The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-22
DID He ASSAULT
HIS DAUGHTER2
Russell Eaton Jailed on
Capital Charge.
WHIPPED THE GIRL
That is All the Crime, Says Prisoner
Who Gives a CircumstantiaI Tale
of "Contentious" Mother, cam
bilious" Daughter and
'!PIay" LAWYERS.

Russell Eaton, colcred. who lives in
the country about two miles from
Wake Forest. was brought to Wake
county Jail yesterday morning by
Deputy Sheriff N. p. Mangum and
locked up on the capital charge OF
criminal assault on his own daugh-
ter. Josie Eaton, sixteen years of
age.
The assault is alleged to have been
committed on Tuesday last at the
home of the defendant, and the prose
cutting witnesses are Eaton's wife and
the daughter who is said to have been
outraged.
A preliminary trial was had before
magistrate at Wake Forest on We'd
nesday and the defendant committed
TO Jail, of course without opportunity
TO give bond.
Eaton has once or twice been in
the tolls for selling liquor without
license, but so far as is known, tho
present is the first serious charge thai
has been brought against him.
Says 1t Was Whipping. :
Eaton was seen yesterday in the
Jail and talked freely and in a tone
expressive of a man suffering from a
gross miscarriage of justice. He
denies the charge in toto, claiming
that the sum and substance of the
offense was whipping which he ad-
ministered to his daughter on Tuesda
last.
There amt nothing in hit at all.
sir he declared as he peeped earn
eStly through the small squares OF
the cell bars. "Hit all jest come about
because de gals mother was conten
tious and de gal was ambitious.
Hit was jest like dis: 1 tole de gal
to go down to de kawn patch an she
wouldn't go, an 1 jest ketched hop of
her an gin her a whippin.
Den her mother had to go an
rare around an git contentious an
she went over to Wake Forest an got
to tellin' dis here thing around an
den de officer he done come out an
rest me.
Den de ole 'ooman an de- gal
both got sorry an we fixed everything
up all right in err comprimize.
What are you doing here then .
"WeIl. sir, hit was this way: de ole
CONAN had done gone an got de gal
ambitious an dey had gone an tole
dis here sEthing III Wake Forest bu
when we come to have de trial we
thought everything was done COM
printed, an some of them young play
lawyers what is goin' to school at
Jest for fun. an first thing / knoWs
Use done convicted"
but how is it that your wife and
daughter testified against you"
Because a man Skeered EN-. he
done tot 'em dat if dey toll one thing
the day befo an another thing today,
dey would be in de same fix wha!
Use in.
"Yessir she's my own chile. Yessii
an all dis trouble jest cause her
mother made her ambitious. l tell
yer, hits mighty hard-me wild tep
chilllin an a one-horse farm here in
Jail jest cause my ole CONAN had 10
30 an git contentious!
The above is as nearly as can be
reproduced the conversation which
/ had with Eaton in the Jail yester
day. He appeared in the dim light
of the Jail to be tall, copper-colored
negro, upwards of fifty, with a BLACK
musfache and a bald head. His fore
head is high, his features strong and
he seems to be fairly intelligent In
talk he has the peculiar genius OF
the negro for dragging in large anc
meaningless words. although except
when excited. he does net use tn.
negro dialect.
Altogether, Eaton tells probable
tale in his defense in manner that
smacks of the truth.
1t is understood that the matter
will scarcely reach the grand Jury III
the form of presentment for the CAPT
tai offense.