down his gun and when
he looked he saw the shotgun lying at
Kings feet.
King. at Shropshires orders, was hand
cuffed. He saw one person, a negro wo-
man. come out of the house, and she was
arrested.
Shropshire saw no other person in or
near the house who had a shotgun. He
thought, from tho reports of the guns,
that Crabtree. Grant anA Osborne had
been killed with a rife using black
powder.
Shropshire went to the house of Rich
ardson just after Battle was killed and
before any Of the others had been killed,
IN company with Jailer Fain. to demand
the surrender of the occupants. They re-
ceiYed no response.
An of the officers killed were dead when
King surrendered.
On cross-examination by Mr.. Warren he
said he had reached the scene of the
shooting at about 4:3O a. M, and most of
the time was sheltered in a ditch imme
diately in front of the house. He had been
there probably half hour before he de-
manded the surrender of Richardson, and
about one hour and a half before King
surrendered.
He told how the house was surrounded
very early in the morning by the county
policemen, before Chief BAH and his men
arrived.
County oficer Cheshire went to the
house OF VIII richardson Friday night
about 10 O'Clock to arrest Richardson. He
had remained >all night and part of the
next day. He saw King come from the
house in which Richardson was barrica-
ded.
King, he stated, came out OF the house,
carrying the gun in a position at which
he could have made a rapid shot He
picked up the gun and noticed that It
was loaded and that the left hand barrel
had been fred. Cheshire took the gun
and used 1t in firing at Richardson. He
took - shells from King, and there were
two additional shells I'm his gun. King
had the shells in his front pants pocket
and in his hip pocket
Sergeant Ivy shot at him as he came out
of the house, but missed, and King made
no resistance. exclaiming, I'm not the
right man."
II covered him." continued Cheshire,
"and ordered him to lay down his gun.
He laid down the shot gun and picked it
up"
,On cross examination he told how he
had gone. in company with several other
officers, 10 arrest Richardson. About /
o'clock the officers told Richardson to sur
render and he asked what was wanted.
I'VE told him we wanted to arrest him
and he replied that he was not going to
surrender. We told him IL he did not sur
render we would have to break down the
door and he ranIfed sNUelI x.-fI he 1,a