The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-02


 Decatur. May 1.-(Special )-The ju- ry in the case of the State vs. Harvey Smith charged with the murder of Miss Belle Bloodworth. in New Decatur, on January Fist. was selected before court adjourned for dinner and upon the reconvening of court at 2 o'clock this afternoon the trial of the case was commenced.
 The jurymen are all farmers resid- ing in beats remote from the city. All who were summoned on the\ special venire who resided in the Decaturs were turned down as jurymen from the fact that almost every man in the Decaturs has expressed an opinion in the case. The attorneys for the defense made a strong effort to tangle the witnesses for the State and thus weaken the evidence. but they made failure.
 The evidence for the State will all be in by noon tomorrow and the de- fense will close their evidence before night. The probabilities are that the ease will go to the jury tomorrow night and that a verdict will be had before midnight.
 The evidence for the State thus far Is most damaging to the defense and one Of the strongest witnesses for the State against Smith was his own son, a bright negro boy, aged fourteen He said that he saw Miss Bloodworth leave Wilkinson's store about six in the evening and that his father and John Collier followed her. He said he then went home and that his fa- tner came there about 12 o'clock and gave his mother pint of whiskey.
 He was blowing hard and wanted me to go off and gave me two oranges 10 go said the boy. T heard Collier tell my father. Harvey you killed that girl No I didn't, said father. you killed her. and then he told me not to say anything about it.
 Victims Body MutiIated.
 Dr. B. w. Watson told how the body of Miss Bloodworth had been mu- tilated and said she had also been raped. He stated that the wounds which sine received on the head, five in all. two punctures in the temples. two ticks from the forehead extending on both sides of the left face and a yer tical lick across the eyes caused her death. but that she must nave fingered fully an hour or more before death came to her relief He gave his opin- lon that the stick of stovewood which was found near the scene of the crime and which was produced in court was the instrument used.
 Cape Curry. son of Dr. Curry, pastor of the Central Baptist Church. testi- fled as to how he and her father had found the young lady lying dead in the alley between 10 and Il o'clock at night
 T. D. Wilkinson and his wife tes- tified that Miss Bloodworth was in their store between and o'clock and telephoned to her mother that she would he home at once They stated that Harvey Smith was in the storo at the time and heard the conversation over the telephone.
 Mattie Clark. a bright colored girl. aged twelve years, employed by Mrs. Wilkinson. was in the store at the same time and testified to ithe same facts.
 John Kirkwood, colored, wno works at the oil mill, testified that Collier and Smith held many private conyer- Humes. who also worked there, testi- fled to the same thing.
 ssWe Murdered That Girl"
 Henry Bailey, colOred. testified that Smith told him myself and Collier would as well give up for we murdered that girl,''
 Annie Martin, colored. testified. Harvey Smith was at my hcpse when got home about o'clock and re- mained there some time before leav- ing" She said Detective Lance had told her he would send her to the coal mines if she told this.
 Sam Briggsby. colored, said Smith was his cousin and that he had told him that he was in trouble; that he and John Collie? were into 1t Tor murdering that white girl and no mat ter where they went they would be killed"
 Court adjourned at 6 o'clock to re- convene at S:30 o'clock in the morn ing.
 The city is quiet tonight. although there is considerable talk, as the peo- pie are of the opinion that the State has made out its case.
 Tine military camp here has been named Camp W. H. McKleroy.
 Guarded by Militia.
 The three negroes, John Collier and a. Harvey Smith, charged with the mur- der of Miss Belle Bloodworth on Jan nary 21, in New Decatur. and Will Iaekson. who shot and killed Officer "a I,. Steele in this city last Friday, were brought here for trial at 10 o'clock this morning In charge of Sher- inf James Wiggins, of this county, ac- coupanied by a company of State mil itfa. in command of Capt. R. L. Greg orv of the Jefferson Volunteers.
 The special which brought the sol- diers and prisoners here was backed up on a switch track near the Court House and county jail, where the pris- oners were taken of and escorted to aha ial by the militia. Fully thous-