The sea coast echo., 1903-05-23
MISSISSIPPI SUPREME
COURT ADJOURNS.
A Number of Very Important Cases
Were Decided and the Docket Is Now
Practically Clear.

/
The supreme court Of Mississippi ha,
adjourned until next October. Only q
Few unimportant cases were left pend.
ing on the docket when the adiournmen,
took place, and the session has been =
very notable one in the number and irn.
portance OF cases, both civil and crimi-
nal, disposed Of.
Two death sentences were pronounced
at the final sitting, both to take place al
Holly Springs, in Marshall county on
the Both day Of June. The first was tina,
OF Solomon Glascoe, a negro who assas-
sinated young white man named Neill
Jones a short time since. The weapon
used was an axe, and the negro slipped
up behind Jones in the darkness. An
attempt was made to lynch him after the
arrest, and his neck was saved only by
the shrewdness of Sheriff McWilliam
who successfully eluded his pursu ers,
passing among them with the prisoners
and getting out Of the county. The
death sentence and its final affirmation
is good Illustration OF the quickness OF
Mississippi justice, as the crime occurred
only few weeks ago.
The second death sentence was that OF
Charles Strickland, who murdered de-
putty sheriff named Cal Thompson. The
crime occurred in 1896, and Thompson
had been sent to the negro's house to
place him under arrest when the latter
fired through the doorway and shot the
officer dead. He escaped to Arkansas
and was capture only few months ago.
A celebrated case decided by the
court was that of n. II. Rodgers VS..
State, from the circuit court of Nesho-
ba county. Rodgers was tried and con-
victed of the murder Of Tom A. Byrd. n
brother of Congressman Byrd OF con-
gress from the fifth district, and the case
has attracted much attention on account
OF the prominence of the families in
volved. The casus belli was a young
woman whose chastity had been brought
into question, and tho shooting was one
OF those events which take place with
starting quickness when woman g
honor is at stake and mems passions are
inflamed. After long and hard fought
trial Rodgers was convicted and given a
life term in the penitentiary.
In the appeal to the supreme court
forty-four assignments of error were
made, and Justice considered only two
in rendering the decision reversing the
lower court. This assignment related
to two charges given to jury, one to the
effect that II the jury believed Rodgers
to be the aggressor they should find him
guilty Of murder. Justice Price held
that this was erroneous LscaGse 1t in a
sense denied the prisoner the right Of
self-detense, and did not leave open for
consideration that the killing may not
haye been in accord with the original
design, or that it may have been in self
defense. The other charge was to the
effect that II the jury belive the two men
had agreed to face each other and set
tie their trouble with weapons they
should find Rodgers guilty OF murder,
Justice Price said that there was nothing
in the record to support this charge, and
the court did not believe thatan arrange
ment had been made to fight duel. but
more plainly Indicated that meeting
had been arranged to remove the stain
from the chracter of the girl involved.
Another noted case was that Of Jean
Skyles vs.. state, from the Claiborne
county circuit. The defendant is mi
mister of the Christian church and was
convicted of bigamy. The decision was
based on very unique point. Chief JUS
tice Whitfield stated that 1t was charg-
ed that Skyles had married seven times,
but the Indictment only charged him
with a marriage to Miss Rosa Pitts in
Arkansas prior to his marriage to Miss
Theresa Whitestone, daughter OF a pro-
minent Claiborne county planter. His
first marriage was in Texas to Miss Jane
Morris.
In reversing the case Chief Justice
Whitfield stated that it was fatal error
for the indictment to charge only the
marriage in Arkansas to Miss Rosa
Pitts, as this was no marriage at all, the
defendant having admitted his prior
marriage in Texas to Miss Morris. In
the new trial the indictment must charge
the Texas marriage as prior event to
the Mississippi marriage. Skyles is in
Jail at Port Gibson. Insanity was one
of the defenses in the lower court, but
was not sustained.