The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-06-04
OUR RALEIGHLETTER
THINGS SEEN AND HEARD AT THE
STATE CAPITAL.
Hearing in the Haywood Habeas Cor
pus Procee dings-StrongT Testimony
introduced on Both Sides - Hay
wood ADMITTED to Bail 10 the Sum
nf oon
GoRMAN News BUREAU,
Raleigh, n. c., June /, 1903.

Raleigh, \. T., June /, I90o.)
The one engrossing subject here for a
week has been the hearing OF the Ernest
Haywood case before Justices Douglas
and Walker of the Supreme Court, in the
application of defendant for bail.
A great mass of testimony has been
adduced-some of the witnesses differing
as widely as the poles in their state
ment OF what provoked the shooting
and killing, the position and attitude OF
the two men at the time; and, am sorry
to be forced to add, the usual smart
Aleck' who saw it all, and saw it diff
ferent from most others, but insisted
that his was the only true and accurate
version although farther off than al
most any man who testified) was on
hand as usual.
Numerous witnesses for the prOsecu-
ton swOre that they saw no physical
difficulty preceding the shooting (the at
tention of nearly all of whom was first
attracted by the reports OF the pistol
shots), and some of them declared that
Skinner was off the sidewalk when Hay
wood fired the first shot (or that they
saw him there Immediately after the
first shot) and was nearly half way
across the street when the second shot
W DIS anu ltll Oil lllt StIctl-Iol ti<teh
and expired a few seconds thereafter;
that he staggered and reeled and changed
his course after the first shot.
STRONG EVIDENCE FOR HAYWOOD.
But after all of this character of evil
dence, this fact remained: The defendant
produced some strong testimony in his
behalf by about dozen witnesses.
Four of these were eye-witnesses OF the
tragedy who saw the two men before
either shot was fired All four of them
swOre positively that Skinner struck
Haywood in the face and partially
knocked the latter down and that it was
when the latter arose that he pulled his
pistol and fired twice in quick succession.
That Skinner jumped back several feet
after striking Haywood and had his left
| side turned to Haywood Skinner being
| left-handed, and being shot near the left
nipple) when the first shot was fired and
| was beating Il retreat when the second
report was heard, etc.
\ deputy sheriff, who arrested Hay
! wood on the spot, testified that Hay
wood had a red scar on the right side OF
| his face when arrested; the iailOr noticed
the scar next morning and asked the
prisoner about it. Gle was not allowed
|
hat was shown to have fallen Off and
witnesses swOre they saw dirt on it
| Haywood was noticeable always for his
very neat and cleanly appearance) as
| the officer passed by them with Hay
wood in custody.
Then, as bearing on the contention Of
| defendant that Skinner made a motion
Or effort to draw the weapon afterwards
taken from his hip pocket, after he was
dead, when he jumped back, after strik
| ing Haywood, but that the latter was
| quicker than he was, there was this evi
| dence:
DIR. Jordan, the coroner, put on the
| vest, coat and OvercOat worn by the de
ceased and after placing his hands neal
his hip pocket the holes through the lap
pels corresponded. With the overcoa1
and undercoat hanging naturally these
bullet holes do not correspond.
| Coroner Jordan also swOre that in his
| opinion the fact that the muscles were
not in their natural position at the time
of the shot, was the reason his efforts tC
probe for the ball were unsuccessful.
All the witnesses for Haywood quoted
above proved the best of characters, in
Guiding the one negro man; so it may b'
found q rather difficult thing for thu
| prosecution to prove ION the trial prop
er when it comes up in july beyond {
reasonable doubt that these witnesses
were mistaken Or unworthy of belief
and unless they do that Haywood can
not be convicted of murder in the frs
degree. That is, at least, the opinion
held by many, although the ''preponder
ance OF evidence so far as the multiplied
ty of witnesses is concerned and tht
conclusions and differences to be drawn
from their testimony, would indicat,
that it was the second shot that took ef
feet, instead of the first shot, as contend
ed for by the defense.
At this writing (Monday) the hearing
is still in progress. LLEWXAN.
| LATER-HaywOod has been admitted
to bail in the sum of 100000.