The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-14
messenger Staff correspondence

WhiteviIIe, y. c., August 10. 1903.
Rapid progress was made today in
the trial Of the Registers fer murder
ard by 10. 30 o'clock tomorrow mmorn-
ing the will commence. The
state both rested and resumed its testi-
monv today and will close with prOba-
bly, two witnesses in the morning. The
defence both commenced and closed this
afternoon
The state has made out a strong case
and the defendant H. b. Register has
presented a puzzling alibi. label
ter. too, has established an alIbi, out
by members of his fanny.
MORNING SESSION.
This mornings session lasted only
TWO hours and fifteen minutes anu WIN
i, that time counsel for the state weld
Ell strongly the links of the chain OF
evidence they. have been forging since
saturday. This chain appears OF a
ncwerfuI nature and it will take mighty
blows of counter evidence to shatter 1t
AND free the Registers from the letters.
Upon the r~econvening of u at s:SO
o'clock of the states teS-
.timOnv was resumed. The resumption
took the form of more testimony aSSo-
ciating Cross EdmOndsOn and JaoeI
Register together on the morning 1oI-
lowing the night of the tragedy anu
c~orrobOrating statement made by Ed
mondsOn.
s young colored man, Tank Register,
uas the first witness and he told of
seeing two white men supposed to be
mono and label Register) about
$50 O'Clock the morning OF Monday,
March 80 last on the between
Nelson Toonss house, where 1t was prov
en- that EdmondsOn and Register stay
ed the night of the double murder, ana
the site Of q new house being bulll oy
Dir. Furney Richardson. one OF Ihe
white men, he said, had one gun ana
the other two guns, but he could not
state the identity of the men other
than hat they were white men. Inc
men had their backs to him and were
at a distance of about one hundred
yards. His statment as TO the appear
.aEce of the two white men on the road
a. the time specified and with the guns
c~crroborated the evidence OF Bradley
Herring in that particular and the tes-
testimony OF Nelson and AMANDA
loon given at Saturdays session.
BUCK CAME AFTER CROSS.
Melton Bowen, the next witness
placed on the stand by the state,
ed some confederation to Edmondson
testimony. He stated that after the
tracey he was at Cross E~dnondson's
house and that they were in d stra~ber-
Nv patch where a white man, whose
face he could not see plainly and whom
Cor that reason he did not recognize,
came up to the fence in the field and
called Edmondson; that when he saw
EGmondsOn about fifteen or twenty
minutes later at the home he Edmond
SOM told his mother that the man was
II. B. Register and that he wanted him
TO go TO his farm and pillow for him.,
being short of hands.
On cross-examinatiOn the defendants
cCursel proved by the witness that
Cross Edmondson's character is bad.
ANOTHER TRUMP CARD.
Deputy Sheriff W. H. Thompson was
the third witness of the mmorning SEES
sion and his testiony was OF a most
valuable nature. as it strongly corrob-
GRATED in many ways the testimony
given by Cross EdmOndson- The hrst
part OF his evidence established the
fact that if Edmondson has lied he Is a
remarkable liar and one possessed of a
phenomenal memory. The witness told
of q statement made to him and others
by Edmondson, while a prisoner in jail,
Of the alleged plotting of the tragedy,
Che tragedy itself and the subsequent
events. With several additional fea-
cures Me statement was precisely SINH
gar to that given by Ednondson on the
stand Saturday. In no way from start
60 finish, did either statement differ
from the other one. Each told min
Gitely of the meeting of Edmondson and
label at the Vineland postof1ce the af-
ternoon of Saturday, March 18th. the
culminatiosn of the plot that night at
Buck Registers home. the tramp to
Jesse Soles' house with its many in
cidents, the enactment of the awful
tragedy and the escape.
INTENDED DISCUSSING.
The testimony of the witness Develop
ed the fact that Edmondson and label
mad intended Disgusting themselves as
negroes. This EdmondsOn stated to the
witness Ay saying that he could locate
q tox Of blacking, which label had hid
-Iear the scane of the tragedy and which
Backing they had intended applying
TO their faces TO act as a disguise. Just
why they did not carry out their luteH-
IiCns thereby making their faces as
black as the deed committed. did not
develop.
ON THE TRAGIC SCENE.
The most interesting part Of Deputy
Sheriff ThompsOn's testimony and a
very important part. too. was his de-
scription of Edmondson's revisit to the
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