The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-23
Negroes Who Held Up Mn
 Messer at AVOndaIe
ARE DESPERATE CRIMINALS
Abe Williams, Who Turned State's Evidence, Among Those Who Will Go to the GaIIows-one
 Negro Laughed.

Abe Williams. Will Hudson and Will Jones have received death sentences. They have been sentenced to die for hold ing up and robbing J. B. Messer in his store at Avondale on the night of January 2, after trial in the first division of the Criminal court of Jefferson county. The jury out on the case returned verdict finding all three of the negroes guilty and fixing the extreme penalty of death Tn each instance.
 Yesterday morning several witnesses were examined who were not on the stand Wednesday afternoon when the eases went to trial. No new developments were brought out, and after they were exam ined the arguments of the attorneys were made. At 10 minutes to o'clock yester- day afternoon Judge Dan A. Greene con cluded his charge to the Jury and 1t filed Into the jury room. The court room was crowded to the doors. The three negroes sat in the prisoners cage. Jones and Hudson seemed to be engaged In earnest conversation.
 Jones Laughed.
 Jones laughed every few minutes. He seemed utterly indifferent Hudson was a little nervous and talked in low tones. Williams. big negro with very black face and reeedlng forehead, sat apart from the other two. He looked straight in front of him and did mol move while the jury was out.
 In exactly thirty minutes, twenty min- utes after 3 o'clock. a rap on the jury room door appraised the court that a yer dict had been reached A deputy went to the door. Wait moment" said the judge, and turning to the large crowd he said: T want perfect order when the jury returns its verdict. l want 1t dis tinetly understood that there Is to be no demonstration whatever and any person who does not observe quiet and order will be severely punished"
 The deputy then opened the door and into the court room filed the twelve men who had decided on the fate of the trio. The clerk read the verdict, We the jury find the defendants Abe Williams, Will Jones and Will Hudson, guilty as charged In the indictment and fix their punish ment at death." Judge Greene then asked each juror if that was his individual verdict and each answered in the afHrma- tive.
 The prisoners In the cage did not move. Jones leaned over and whispered to Hud- son, Now aint that a fine thing" and then laughed.
 In his argument before the jury State Solicitor Hefin said he wanted the jury to hang the defendants or turn them loose. He further said that the evidence showed the negroes to be guilty as charged in the indictment and that the law of Alabama gave authority for such offenders to hang. and that if this was done the robberies in Jefferson county would cease.
 The Judges Charge.
 Judge Greene gave a written charge to the jury. It was lengthy and much of 1t was devoted to the law directly bearing upon such cases. He said in part: You are to judge of the facts that have been proved in the trial of these three de- fendants. The court does not intimate an opinion in the cases; that is for you to decide. It is my duty to tell you what is the law, and what is the punishment prescribed by the law if you find the de- fendants guilty"
 Judge Greene further explained the in- dictments and referred to what consti- tuted the elements of robbery He went over the evidence in the cases, and said he hoped the jury would weigh 1t care fully and impartially.
 After the verdict was returned the three negroes were handcuffed and taken back to the county jail. Hudson asked some one for postage stamp, saying, q want to write my mother. She is in St. Louis and don't know l am in all this trouble. ''
 As he was being put in his cell Hudson said I'm going to take this case to the Supreme court, and take 1t back here and there until it is worn out and people get tired, and then maybe they'll turn me loose"
 The prisoners were put in the general jail when they were taken there from the court room. Late yesterday after noon a deputy sheriff went into the Jail and glancing into the cell occupied by Hudson and Jones. saw a piece of iron on the floor. Upon examination he found 1t had been torn from a closet In the cell and was an iron rim which had been straigntened. He decided to take the two negroes to the condemned cell. A shovel was leaning against the wall in the "block," the space around the cells proper, and Jones made a dash for it.. The officer at once secured a pistol from the wardens office and marched the two criminals to the condemned cell. Wil- Hams was left in the general jail. It was decided, as he had turned states evidence not to place him in cell with Jones and Hudson.
 Just before they were transferred Jones told a stevedore, "No man can lock me up."
 If these negroes are hanged they will probably be the first men to suffer death in Alabama upon conviction of highway robbery. The case of Will Dorsey Is still in the Supreme court. He was convicted last year of highway robbery and sen- fenced to death. but appealed and no de- cisIon has been rendered by the Supreme court in the case.
 The cases against John Bryant and Robert Lee will be heard today. They are members of the same gang and are charged with highway robbery on five in- dictments. One of the cases against them will be tried today.
 Desperate Criminals.
 When the police of Birmingham arrest ed the five members of this gang they bagged big game. The negroes are con sidered desperate criminals For several weeks before they were arrested there were numerous hold-ups ana robberies in Birmingham, and since the five have been in custody very few have been reported
 According to the confession of Abe Williams. all of the negroes are guilty of robbery. Williams talks freely now since he has decided to loosen his tongue. IL was he who created a sensation when on the witness stand Wednesday afternoon, he said that the charges against the trio then being tried were true. He implicated in his confession the rest of the gang in several robberies and claims he was told of some of them by Hudson. Williams still claims he was forced by Hudson and Jones to aid them in robbing Mir. Messer AaI