The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-24

TRIAL AND CONVICTION OF JOHN
BROADNAX.

gro Broadnax of the murder or olu
man RIair in Rockingham county. The
crime was committed on March l9th.
On April 18th the prisoner was put on
trial at a special term of court and pc
fore the court had adjourned for the
night the jury had rendered a verdict
of guilty of murder in the first degree.
Judge Long, who presided, sentenced
the defendant to be hanged on May 22d.
The Reidsvflle Review of the 18th closes
it's account of the trial as follows:
His Honor's charge to the jury cover
ed about thirty minutes and was a
splendid review of the evidence and a
timely explanation of the law with
reference to all such crimes. At 11:15
D. m. HI ordered the jury to retire, in
structing that he would receive the YER
dict before ne retired if they would be
ready within fifteen minutes. Other
wise, he said, the jury must be carried
to the hotel and given apartments to
themselves. Sheriff Pinnix then dis
missed court and Judge Long retired to
his room in the hotel.
Before the fifteen minutes had ex-
pired the deputy in charge Of the jury
had sent for him. He had Sheriff Pin
nix to court, and even at this
late hour it was estimated that at least
200 people were in the building.
During the most important scene Of
a most remarkable trial the defendant
still maintained that stolid Indifference
which has characterized his demeanor
from the time he was taken into Gus
today by the officers at the scene Of the
horrible crime.
When court reconvened yesterday
morning Judge Long passed sentence,
naming Friday, May 22nd, between the
hours of II and 2 p. m as the time for
the hanging. His talk affected the
prisoner perceptably and it was notice
able tina his body shook with nervous
ness. Great beads Of perspiration stood
out on his face, and he walked with an
unsteady step back to the prison.
The evidence against the defendant
was direct and positive. In fact he
went upon the witness stand and testi-
fed not in his own behalf, but against
himself. He said a negro named Nat
Fuller made him commit the crime;
that Fuller went with him to Mr..
Blair's place and stopped near the
house while he went into it to do the
horrible deed. His only excuse for
obeying the negro was tha the latter
was larger than himself and threatened
to whip him if he did not kill Bair and
his niece: that the object of the muir
der was to obtain Blair's money which
was supposed to be hid in the house.
The negro's demeanor upon the witness
stand and the testimony of the wit |
nesses who reached the premises soon
after the murder and found the negro
ransacking the house would indicate
hat he was of a very low order of in
telligence. to say the least; but there
youth of ordinary sense. His grand
mother who raised him. is reported by
Review as testifying as follows:
"Sallie Courts said she was the
grand mother of John: that he left her
on the End of last November to work
~ ~As SANA. OA IN AAS( VI Nd III
he hired to him again. He got to
thinking he was a man and came down
and got his clothes and walked off"
Cross examined, she said he was ac-
tive and quick minded and knew how
do. He could have been a great help
to me in my old age if he would"
There vas evidence that the defend
ant was in his 18th year.
This was q remarkable case. The
murder was most deliberate, and if
ever a criminal deserved the death SEN
tence this one did.
There must be some truth in the story
Broadnax told as to there being anoth-
er person implicated in the crime. 1t
is to be hoped that this negro Fuller.
or whoever ~instigated the murder, can
be run down and be made to pay the
penalty of his crime. II the substance
of the negro's testimony be true there
is another as guilty in the eye of the
law and morally more so thar ne; for
this negro would never have conceived
carried out the preparation of the
crime in so deliberate { manner.
1t would seem that the pistol used by
might play an important part
in the investigation of this part of the
crime. There seems to have been no
further attention given to the weapon
after :. vas taken from the negro at
the t:cc of his capture in the Blair
house.
Miss SalIie Walker, the niece of the