The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-26
PARIS IS GIVEN DEATH SENTENCE Meridian Trial Lasted Less
 Than Two Days WILL HANG ON APRIL % Jury Remained Out But Forty Minutes. Defendant Killed Mail Clerk
 John r. Stockton on
 A. G. s. Train.
WILL HANG ON APRIL %

John T.. stockton on
 A. G. s. Train. l Meridian Miss, March 25.-(Special.)- :. At 5:15 this afternoon the jury in the I Stockton murder trial returned a verdict
 of guilty against Jim Paris. and Judge
 Hall immediately sentenced the prisoner
 to be hanged on Monday, April %, be- | tween the hours of 10 a.. m. and p. m.
 The jury was out only forty minutes and the verdict was given after little or no discussion.
 | Paris broke down slightly upon reeeiv- | ing the announcement of the verdict ana
 asked for the mercy of the court. The verdict is intensely satisfactory to | the people of Meridian, who feel that the | law has been vindictaed. The trial last | ed but day and half
 Enqineer on the Stand.
 When the afternoon session of the trial
 was resumed the defense put Engineer
 Dave Coker on the stand, who testified that he had known Jim Paris for sev- | eral years and always considered him to | be a peaceable negro, and one Of good l character
 l c. c, Johnston next took the stand and | testified that he knew Joe Murray and | that he resembled the defendant some what. except that he was taller and darker He said that he had seen Joe , Murray about a week before the tragedy | in Meridian and had spoken to him. Mur-
 ray he said had a dark overcoat on his | arm and the overcoat had dark lining. | George Mason testified that he had | known Paris several years and that ne | bore a good reputation.
 T. Champenos took the stand and stat | ed that he had known Paris for four fr4aA hn | good reputation as the average negro. For the past two and half years he
 knew nothing about Paris.
 This concluded the testimony and the | defense rested.
 Court Room Was Crowded. | The circuit court room was crowded when the trial began this morning. The prisoner appeared to be as well as usual, | but had a more hopeless look in his face
 than ever. T. B. Ivans, a mail weigher. l took the stand and told the story of the murder He was asked if he knew Mir. l Stockton He answered in the affirma- l tive He was asked if the defendant was | the man who shot Stockton and he said yes He said that he was in the mail l car and heard the shots and saw Stock | ton down and Bass falling. He had to run towards the assaiant to get out the | door and one shot was fired at him as | he pumped from the door. Witness stat
 ed that he jumped straight out and fell on his back and shoulder.
 | He was cross-questioned closely by Captain Fewell and stated that he saw no one else jump from the train. He
 ran back to the station and notified the depot officials that the train had been held up. Witness declared that he was positive that Paris was the man who committed the murder. Captain Fewell asked witness how he could identify this | IV.1t H.r. onds under great excitement. Witness l replied that the circumstances fixed the | face of the negro indeliby upon his mind. | He was questioned closely regarding his | Identification of Paris at the jail two | days after the murder. Witness persist | ed in his statement that Paris was the | man who killed Stockton, and never ad- mitted that he had any doubts about the matter.
 Defendant Became Nervous. l During the questioning of the witness | Paris looked nervous, and the perspIra- | tion gathered upon his face in great beads I although the court room was not exceed | ingly warm.
 Witness stated that he did not know | whether the train had stopped not 1 when he Jumped off He did not stop to
 see and heard no sound of air brakes be- | ing put on.
 | When Ivans completed his testimony he | was notified by Judge Hall that he must | remain in the custody of the sheriff until | time could. be found to investigate the | charge of contempt of court against him. | M M Warren, United States postof- | fee inspector, took the stand. He said he was in Meridian on the morning of | the murder and went to the scene about | 5:30 a. m. He was given fragments of reg | istered letters by MT. James Guy, the engineer, before he went to the spot and | he found others near a lumber pile not | far from the scene of the murder Other
 packages were given him by Officers | Home and Price, who had arrested Paris. | Ten packages were missing from the car | and all the fragments were found. Saw Him In Jail. Chief Bendsworth of the Meridian po- | lice force was put on the stand. He said | he first saw Paris the morning after the | murder in jail. Paris told Bendsworth that Joe Murray had asked him to help | rob the train on the night before. Paris stated that he was riding on the outside
 of the car and fell off, and that Jo Murray
 came and found him and hit him over the
 head with his pistol, saying, You - -
 I have no further use for you" Cross questioned, Chief Bendsworth said he had no interest in the reward offered by the government.
 l.. c. Monette took the stand and stated substantially the same facts as given by Chief Bendsworth, as he was present when the chief interrogated the prisoner.
 Judge Hall said that he didn't consider
 that the witness had a good excuse and accordingly fined him s10o.
 Counsel for defense asked the judge to adjourn until o'clock as he desired to get some character witnesses. This was