The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-13

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Lake Chafles. La. March 12.-At $50
o'clock tonight the jury in the case of
Alfred f. Batson returned verdict of
guilty Of murder in the first degree. as
charged. This carries the death penalty.
Batson's mother was seated at his side
when the jury came in. When the verdict
was read by the court neither mother nor
son gave any sign of emotion. A few
minutes afterward, however. Mrs. Payne
was seen to culver from head to toe. Then
she sat upright her chin in her hand, for
about five minutes and suddenly fell back
in her chair with groan. Her face as
sumed a deathlike pallor, her form became
rigid and every one thought her dead.
Deputies went to her assistance. but her
condemned son was the first to administer
to the poor woman, his dearest friend. He
opened her clothing at the throat and
chafed her hands in an effort to revive her.
COT BROUGHT IN COURT.
A cot was brought into the courtroom and
the woman placed upon it. Stimulants were
administered and in few minutes she re-
vived. Her first words were: Are We still
in the courtroom
Then she called for her boy. He leaned
over her and their lips met. She pressed
him to her breast and wept aloud. The
deputies called on Batson to go back to the
jail and she pleaded with them not to sep
arate her from him.
Batson heard the sentence read unmoved.
However, when he took his mother in his
arms as she lay upon the cot, his eyes filled
with tears He weakened only for mo-
ment. Then, at the suggestion of the court,
Mrs. Payne was removed to an ante-room,
even as the deputy was putting the hand
cuffs on Batson. Then Batson gave way.
For the first time he seemed to realize his
II mt Hyh nd O.
sumed an aged lcok. He was taken back TO
the Jail. surrounded by squad of depu-
ties, with a morbid throng following at
The State closed its case this morning
shortly before noon. The defense then
opened its case and put ON three witnesses
w. Coon of Princeton, Mo-. and one other
witness were put on the stand. and the de-
Tense closed its case. This was rather
abrupt ending and proved a surprise to
both Batson and his mother.
The arguments were begun shortly after
2 o'clock. and at o'clock the case was sub
recess till $50, when the jury was brought
in and the verdict rendered.
MURDER OF EARL FAMILY.
The crime for which Batson is on trial
and for which he has once been sentenced
to hang is the most heinous in the history of
the State of Louisiana. On February .. 1892
the world was startled with the intelligence
that l. 8. Earl. a prominent rice grower
gether with his wife and four sons--Ward,
Fay Lemuel and John.
Batson. who had been employed at the
Earl place. was suspected of the crime He
was traced to Sp!ckard, No.. and on Febru-
airy "a was arrested there. Sheriff John A.
Perkins went to the Missouri town imme-
diately. The Governor of Missouri would
not permit Batson to be extradited, how
ever. until he had received a personal as
surance from Governor W. W. Heard of
this State that Batson would be fully pro-
tected from violence and afforded a fair
trial
Batson was brought back to Louisiana,
and. through the strategy of Sheriff Per-
kins. safely landed in steel cage in the
Calcasieu Parish jail here. Much excitement
prevailed and for while there was talk
Of storming the Jail to lynch him. but the
promise of the States chief executive killed
this idea, and Batson was unmolested. In
due time he was indicted by the Grand
Jury. and in April last was brought to trial.
CONVICTED AT FIRST TRIAL.
Batson was fortunate in securing coed
counsel-Messrs. Paul A Sompayrac and
Winston Overton. young and successful at
torneys. Both feel convinced of their mans
innocence. and have been untiring In their
efforts In his behalf, grasping at every pos
sible chance to save his life, and fighting
every iota Of discriminating evidence.
At the trial an almost invulnerahie chain