The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-12
DAVIS HELD. GUILTY
OF STOKES DEATH.
Coroner's Jury finds three Others
Accessory to Killing.
STIRRING SCENES LAST NIGHT
Mob of Negroes Gathered in Cour
house Square and There Mas Talk
of Lynching-Dispersed Be-
fore Verdict Was announced.
STIRRING SCENES LAST NIGHT
Manchester Bureau, Richmond Times,

Manchester Bureau, Richmond Times,
No. 11Q2 Hull Street.
Taking the verdict of the coroner's
jury as a basis for calculations, Man
chester certainly seems in a fair way to
have the first hanging Of its history,
ernest Davis, a rough negro character,
of Newtown, FORGETTING his life at the end
of rope, avenging the atrocious murder
of John Henry Stokes (colored), who was
well thought of by nearly all VINO knew
or had dealings with him. The murder
of Stokes occurred Friday night, shortly
after 10 o'clock, and since that time there
have been four negroes confined in the
city Jail on the charge of being suspi-
cious characters. In the meantime, the
coroner's jury have been hard at work
with the evidence before them, and after
being in session until a late hour last
night brought in a verdict that the de-
ceased came to his death at the hands
of Ernest Davis, who used q sharp point
ed instrument.
Marcellus Hatcher, Wyatt Calais and
Sydney Hilton are charged by the jury
with being accessory to the killing.
1t is safe to say that the city was
stirred to a state of excitement last
night. which has seldom been displayed
here before. Throngs of negroes crowd
ed the courthouse green while on the
outside of the station, in which the jury
We're sitting. there was motely, restless
mob Of negroes, who apparently wanted
the life of the murderer of Stokes. Re-
peatedly did the police give them warning
to dispense. 1t was simply impossible to
make them leave the grounds.
Thicker grew the crowd until about $50
o'clock when a runlor was started that
the jury would be in session all night.
Slowly then they dwindled away, and
when the jury completed its labors and
returned the verdict there were f9w
about Everyone except the jurors and
commemorative Attorney was excluded
from the investigation. the press not be-
ing allowed to have any of the evidence
Of the prisoners.
Over half OF the negroes outside were of
the opinion that Davis should be lynchcd
for the crime. Towards the other pris-
oners there was better spirit manifested
t0' the colored population.
LICKED BLOOD FROM KNIFE.
Shortly after seven o'clock Sergeant
Saunders arrived from the city Jail with
Hatcher and Calais, who We're hand
cuffed together. The crowd, which Eus
then comparatively small, opened for the
officers to pass.
Captin Lipscomb gave an order very
soon that the negroes We're to stay at
the station over night 1t was thought
that this was to avoid any possible
chance of a fight or wrangle with the
crowd. However. after the prisoners had
testified, and while all the crowd We're in
front of the station, Officer y. S. Wright
took both negroes out the back way, and
carried them TO Jail, where they were
locked up.
Th"n came some pretty detective work
of this officer. Going to the Jail where
sidney Hilton was confined Officer
Wright took MIN from the cell. handcuff-
ed to his arm, and made a trip to the
home OF Hilton where the negro looked
under part of the house and found the
knife which he says did the killing. His
confession is that Davis borrowed the
knife from him and stabbed Stokes in
the back with it. Davis then told him
to take the knife back and he. seeing
blood on it. refused. Davis then placed
the keen blade il his mouth and licked
the blood of his victim from the knife
and swallowed it.
learned. was to the effect that Davis
did the killing. Calais told about the
same story. But the evidence of Hilton
seems the strongest against Davis at
present although Hilton may appear as
partceps criminal he having loaned
the knife TO Davis to do the killing. Davis
was awakened at the city Jail last night
and shown the knife. He says it looked
like the one he had borrowed from Hill
ton. He was sullen and denied having
killed Stokes, saying that some of the
others did it and tried TO place the blame
on him.
Officer Wright will be the&oest witness
of the Commonwealth. He will serve
the warrants on the men in Jail this
and will answer to Squire Jor-
dan tomorrow morning in Police Court.
When the negro Davis was first arrested
by Officer Wright he admitted as he
still does, having struck Stokes in the
face with his fist He also told the officer
that he had knife in his right hand,
and that Stokes might have run against
this and received the fatal stab. He said
then that he did not know whether he
killed him or not.
Hilton says that after the killing all
four of them came to Fifteenth Street
where Hatcher was sent back to see if
Stokes Was dead.
He made the trip and saw the dead |
man and returned and told the others of
i Tlcv then decided to keep the affair
luie; and go home. They all went home. |
SIT rot 10 sleep the night out for officer |
\T,icht was on the trail. and before |
rorning he had landed all of them.
That Davis will hang for the murder |
here seems little doubt All evidence |
90 far has tended to prove most conclu- |
;jyelv that he wlfully killed the man. de- |
mite his denial The scene last night |
while the jury was in session presented t
, picture which Manchester witnesses
nrs in a lifetime. Few there are who |
>,isepC, the spectacle of some four or five |
hundred negroes standing around in the |
mace of two squares, waiting for the