The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-21
TO RALEIGH
condemned Men Brought in from
WhitevilIe Yesterday Afternoon
and Carried Away Last Night-WiIl
be Kept Pending the Appea1-In-
. security ot Columbus Jail the Rea-
son for the Transfer-Visited by
Two of Their Counsel While Here.

The noted Columbus county murder
ers. label Register and his aged father.
H. B.. Register. were in the city yes
terday following in the wake of the
man, Cross E~dmondson. who condemn
ed them and who was taken to the
penitentiary last week. The coming of
the we'll known criminals was quietly
accomplished and but few people knew
that the were here. They were
brought to the city from Wh~iteville
yesterday afternoon at lao o'clock in
charge of Deputy Sheriffs w. H.
Thompson and w. J. Benton and the
party left for RALEIGH on the evening
northern train.
The Registers are sent to the peniten-
tiary not as convictS. but simply as
prisoners to be held until the supreme
court passes upon the appeal in their
case. and such a step was deemed ad-
visable on account of the insecurity of
the Columbus county Jail at Whiteville.
1t was feared that they would have
escaped from that prison in spite of the
vigilance of the officers. who. though
oil II Slllu ~ N"NIL " w
held RESPONSIBLE for weak bars or locks.
1t will be remembered that Solicitor
G. c. Lyon uDon the conviction of the
Registers at the trial in Whiteville Just
d week ago yesterday requested the
court to have the prisoners sent to the
states prison pending the aDpea to the
supreme court and stated that he
thought there was a statute providing
for such an Judge Moore
Statnl tbor no wa 1nfa mlllaNs with
such a law. but would look into the
matter.
Several days ago a telegram was re-
ceived from Governor Aycock saying
tina the %ransfer of the prisoners would
very likely be made and Tuesday a
second telegram containing the order
for the removal was received SO. act
ing according to that order. Deputies
Thompson and Benton brought h
| prisoners here and then carried them to
Raleigh.
label Register still pea as I'M
concerned as even before he was ar
| rested. The officers say that he has
not weakened in the slightest. He is
a we'll known figure to many here. as
he has appeared a number of times
in the United States court both as a
defendant and n witness.
The ordeal. however. is telling on old
| man Register. though he attempts to
| appear calm and unconcerned. He is
| sixty-four years of age. so his impris-
onment, even if the supreme court does
not grant him a new trial. will not be
for long. 1t will be for life. but that
with him will. TO doubt. be brief.
Quite a coincidence in connection with
the coming IF the Registers to Will
mington was tho presence of DonalC
McRackan. ESQ. of Whiteville. who
came down t o the city on a visit Tues
day. He was not aware of the trans
ferring of the REGISTERS until he saw
them here. so consequently lie was a!
much surprised as anyone.
Mr.. McRackan is one of the lawyer
who so ably defended the Registers
ana yesterday afternoon he and Hon
John D. Bellamy. another one of tn
defendants counsel. visited the Regis
tiers in the Jail. They told the prison
ers that they are at present hard a
work on the cas- on appeal and hel(
out much hove to them. The condemn
ed men have great confidence in a new
trial being granted them and. perhaps
such is a blessing for it will shorten
no doubt. the awful contemplation tina
will be theirs.
Yet there was another peculiar incl
lent and that was that the same trail
that brought the Registers and thei
guards to Wilmington also brought MI
Walter Baldwin. who was one of tn
| states most material witnesses at tn
trial. as his testimony corroborated a
important statement made by eros
Edmondson about label Register be
ing in the vicinity of the Vineland de
pot the morning after the cowardly an
bic blooded killing of Jesse Soles an
Jim Staley. Mr.. Baldwin'S visit hat
no connection whatever with the pris
onerS.