The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-14

me chief point Of contention Is over
\ ~ chnree t,i-ayriininnl assault, which the
# trisonel denies, Mrs. Shields also says
" there was no criminal assault p't llef
& statement Is taken MS one mace le me.
funrjiy under tho circumstances inc
point Is really not one OF very grs', ~ III !.
! hortance, so far as confession III.
II ID concerned The prisoner has adn,il t,'
stcyerythlnE clse--hls presence III ny y,
n j.n,:sc the robbery the attack upon we
mother and child. III tnatc was crih1n ~.
nstn,ilt and the court will ascertain tl Us
A fact. it58is Uncomfortable tllht hhspo'S
II l.,it Williams was tie pcrpetrator.
AT Nil events, Williams denies, wv IN, ~,
Mss strcnuo,islS, that lie did more t'l''i
st IA, ,,d stril,r, He says no thought OF
II ANYTHING else ever entered his ipau..A
y stn,Ir,, AZ cnrnestness entered his ANoice
4 as4he spoke OF this phase OF tl,e case .,.,,,
" II swear before God Almighty, l VII
ia,to8o5fh in any court, that ! did lio'th'
ing else. he said.
Plea Of Lunacy.
II seems that in tho seclusion Of ms
q ccll{willians has suddenly bethought mn.
!, ~ J, fncc,,lIar tendency that might be OF
u nvni ln II court-room win lhe s'iho
Oil smile, that constantly SINKS NV, nv y
5lcer. lie told his tale yesterday. ZIG %
intelligent and talks well.
.,'rhny say am moon struck, ne say >,
nl,castways, when the moon chillses =
get strange and curious, anu ~ ni1r ~ g.
out In the woods By myself IN Pehliss y
s,,n,n they kept the calendar on me anu
wntched me when the moon would give
mo q I'll. I'd have to wait till my senses
came back. When l had FIT l. ulun
know what / did or nothing. was III
IN insane asylum in Baltimore two years.
WASN'T exactly crazy, but the moon stNe
Win, ,1s n
and stole out, No. t,ts
when vnu committed the Roanoke CRIME!
..Yes, sir.r said Williams, slowly.
.rben YOU don't remember what you
did therc?o
me- ~,
}..And sou might have committed = ., a
4. criminal assault ana not known ~:
85S Williams tried to explain that this was
;mnossible. He said he had never done
5l5 % 'heforc but IL was recalled to MS nina
il,at he didn't know what lie did before
u when liz was lnoon-struck. He obstinate
il. perslstcd that he did nothing more
4 than rob and beat Mrs. Shields ~.
II am sorry + did that ne salo, VIZ W.
strange Inconsistency, after. he had tolo
s,,s''ii1nn5 -o,rddlipg tale with a smiling
face 81 don't know what made me go 70
the house. but / suddenly found mSseif
there n have been a. thousand times sol-
nv. / want to be forgiven. IT | hao ever
been in my right mind / would nov nave
hit her, | will ask her to forgive me.
Then II have to die VIII DC s SD tisi'eu'
for / want to be forgiven.
He said he realized now serious s,, ne he
was-that he would in all likelihood pc
! hanged He wanted toalive. he SAID, bue
even IL he did. he would be better salts
Itad If he could be forgiven,
Told His Tale Again.
The peculiar brute clement in the ne.
rro's character Is everywhere NAM liie e
in his account of what ne says nappsn-
II In the Shields house. 1t will be re-
called that Williams had before SAID ne
could remember nothing he did when he
,,.s ..n,oon- $ truck" The reporter drop
red this phase Of the conversation ana
save the negro chance to forset ~
Then he suddenly asked for fun state
1nent of what occurred. Without hesl-
ia ton the black man began at inc pe-
4 ginning and told 1T All.
pis sfaca wore the leer that is MS
most characteristic mark. He told how
he had approached the Shields house ana
..,nl,,, 10 a negro woman who came there
/ ron. FJc said he didn't know why nc
Zen, in but he did. lie knocked at the
4 door, and, getting no response, walked
IN. Then he told. as was recorded yes
tcrday in his confession. how he began
Is eatiin the pantry; how Mrs. shlelus
came in: how he struck ner with q
,o,chet and so on and so on, through
all the terrible tale. lie was ~ Is iteete'
al the blood.
II stood and pondered,n he said, and
was afraid. for saw the red blood
coming.
Hn said he struck the woman because
she kept following him, following nm
everywhere, and trying to protect her
hcme. Yet. oven after she was hit, she
Kept her feet.
.:ob She vas brave and nervy,' said
tbe wretch II was AFRAID of her |
iii, her"
The cowardls dog admitted his COW
ardsce. He told of another difficulty he
Lad had when II was right much of a
coward.
Tallktd Chilly.
,rhere was no hesitation in Williams
as he told his story He was glib and
smooth The reporter suggested to him
that he WAS a mOnumentai ltar. hut nc
81 otested time and again that he was tell.
n ing the truth When he was speaking OF
the assault he did not seem to be I'M
pressed with the horror OF 1t. The only
terrible thing lie seemed to see in it was
the penalty the law prescribes. He mea'
surcd his crime by the punishment Ant
lien suddenly he told how sorry he was
anG how he wanted forg lveness, Ia
might have been lying, but his earnest
ness was well feigned.
II may be as no says that he is {
peculiar creature, little removed from th'
beast subject to fits, Irresponsible mool
struck. There is 10 way to tell. II
talked for half-hour, and then the re
porter left with no Very clear idea Q
what to make Of the negro except tina
he was marvel Of bestiality,
Take Him to Roanoke.
The jail authorities expect that Wi
lams will be taken 10 Roanoke abon
Tuesday or Wednesday. There will, o
course, be strong military guard, TIL
danger of a riot '1ill he very great, an
the soldiers will be in no enviablc posi-
tion.
The father of Mrs. Shields wrote to Iii
son here yesterday that the people {
Roanoke were delighted at the captur
Of the man. He added that it was 9
dirty shame that Williams was not tax
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