The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-08-19

ana inflicted bayonet wounds up
on some of their assailants, were
overpowered. The State.
Following is the Story Of the Trag-
edy and the Trial Of the Negroes,
Cato and Reid, who were Burned
at the Stake. ~
Statesboro, Ca, August 16.-Will
Cato, the negro Jointly indicted with
Paul Reid for the murder of the Hod.
ges family, was found guilty last night.
The jury was out just eight minutes,
returning the verdict at 7:1S O'Clock.
Judge DAILY adjourned court until to-.
day without passing sentence on the
prisoner.
Paul Reid was placed on trial when
court convened this morning.
Court opened yesterday afternoon
with the railing around the Bar Gov.
cred with soldiers from Savannah. The
crowd was so dense that for a con.
siderable time business was complete.
ly suspended. One indictment was re.
turned again Reid and Cato for the
murder of Henry R. Hodges alone i'm
nediately after the court opened. The
negroes are both mulattoes, or have
at least considerable white blood in
their veins. Cato appeared to- ofbe the
most intelligent. He was tha> first
arraigned 81
1t was mattekof surprise to those
not familiar with the courts to see how
few jurors eresdisqualified but for
strikes of the defense the jury could
have been selected from the first Is.
names called. The number was east.
ly obtained from the panel of 4s.
Woodcock, the first witness, saw the
fire which destroyed the Hodges home,
about 10 o'clock. He rang the bell to
alarm the neighbors. The house was
burned down when he arrived He
saw two OF the burned bediel
]. G. Deal was the next witness. He
said bedding appeared to have been
placed on the body of Mr.. Hodges. The
witness explained a diagram OF the
PIcnirsos.-- oan tf.vz.., ay,>-JI MR.
Hodges She came from her house
and where she ran to the house she
wasfollowed by one track pursuing
her. He saw a pool OF blood and
marks on the ground of a struggle.
From there to the house there were
only two tracks as If carrying a bur.
den. Drops of blood reached to the
house. He found pair OF old mis-.
m oh
the house. There was blood on the
shoes On one was the hair of a
white woman stuck to 1t by turpentine
gum. -
II had seen Paul Reid with shoes
like the ones found" declared the
witness. The shoes were tied up with
a calico string that was found similar
to the strip in the house of Paul Reid.
Iheard Paul Reid admit that they were
his shoes. A coat and shoe were
found in Cato's house. This shoe was
similar to the one that made one of
the tracks. There was blood ON the
shoe and blood on the coat.
The witness said he also found under.
wear which Cato admitted belonged to
him, with blood stains on it. The
underwear was in the wash tub.
He said Reid and Cato lived about
mile and half from the hodges
home. Neither Of them went to the
burned house until carried there. All
the other neighbors came.
Sam Smith found the shoes. The
first shoe found had blood on 1t. The
other had hair of woman's head
stuck to 1t by gum turpentine. Remer
Deal found knife near the log where
Paul Reid's shoes were found. Isaac
Atkins, H. H. Moore and Pleasant Bran
men identified the shoes as Paul Reid's
Harriet Reid, who made the CON
fession soon after the murder that her
husband, Paul Reid. and Will Cato
committed the crime, was placed on
the stand. She said In part:
Cato lived about half mile from
our house. He came to see us often
On the night of the murder he came
to the house about o'clock. He
went out with my husband in the di
rection Of the Hodges home. Soor
afterward he returned with my hus
band.
"Cato did not come into the house
My husband said they only wanted
some matches and were going out
again.
THE two men returned again be
tween and Q o'clock in the morn
Ing. Cato told me they had killed
the Hodges family and burned up the
house. Cato said Reid killed Mr.
Hodges, but he himself slew Mrs
Hodges and the children. except ON,