The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-08-18
IN EIGHT MINUTES
First Of Hodges Murderers is
Doomed at Statesbcro.
WILL CATO FOUND GUILTY
Court Does Quick Work at Opening
Session-Horriale Details Of the
Bloody Work of Fiends TcId
ky Witness.

The special session Of the Bulloch
! county superior court convened in
: Statesboro Monday morning at 10
~ o'clock for the trial Of the MUIR
! ierers Of the Hodges family. By day
| light the people were coming from
ali the surrounding country, in bug.
gies, wagons and all manner Of yehi-
clcs. Every train that entered the
town brought tremendous crowds.
| Both railroads put on several extra
coaches to accommodate the crowds
coming from a distance. All the ad-
! joining counties were we'll represent
ed, there being no less than 200 men
f1om Tattnall. nearly as many from
Emanuel and large number from
! Screve1, Laurels and Bryan.
Rev. Hernon Hodges, Of Texas. for
merly CT Bul.och county, brother Of
1.-The murdered man, was present and
| opened the court with prayer and az
terwards made a short address to the
crowd, in which ne begged mis- listen
ers not to do anything rasn, but to let
the law take its due course. He made
a very eloquent and touching appeal
to the people Of the county, and it is
,, believed that his address had a great
deal to do with keeping down any dis
turbance.
On the opening of court. the grand
Jury was quickly called, and Judge
Daily charged them as to the special
investigation before them and they re-
turned bill before noon against Paul
Reed and Will Catoe.
A number Of witnesses were put On
the stand for the state, the two
strongest being j. C. Zeal. who was
the nearest neignbor of the murdered
family, and Harriet Reed, wife of Paul
Reed. one of the defendants. The
latter was allowed to testify as
against Will Catoe, the court ruling
that she could not testify against her
husband.
Mr.. Deal told of going to the scene
of the fire on the night of the crime
and Of his discovering the fact that
the bodies OF Mr. Hodges and his fam.
lily were in the flames. He told OF
finding blood in various places in the
yard and in the lane near the house,
and of the search made next day for
evidence in the case He told Of find.
ing the tell-tale shoes, misnated
pair being found near the premises
o. the crime, and their mates being
found in Paul Reeds house. He testi.
fed that Paul Reeds wife had On a
dress of the same material as string
with which one Of the shoes was laced
that was found at the scene Of the
killing. One of the shoes wes found
to have blood on it, and they were
damp. showing their recent use. it hav'
ing rained on the night Of the crime.
Herriet Reed, wife Of Paul Reed,
testified that her husband and Will
Catoe went from her house to Mr..
Hodges ON the night of the crime,
that they made two trips there tcg1=h-
er. the second trip having been male
after they had killed all the family ex.
cept cne Of the little children. and that
Il was on this second trim that they
found her hid behind trunk and killed
her and set fire to the house. She
said they came back after matches
and that Will Catoe told her they had
] killed Mr.. Hodges and all his people.
| She testified that when they finally
4 came back, after the burning, about l
o'clock in the night, they told her III
about the killing and she gave all the
gruesome details Of their horrible
crime just as they told it to her. She
said they threatened her if she ever
told it that she would be killed. and
she explained that was the reason she
didn't tell anything Until after they
had both been caught.
Her story corresponds in every de-
tail with what she told before the
coroner's inquest. Both Of the defend
ants showed signs of restlessness dur
ing her testimony. Reed seemed at
times to be greatly amused at parts OF
her story.
Catoe made short statement and
admitted that he was asked by Reed
to go with him and three other ne
groes, whose names he did not give. to
| Mr.. Hodges house. but that he did
not go, but went to his own home. He
denied having anything to DO with the
crime.
At 7:1s o'clock Monday night the
Jury returned verdict Of guilty
against Catoe, after being out eight
minutes. Judge DAILY Immediately cd
journei court until $3.50 o'clock Tues
day morning, without passing sem
tence on the prisoner.