The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1905-12-13
THE CIRCUIT COURT.
THE TRIBUNAL BUSY WITH MURDER
CASES.
Stanton SWearanein and Jeff Sauls Ac-
quilted Vim. Dunn Now on
Trial.
THE GRAND JURY MAKES ITS FINAL
REPORT.
Whisky Drinking and Pistol Toting by
Young Men the Chief Cause of
Crime,

The third week of Circuit Court
opened Monday morning, with
seven murder cases on the docket
for trial. Judge Wilkinson an
nounced that owing to the time
required to try these cases and
others on the criminal docket the
civil docket would not be taken
up again until the latter part of
the term, if at all.
Jeff Sauls, white, and William
Davis, colored, indicted jointly
for the murder of Sim Stovall,
colored, William Dunn and Mar
ion Mckee, white, and Rafe Mar
shall, Louis Sperry, Jim Hunter
and George Bolls, oolored, were
all in Jail when court was called to
answer to indictments for murder.
Since our Saturdays report
the case of Stanley Swearapgen,
the negro charged with murder
ing Eugene Diokey at a picnic on
the Rrister dummy line, has been
concluded, the jury having re-
turned a verdict Of not guilty.
In the case of the State VS..
John Sartin, the defendant plead
ed guilty to assault and battery
with intent to kill, and was SEN
fenced 10 pay a fine of $50 and
Iserve six months in the county
jail.
The case Of the State VS.. JEFF
Sauls and WIN. Davis was taken
up promptly Monday morning.
The defendants we're charged with
the murder of Sim Stovall about
two months ago, All these
parties live in the south eastern
portion of the county, the defend
ants living about 2 miles from
the home of Sim StovaII. It WY
shown that Josie Davis. the wife
of Sim Stovall, had died, leaving
a will devlsing all her estate to
VIM. Davis, her son, and that
Sim Stoyall, Davis step-father.
was made executor in the will.
After his mothers death VIM.
Davis lived on the place Of Perry
Price, where Jeff Sauls also lived.
Davis made efforts, after his
mothers death, to get possession
of all the property willed to him
by her, a part of which was an in
suranoe policy. But Stovall, the
executor, insisted on carrying out
the terms of the will. In the
mean time Davis married and
made further efforts to get into
his possession the household goods
belonging to his mothers estate.
1t was shown that Davis had
planned and talked with sauls
about killing Stovall, and that
Davis left his home with Sauls
aboUt IL or 12 O'Clock on the
night Stovall was killed and re-
turned about 8 o'clock next morn
ling. One witness also testified
that Davis confessed in the Jail to
having planned with Sauls to put
Stovall out of the way SO that
some one else could be appointed
his guardian and stated that Sauls
did the shooting. After the testi-
mony was all in and the argu-
ments concluded, the jury was out
only few minutes when they re-
turned verdict acquitting Saufs
and finding Davis guilty as charg-
led and fixing his punishment at
life imprisonment IN the peniten-
tiary.
The acguittaI of sauIs was
a plain and paIpable miscarriage
of justice. The evidence and
facts in the ease showed that he is
"a white Niger" who practices
social equality, planned the mul-
der, if he did not actually do the
shooting, and WAS worse crimi~
nal than bis .black confederate,
VIM. Davis. Such a man is as
certain to be heard from IN the
future criminal annals of the
county as that the sun shines.
He is to be tried Thursday on
an Indictment for unlawful cohab-
itation with a negress.
The demurrer in the case Of
Geo. Ratclif, by next friend, ETC.,
Tvs. hearl River Lumber Co. ct al,
was submitted to be considered in
vacation.
Ihe case of VIM. Dunn, charg-
ed with the murder Of Anse
ISmith, Jr., who lived about Z
miles southwest Of Brookhayen,
IS being tried as this report goes
lin. The principals in this TRACE
1dy ale all well known white men
land the case is attracting much
interest. The district attorney
| and 2. q. Jones are representing
| the State and A. G. and j. w.
| McNair the defendant. The jury
| from q special venire was empan-
leled by noon yesterday, and by 5
Io'clock in the afternoon the testi-
mony of the State was all in.
/ The testimony for the State is
4 that on Dec. "a, 1904, Anse
i Smith, Jr., and Sam Wooten, at
Wm. Dunn's home had quarrel
land that Dunn took the part Of
! Wooten. Wooten had drawn bis