The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-16
NO TRACE OF SUICIDE
Once Sentenced 10 be Hanged for the Murder of
His Sweetheart Jim WiIcox's Last Sentence
for Thirty Years is Affirmed
by the Supreme
Court.

James Wilcox. the alleged slayer OF
Nellie Cropsey, will ave to serve thirty
wears In the neutrality-suspicious. to the
Judgment Of the court of Perqulmans
county court, as rendered last February.
The Supreme court handed down its de-
cision Of the case as appealed yesterday
and affirmed the judgment of the lower
court.
Judge Conner writes the opinion, which
is a full, beautifully written and learned
discussion of this mysterious case. The
opinion goes into detail-takes up each
point in each exception-in the case, one
at a time and disposes Of each in order.
HISTORY OF CASE.
Miss Nellie Cropsey, a beautiful girl OF
nineteen summers, OF a strong and loVable
disposition, without any warning dlsap-
peared from her home one night III No
vember, 1901. That same night James
Wilcox. who is alleged to have been her
lover for the years heretofore, had called
and had gone to the door with Miss Nell.
She is said to have loved Wilcox ardently,
and that when her cousin from New York
came TO pay DcI Il WISH IudI w I1CO S6CLltoI
attracted to the new girl and neglected
his former sweetheart. They had had
several petty quarrels, common to lovers,
and he had returned some little presents
which she had given him on the night
which the unfortunate girl disappeared.
Wilcox and poor Nell had not spoken.
She treated him colby and indifferently.
When he got up to make his departure
no aSLa1 hpr to como fp the door that he
had something to tell her. She made
some remark to her cousin and went out
on the porch with Wilcox. AS she passed
out of the door she smiled over her shoul-
der at her cousin. This was the last seen
of her until thirty-seven days later he1
body was found floating in the Pasquo-
tank River, although the diligent search
was made. The body bore marks as If
the girl had been struck on the head with
some blunt instrument and killed.
From the relation which existed between
the two the circumstances attending her
disappearance, suspicion naturally fell upon
James Wilcox.
When Wilcox was arrested, notwith-
standing the most tender relations which
had existed between him and Miss Crop
sey, he showed not the least concern. He
was utterly lnulllefcnt.
Wilcoxs first trial was in March. 1902.
In this trial, the evidence, as in the second
one also, was purely circumstantial, but
nevertheless the jury returned Il verdict
OF murder in the first degree.
The feeling was SO hot against him that
during this trial the spectators made such
a demonstration that the Supreme Court
on appeal gave him a new trial. When
MIR. Aydlctt arose to speak for the defense
the spectators arose almost en- masse and
quilted the court room. The fire bell was
rung, and guns discharged on the outside
of the court house. The case was moved
from Pasquotank to Perquimans county
for the second trial. This occurred il
February, 1903. This time he was con
Vlcted of murder in the second degree an6
sentenced to thirty years Imprisonment al
hard labor. From the judgment he ap
pealed.
The first exception of the defendant wa,
to the admission of the evidence of DR.
Fearing and DR.. Wood as experts. DR.
Wood testified that from his experience a,
a practitioner and learning as a physician
he considers himself competent to give 81
opinion satisfactory to himself on medica
matters, also as to the death of a person
'>'f'N ~ a Stb-So " oloN IillS vi
otherwise. Tha he had had no experience
before this IN examining the body of
person alleged to have been drowned
This was the first autopsy he had made II
such q ease; that he derived his informa
ton from the authorities, Reese and Tay
lor; and that from an examination 10
these authorities he was prepared to ex
press an opinion; that they devoted from
eight to fourteen pages to the subject 0
drowning. They are considered standar,
authorities. Dr.. Fearing testified to sub
stantially the same.
The lower court found as a fact that tn
witnesses were experts. The opinion say
that if there was any evidence to sustain
his honors conclusion, it is final, and no
subject 70 review. Thus the first excer
Ion was disposed of.
The testimony as to the nature an
character Of the bruise or wound foun
on Nellie Cropsey's face was excepted tc
the court says we think the questions an
answers competent to be considered by
jury. & = = 1t is certainly a consider
able matter Of science.
The defendant objected to a diagram
made by witness H. T. Greenleaf, by whic
the witness proposed to demonstrate t
the jury the location of the Cropsey resi-
dcnce, and other points immediateI
around there. The defendant also objecte
to any examination of the witness wit
reference to the map.
The opinion says: "The exception can
not be sustained. The map was not at
mitted in evidence, but it was competen
for the purpose of enabling the witness t
explain his testimony and enabling tn
jury to understand it.
The defendant offered to prove by NJ
Reed, the deputy sheriff, that since h
incarceration and since his first trial ais
he has had opportunities to escape fro,
the Jail and that he declined to avail hin