The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1902-01-16
DEATH WARRANT ANNUL!ED
BROWN, THE negro CONVICTED OF
The Murder Of Engineer WeSSOl, Civ
en- Another CDOIce.

bll nllUlll0l Ullullb0.
]. B. Brown, alleged murderer of
engineer Harry E. Wesson, will not
hang on the oath inst. He may not
hang at all. Attorney John E. Mar
shall of this city, who was appointed
by the court to defend Brown has re-
.ceived the following letter. from the
governor:
TALLAHASSEE, Jan. ID, 1902.
John r. Marshall, Esq,
Palatka, Fla.
Dear Sir
/ have your favor of the 18th
inst. enclosing certified copy of order
obtained in the matter of the writ of
error in the case of ]. B. Brown, con-
victed of murder at the fall term of
1901 of the circuit court of Putnam
county, and beg to advise you that |
have this day annulled the death
warrant in this case and directed the
sheriff to return the same with the
copy of the record attached thereto
to this office.
Yours very truly,
w. S. JENNINGS,
Governor.
At the time of conviction Attorney
Marshall was given 60 days by Judge
Bullock in which to present bill of
exceptions. This bill was approved
by Judge Bullock on the 9th of this
month, and the record in appeal for
warded to the supreme court by ex-
press last Saturday. 1t was docket
ed Tuesday the 14th. The go days
given by Judge Bullock in which to
file appeal are not up yet. Mr.. Mar
shall was seen at his office by the
News Wednesday morning. He said:
"While the J. B. Brown case is now
under review by the supreme court
upon error, and have great hopes
of reversal of the judgment render
ed at the November term of cour ., 1t
would not be proper to give you any
detail, but my position is this: de-
sire to see the murderer of Harry E.
Wesson receive the punishment due
to him for the crime, yet the state
does not demand victim. / hold
that the evidence adduced at the trial
did not warrant conviction, and did
1 not firmly believe ]. B. Brown to be
innocent certainly would not have
done the work have in his case, be-
ing merely appointed by the Court to
defend him without pay and not as a
retained attorney"
The murder of Harry E. Wesson
was the most revoltingly diabolical
crime ever committed in Palatka. A
shudder of horror ran through the
city. There was little if any cleu
upon which the police could work
but all negroes who could by any
stretch of fancy be implicated in the
affair were gathered in. Brown was
one of them. None of NELSON'S
missing property was found.
Brown is a worthless negro. Gull
ty or not the town would be better off
rid of him and his ilk. Buj did he
commit the murder? The jury which
listened to his case said he did. He
was sentenced. The day of execu-
tion was fixed for Friday of next
week. At the time of his trial there
was strong public feeling, and that
feeling demanded a victim. Brown
was convicted on Jail bird testimony.
That sort of testimony is of the shady
variety. 1t was an alleged confession
of the accused made to a fellow fast
black prisoner. Such testimony al
ways leaves reasonable doubt.
Brown stoutly maintains his inno-
cenee. If he is guilty the News hopes
he will oe hanged and hanged good
and plenty; but it doesn't want to
see any man dangling from a ropes
end if there is reasonable doubt as
to his guilt.
1t were better that 80 guilty men
should escape than that one negro
should suffer unjustly.
We don't need victims, but we do
need a speedy punishment of muir
derers.
The community can afford to await
the action of the Supreme Court,
which will determine whether he is to
have new trial or not.