The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-11-30
CIRCUIT COURT.
JUDGE WILKINSON DELIVERS A RING.
ING CHARGE AGAINST WHITE
Gaping.
The Grand Jury Returned Several True
Bills Yesterday.

XIV " ~ Wv AAt4 AFA-A - 80 - =
1.-THE Lincoln County Circuit Court
lconvened on Monday morning.
Judge NJ. II. Wilkinson. District
! Attorney j.. b. Webb and the
county court officers were all
promptly at their posts.
BY reason Of the white cap sit
Iuation, this is the most important
tern of court held ii the county
lin many years, and when court
Twas called the court room was
lcroWded to overfiowing with an
anxious throng on the tip-toe Of
Expectancy to hear the Judges
/ charge and see what would be
ldone.
/ AS the white cap organization
binds its members not to digulge
its secrets and to stand by each
lother in the courts, under pain OF
death, the court took much time
land pains in selecting and empan-
|eling the grand jury. Ever since
1.-THE jury list for this term of court
Twas drawn and published, it has
been know to the executive COM
Imittee of the Law and Order
League that there we're a number
/ of persons on il who we're mem
1bers of the farmers protective
league or white cap organization.
Judge Wilkinson, who had been
acquainted with this fact, drew
the line on all such persons and
they were excused. When d good
lgrand jury Of sixteen members,
mostly farmers, had been secured
| by this kind of cuIling process,
/ IL. ". Becker was sworn in as
foreman and John Ready appoint
1 ed bailiff.
Judge Wilkinson's charge was
listened TO with breathless atten-
tion by the packed audience pres
ent. It was one Of the strongest,
most direct, patriotic and courag-
eous ever delivered in Mississip-
pi, and produced a profound NOR
al effect. It dealt mainly with the
crime of while Gaping in Lin
coln, Franklin and Amite coun-
ties and its cognate evils, though
other matters were briefly touch
ed upon. Men ofintelligence and
prominence, who had gone into
1.-THE organization and given their.
names and influence to misIead
the young and ignorant, were es-
pecially pilloried and held up as
the ones who should be condemn
led and held to the strictest ac-
count. All Of his hearers we're
warned against ever connecting
themselves with any organization
which met in secret, under cover
lof darkness, excepting only the
well-known benevolent secret So
cieties, and the aIjbi liars were
soIennly warned to keep out of
lthis court and pleaded with to
keep their wives cut and save
them humiliation when they we're
called on to answer for their mid
might crimes. All members of
/ the organization were admonished
Ito make an honest confession of
their guilt and take their medi-
1cine like men.
The Judge stated chat the entire
four weeks Of the term would be
consumed, il necessary, In dispos-
ling Of the criminal docket and
that a special term would be held
lthe third Monday b January for
1.-THE disposal of civil cases. The
jury was instructed to give first
Iattention to the cases of persons
lin jail, and then proceed with the
lother business before them and
take all the time necessary for it's
faithful discharge.
When the jury was excused to
retire to its room, the foreman
was informed by the court that
the full number of 20 provided
for BY law would be supplied la
tier, and Judge Wilkinson then ap-
.Epointed as talismen j. w. Nc
4 lFrath, W. Ell. Seavey. David
Cohn and B. z. Hobbs, whose
knowledge OF the entire white cap
lsituation, BY reason Of being
members Of the executive commit
ltee Of the law and order league,
i the court rightly judged will
greatly facilitate the work Of the
grand inquest.
The jury, as finally constituted,
stands as follows 3. W. Becker,
foreman; j. e. Sasser, W. K.
i Wood, We q. Douglass, Joe
i WoolIey, Z. I. Summers, W. %.
Sutton W d Jordan, w ".
/ Mlnton, j. IA. Purth, Andy Greer,
4 2. j. freeman, G. ID. Price, VIZ.
4 J. Walker, 81 W. McGrath, Da.
Vid Cobn, III. Seavey and b,
/ T.. Hobbs.
The jury proceeded to work
promptly and yesterday evening
Reported true bills against Oscar
and VIII Franklin, Henry Lotion,
Nill Porter, white cappers now
lin Jail for murder and
against John Smith, the be-
lgro who killed Joe Wealth
efsby and scnnie johnson ID .
f /.