Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1903-10-21
HAYWOOD IS FREED
Jury Satisfied as TO the Innocence
OF the Accused
QUICKLY MADE UP AN OPINION
jury I'm Haywood Skinner Case Tried
in Raleigh Deliberated Only n Few
Minutes.

Raleigh. SPECIALIZATION being out
not more than 15 minutes Wednesday.
the jury in She trial of Ernest Hay-
wood Tor the murder OF Ludlow Skin
ner returned a verlict OF not guilt.
There was no demonstration. but
smiles Of delight were on the faces of
Haywood, his counsel and his four
brothers, who have been constantly
w!th him. Haywood shook hands with
ms counsel. and when he was dis
charged went At once to the Jury box
and shook hands with each Juror. re-
turning thanks. Next he went to Judge
PEBBLES and did the same. Colonel r
NJ. Argo closed for the defense. u-g-
ing self-defense for Haywood and a
persecution OF him and witnesses for
the defense. Judge PEBBLES next com
mented on the evidence and charged
the jury. 1t was charged very favora-
bic 10 the defendant Haywood shot
and killed Skinner in front OF the post
Office here on February II \ prelimi-
nary hearing was waived and at the
March term the tria, was postponed On
account of absent witnesses. At the
habcas corpus. the first of June. Hay
wood was released on $4,000 bail. In
the case seven lawyers appeared for
the defense and five for the State. An
acting solicitor was employed. as the
solicltor declined TO act because OF his
relationship to Haywood The dcfen-
dant did not testify
Judge PEBBLES stated that as the
State admitted there was Il blow
stricken. then the charge of murder in
the second degree was eliminated II
was 80 O'Clock when the Judge gave
his charge to the jury. which occupied
fiity minutes. He said it was not the
nf h,.
tatks on the prosecution. The question
which concerns the jury was whether
the defendant was guilty OF any crime
murder in the first or second degree
or nothing The jury should be guided
ny evidence and nothing else; to take
the evidence from the witnesses and
the law from the courts. and not the
law from the attorneys. There is no
exposed malice in Jhie ease. there is i'm
piled malice. The burden is on the de
tendant to prove there was no malice
IN the case. Claims he has done that
by SImms. Schmitz, HOcutt. Barnes
and Fuller. and says there was not
witness. except Sauls who contradicts
that No witnesses. except Sauls say
they saw any of the beginning OF the
trouble. The defendant says YOU ought
TO believe him. because it is five to one
nc defendant says Sauls is not bad
character, and that there are other
witnesses who strengthen his Conten-
non. Two Witnesses. MIR. Billings and
the Jailer say the defendant had
red spot on his face The defendant
says ne thinks he was eXcusable un-
der the circumstances and that
Schmitz. Hocutt Fuller and Barnes all
swore that when Haywood rose up
Skinner had jumped away 3 or 10 feet.
Dll nf . hn,, 4 1.
his pocket, some say the right. some
the left hand He claims there is not
as much conflict OF evidence as might
be imagined. That under those condi-
tons he believed his life in danger, and
that nobody contradicts, except Sauls.
and the defendant thinks the others
ought TO be believed in preference. Here
the judge read Jones Fullers evidence.
and said il was for the Jury to saw
whethe" the Shot could have struck
him as Fuller thought. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that the State claimed to
nave proved the bad characters of
SchmltZ and Hocutt. yet there are cir
:'umstances to show they told thetruth.
The defendant claims their testimony
Is cOrroborated without regard to their
characters; that he mad apprehension
he was about TO be shot and that then
the law excuses him. Bus these are
matters for the jury to decide Because
man acts coolly it does not debar him
from the benefit OF the law The State
says the jury ought to believe Fuller,
VINO said when he saw the deceased
he was making no effort to draw
pistol
The State says it ought not to be re-
Ceived because of the blow. The blow
did not excuse the killing but did
away with malice III bhe jury believes
the killing was done from anger and
passion, and not from reasonable fear.
the defendant is guilty OF manslaugh-
ter. The jury is not responsible 10 an
body for its verdict If the deceased
jumped back and was attempting to
draw pistol the defendant Lld a right
to fear
The jury was not out long-barely 10
minutes, when it came in. There was
rush. Foreman Wigs gave the ver-
dict. Not uilty."