The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-11
Especial to The Messenger.)

W~hiteville. n. c.. August AT this
writing, 10: 40 "a. m, the 200 names OF
the special, venire and the names of
nearly 100 witnesses for the state and
defense in the Register case have been
called. and as far as could be under
stood all answered. The next work was
the selection of a jury, which may take
the remainder of the day or longer.
There is a large crowd in
large that those not of the special venire
or witnesses were not admitted up
stairs till after the rolls had been call
ed. Mr.. w. j. Benton. the jailor, in
forms your correspondent that J. B.
Register told him this morning that
nov he wished the trial to proceed. He
saws the doctors examined the prison
ers this morning and found them in
good health.
Miss Shrier came up from Whining
ton this morning to act as court ste
nographer.
AT 11:3O only one juror has been Sc
Observation-Disclosures Haines, of Fair Bluff
township.
The tremendous crowd in attendance
shows the great interest taken in the
Register case by the people OF Colum-
bus county.
PROCEEDINGS YESTERDAY.
Whiteville. n. c., Aug Z, 1908.
messenger Staff Correspondence
The thriving little town of Whiteville
is crowded with people today, brought
here by the trial of what has become
a noted murder case. The trial is that
of label Register charged with the
felonious and premeditated Staying of
a man of Columbus county. Jesse
SOles, and a negro, Jim Staley, and
the trial of his aged father, H. B. Reg
lister, or plain Buck Register as he is
familiarly known, charged with being
an accessory before the fact. To one
the outcome Of the trial means life or
death; to the other liberty Or imprison-
ment, and to the good people of Column
bus the knowledge that their county,
which is one of the best in the Old
North State, upholds at all times the
law and will always seek diligently for
the one who breaks one of the precepts
Of God and man.
0OQS OelOIS COuIl OpSIlSu ILLS IilOTII-
ing IN the picturesque temple of justice
that greets the eye as one approaches
the town, people arrived both by vehicle
and train. Some were from the most
remote corners of the county and some
were wen from other counties. All
manifest the great interest in the trial.
At 10 o'clock, the appointed hour.
court convened promptly, Judge Fred
Moore, of Asheville, presiding. With
their characteristics system High
Sheriff J.. G.. Butler, Clerk L. w. STAN
ley and their efficient assistants soon
had the session ready to consider it's
important task. From that time until
the closing hou the smoothness and
Quickness with which business was dis
patched vas remarkable. There was
never a delay for a single mOmen and
yet each question that arose was care
fully considered.
The entire session was consumed in
the selection of a jury, but even that
length of time was less than anticipat-
ed for the accomplishment Of such an
important object.
Counse for the state made but very
few OBJECTIONS to any of the jurors
presented for rejection or acceptance,
but the counsel for the state probed
deep into every jurors qualifications.
As usual a number was excused for
having served on juries within the two
years limit, but still more were excused
for having formed and expressed opin-
lens of the defendants guilt and not
being able to consider themselves as
capable Of filling the duties of an i'm
partial juror. The defendants counsel
Were most thorough in their eXamina-
ton and succeeded in composing the
jury Of all non residents of Whiteville.
though they exhausted all but one Of
their peremptory challenges in order to
do so.
The able counsel representing the
state conducted their side of the jury
Selecting in a fearless and impartial
and at all times evinced the
fact that only jurors, who would be I'M
biased in the face OF the evidence. were
desired by them.
JURY SELECTED.
The shades of night a just COM
menced to screen the light of day from
human vision when the last of the
twelve men, who have before them al
~unenviable but necessary duty, was &C
cepted by both sides as a fit juror.
With the completion of the jury Judge
Moore ordered the em%panneling. At
this point Hon. John D. Bellamy lodged
a motion for a mistrial on the ground
that the case Of H. B. Register not
being a capital one it was wrong to
have selected a jury to pass upon his
case from the special venire.
Colonel N. A. Mclean replied to this
motion by contending hat it was