Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-08-17

Statesboro, Ca, August 16.-WiIl
Cato, the negro jointly indicted with
Paul Reid for the murder of the Hod-
ges family was found guilty last night.
The jury was out just eight minutes,
returning the verdict at 7:18 o'clock.
Judge DAILY adjourned court until to.
day without passing sentence on the
prisoner.
Paul Reid was placed on trial whey
court convened this morning.
Court opened yesterday afternoon
with the railing around the bar GOV.
cred with soldiers from Savannah. The
crowd was so dense that for a con.
siderable time business was complete
ly suspended. One indictment was re-
turned again Reid and Cato for the
murder of Henry R. Hodges alone i'm.
mediately after the court opened. The
negroes are both mulattoes, or have
at least considerable white blood in
their veins Cato appeared to be the
most intelligent He was the first
arraigned.
1t was matter Of surprise to those
not familiar with the courts to see how
few jurors were disqualified, but for
strikes of the defense the Jury could
have been selected from the first Is.
names called. The number was easi
ly obtained from the panel of 48.
Woodcock, the first witness, saw the
fire which destroyed the Hodges home
about 10 o'clock. He rang the bell to
alarm the neighbors The house was
burned down when he arrived. He
saw two of the burned bodies.
J. c. Deal was the next witness. He
said bedding appeared to have been
placed on the body of Mr.. Hodges. The
witness explained a diagram of the
premises. He saw the track of Mrs
Hodges. She came from her house
and where she ran to the house she
wasfOllowed by one track pursuing
her. He saw pool of blood and
marks on the ground of a struggle
From there to the house there were
only two tracks as if carrying a bur
den. Drops of blood reached to the
house. He found pair of old mis-
matched shoes about $50 yards from
the house. There was blood on the
shoes. On one was the hair of a
white woman stuck to it by turpentine
gum.
II had seen Paul Reid with shoes
like the ones found" declared the
witness. The shoes were tied up with
a calico string that was found similar
to the strip in the house of Paul Reid
heard Paul Reid admit that they were
his shoes. A coat and shoe were
found in Cato's house. This shoe was
similar to the one that made one OF
the tracks. There was blood on the
shoe and blood on the coat.
The witness said he also found under
wear which Cato admitted belonged td
him, with blood stains on it. The
underwear was in the wash tub.
He said Reid and Cato lived about
a mile and a half from the Hodges
home. Neither of them went to the
burned house until carried there. All
the other neighbors came.
Sam Smith found the shoes. The
first shoe found had blood on it. The
other had hair of a womans head
stuck to it by gum turpentine. Reme1
Deal found a knife near the log where
Paul Reid's shoes were found. Isaac
Atkins, H. H. Moore and Pleasant Bran
men identified the shoes as Paul Reid's.
Harriet Reid, who made the con.
fession soon after the murder that he1
husband, Paul Reid, and VIII Cato
committed the crime, was placed on
the stand She said in part:
Cato lived about a half mile from
our house. He came to see us often.
On the night of the murder he came
to the house about o'clock. He
went out with my husband in the dt
rection of the Hodges home. Soon
afterward he returned with my hus
band
SoIO uIu 1OI COIIIC IuIO the mousse.
My husband said they only wanted
some matches and were going out
again.
"The two men returned again be.
tween l and o'clock in the morn.
ing Cato told me they had killed
the Hodges family and burned up the
house. Cato said Reid killed Mr..
Hodges, but he himself slew Mrs.
Hodges and the children, except one
little girl, whom they missed
Realizing that there was little
girl left to tell the tale, the two men
decided t. 20 back and Eill her
''rhe lfJIIe girl was found hidden
behind a trunk. They then killed
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