The leader., 1902-01-22
MONTGOMERY MURDERS.
WHIT OWENS SENTENCED TO BE
HANGED.
Given a Life Sentence for the Murder of
One of the Brothers and to Hang for
the Murder of the Other-The End of
m Celebrated Trial.

One of the Brothers and to Hang for
n Celebrated Trial.
Special to the Times-Democrat.
Oxford, Miss, Jan. 10 For the
third time during this court session a
jury has returned the verdict guilty
of murder in the first degree, as charged
in the indictment" in the famous
Montgomery murder cases. The man
against whom this last verdict was re-
turned today has had a remarkable
condition obtaining in his trial. Con
victed of the murder of John A. Mont
gomery, the jury last week fixed the
penalty in his case at life imprison-
ment. He was Immediately indicted
for the murder of the other officer,
Hugh Montgomery, and again placed
on trial, notwithstanding his first con-
viction and sentence, and this second
trial today resulted in a sentence to
hang on February II. Exactly sixty
days have passed since the commission
of the enormous crime which deprived
two United States marshals of their
lives and almost entirely destroyed
their bodies as we'll, and as a result of
that crime Will Mathis and Whit
Owens (white) and Orlando Lester
(colored) will yield up their lives in
expiation on the gallows on Valen-
tines day, Bill Jackssn will spend the
remainder of his life in the peniten-
tiary, and his brother, George Jackson,
received two-year sentence for aiding
Mathis in his attempted escape
Mathis is beginning to talk now, and
admits that he will get no more pun
ishment than he deserves, and it is
thought the whole truth will eventu-
ally be gotten from him. Some things
have not yet been explained, but a
great deal of conjecture has been heard
as to the manner in which the officers
we're actually killed. More narrowing
details may yet be be made known
Mathis states that he will make clean
breast of it all,
The court room was filled to over.
| flowing when sentence was passed on
| Owens this evening. His wife and his
daughter, Mrs. Mathis, left the court
room just before Judge Lowry pro
poupced the sentence, bpt all during
the Judges talk their agonizine
screams and prayers could be heard
coming up from the hall under the
court room. This, together with the
solemn words of the Judge, produced
a marked effect on all those who were
present except the doomed man him
self. Many were in tears, and yet the
expression on Owens face never alter
ed. His nerve has never yet forsaken
him. Before sentence was pronounced
Owens attorney presented a bill OF ex
ceptions and asked for a new trial
which the court overruled. Sentence
of death by hanging on February II
was then pronounced, and before
court finally adjourned District At
torney Roane made short talk to the
people assembled, in which he thanked
and complimentel the people of the
town and county for the manner in
which they had allowed the courts to
settle these cases in spite of the deep
feeling aroused by the crime and the
almost unanimous determination that
speedy death to the guilty must be
given. Judge Lowry then followed
thanking the people for their foPbear.
ance, and pointing out that while the
cost of conviction had been about $4,000
to the people of the county, the results
would be SO reaching that the
money spent in this legal conviction
would be many times returned IN sat
isfaction over the fact that no crime
had been committed by the people OF
this county, even in the face OF so
great provocation. He read an extract
from letter from a prominent educa-
tor of the State congratalatiDg this
university town on the example tt bad
given the rest of the State by allowing
the law to settle these cases. He said
that during his year and half service
on the bench no lyncbing had occurr-
ed in his district, and he pledged
himself to exert all his judicial power
to prevent a lynching ever occurring,
and asked the peoples aid to that end
United States Attorney Montgomery
then, in behalf of the general govern
ment, thanked the court for its prompt
and effective action in convicting the
murderers of the two United States
officers, and congratulated the people
on the outcome of the prosecutions.
Many citizens pressed forward and
thanked Judge Lowry for his talk and
for his bearing during the trying fort
night these cases have been on trial.
Thus ended the most interesting term
of Circuit Court ever held in Lafa-
yette county.