The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-01-21
THE WILCOX TRIAL.
a Review Of a Most Interesting and
Peculiar Case,
NOW UP FOR THE SECOND TIME.
\ Great Many People Are OF
the Opinion That the Deten-
dnnt Murdered Miss
Nellie CropSC:

cox. son OF IOrmer SHefllI iQOndS l..
Wilcox, of PasQuotaEk county, \. c..
charged with and convicted Of the
murder of Ella Maud. or Nellie Crop
sey. of Elizabeth City, \. c., began
at Hert@ord. Perquinas county We'd
nesday. The trial was removed from
PasQuotank on account Of the feeling
there against the defendant. 1t will
be recalled that Wilcox was tried and
convicted at Elizabeth City last
March. The case IVES appealed to the
supreme court ana d new trial
granted.
The Charlotte Observer says the
Wilcox CropSey case is wrapped in
myStery. Because Of the prominence
and the standing of the families con-
cerned and the vel Of mystery that
surrounds it, the case has attracted at
tention throughout the country.
Thousands of people would be willing
to give literally Of their means for the
facts in the case. The case has been
discussed in almost every reading
home in the State. Is Wilcox guilty
or not: That is the question. What
will be the result of the scond trial,
time will tell. The first jury brought
in a verdict OF guilty.
The bill of Indictment against Will
COX reads: The State of North Caro-
lima, Pasquotank County, Superior
Court, March Term. 1902. The jurors
for the State under their oaths pres
ept James Wilcox, late Of the said
county and State on the goth day of
November, 1901. with force and arms
in the county Of PasQuotank. in said
State. fcloniously, wilfully and with
malice aforesaid, did kill and murder
Ella VI. CropseY, against the statute
in such cases made and provided, and
against the peace and dignity of the
State"
The facts in the case as brought out
in evidence during the first trial are
about as follows: Mr.. James Wilcox,
the defendant in the case, went to
the home of w. H. Cropsey, father OF
the dead girl, on the night of Novem-
Der 2Oth, 1901. to call on Miss Nellie,
to whom he had been paying consider
able attention for several years.
When he arrived at the Cropsey home,
say about S o'clock, the family was
in the sitting room. Young Roy
Crawford was there calling on Miss
Ollie Cropsey, sister of Miss Nellie.
Soon after o'clock all the mem JerS
of the household except Miss Ollie,
Nellie and Carrie Cropsey, cousin
from New York, who was visiting
there at the time, retired and left the
young people alone. Therefore the
partv in the room was composed OF
the following named: Wilcox and
Misses Carrie, Nellie and Ollie Crop
sey. Later. after having made twc
or three attempts to excuse herself,
Miss Carrie went to her room. This
left Wilcox, Crawford and the two
sisters in the room. 1t was said that
Wilcox and Crawford were at outs
With each other at the time. They
did uot speak when they came to-
gether. At IL o'clock sharp, Wilcox.
who had appeared restless and moody,
during the evening: rose from his seat:
saying: Il must go home: my mother
will be uneasy about me if l stay out
after this hour This was said in a
jocular way Continuing, Wilcox
said. Miss Nellie. / would like to
see you in the hall" He rolled a
cigarette and went out. followed BY
the girl. After that moment Nellie
Cropsey was rever seen again by any
one save Wilcox. Her dead body was
found floating, just beneath the sur
face of the water Of Pasquotank river,
on the morning Of the 9th day OF
December.
Thirty minutes after Wilcox and
Nellie left the room Miss Ollie bade
Crawford goodnight, saw him to the
door and went upstairs to her room,
thinking that her sister had gone
ahead Of her: but not finding her
there she concluded that she and Will
COX, who had been having lovers
quarrels, had made up, crossed the
nall into the parlor for a quiet talk,
and were still there. However, after
having taken a short nap, and wax
ing up. she heard the clock strike y,
missed her sister and gave the alarm.
Soon the whole family was up and
searching everywhere for the lost
girl. But their efforts were in vain.
No trace of the girl could be found.
About o'clock Mr.. CropSey vent
across town to the Wilcox home and
told Mrs. Wilcox, mother of the deten-
dant, that Nellie had disappeared and
asked to see James. Mrs. Wilcox
went alone to .sames' room and soon
returned to say that he declared that
he knew nothing Of the girl, that he
had returned tc her an umbrella and
a picture she had given him, and left
hec leaning against one of the posts to
the front porch. of her home. crying.
W5lcoN did net get out Of bed, and
seemed indifferent. At the trial be-
fore the mayor of the town he said
that he turned over after his mother
left the room and was asleep in two
minutes.
After visiting the Wilcox home
Mr.. CropSey reported the case to the
police department. Chief Dawson
went to Wilcox's room during the ear
ly hours Of the morning and asked
him to accompany him to the Crop
sey residence Wilcox crawled out OF
bed, put On his working clothes and
went. His room was never searched
until the dead body Of the girl was
found, 81 days later. tits not known
whether his visiting suit was wet or
not. at the Cropsey home he declared
that lie knew nothing OF Nellle,s
whereabouts.
In order to understand the evidence
that will ne given in the trial one
must fix the location Of the Cropsey
house. relative to the town and the