Evening journal., 1905-04-25
NEGRO ASSAILANT
SAVED 10 YEARS
New Law Not Approved
When Crime Committed
at Harrington
GIVEN HEAVY SENTENCE, HOWL YER
Special to The Evening Journal

Dover. April 25.-The fact that Gov
ernor Lea did not approve the bill
possed by the recent Legislature. In
creasing the penalty for attempted fe-
lonious assault until near the end of
the session, saved Andrew Bradley,
colored, from serving ten additional
years In Jail
Bradley pleaded guilty in the Kent
county court today to this offense. his
victim being Mrs. Mena Hill, the wife
of young farmer near Harrington.
Early on the morning Of January 19
last. Mrs. Hin was awakened by the
negro trying to enter her bed. Her
screams aroused her husband and the
negro escaped.
The assailant who was employed as
farm hand by Mr. Hm was captured
the same day while hiding I'm the barn.
The enrged husband would have
chOked him to death but for the in
ltercession of his wife and the fact that
the negro confessed and promised to
plead guilty i'm court.
SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS.
The last General Assembly Increased
the penalty for this crime from ten
years to twenty years imprisonment
and when Bradley had pleaded guilty
the court held a. consultation i'm order
to determine the sentence Finally
Chief Justice Lore sentenced him to
ten years Imprisonment and $500 hne.
In pronouncing sentence, the Chief
Justice said: The ohense for which
you have pleaded guilty is one of the
gravest character. It is of such Sc
rious nature that the last Legislature
very properly at the suggestion of the
lcourt increased the penalty from ter
Ito twenty years. on Investigation
however. we find that the bill was moi
lapproved by the Governor until aftel
1.-THE commission Of your onense. w,
can therefore, only give you the ful
extent Of the old law. otherwise VIZ
would have given you the full eXten
of the new law"
Wilmer Ridgway. colored who Il
ldeaf and dumb. was convicted OF rob
lbing the residence Of John S. Barnett
on Bradford street. i'm Dover, on Feb
ruary IS. He had no lawyer and whei
lit came time for him TO make a state
ment TO the jury he was unable to d.
! So A clear case was established
however. the money which he spent a
a local distillery having been identi
fed as belonging to Mr. Barnett
The court sentenced him to fiv
Years Imprisonment, twenty lashe
, and $500 fine. He was captured i
, Wilmington after having escaped fror
the authorities here.
POWELL TRIAL TOMORROW.
Alfred NJ Powell. the husband @
Mrs Mary Powell who is serving
life sentence i'm the Dover Jail for tn
brutal murder of Essie Albin near here
last spring win be placed on trial TO
morrow on the charge of improper con
duct towards Wilhelmina Ford, aged ]
years. The child was ma important wit
ness for the State at the murder trial.
Powell was tried at the last term O
court but the jury disagreed.
Attorney General Richards today r.
tired the true bill against George Il
Platt, the Adams Express employe
Dover who was charged 10y citizens q
this place, with collecting exorbitant eN
press charges. This course YVES take
because of a new law which covers tn
matter having been passed by the lai
1 Legislature.
j On January /. 1907. an of the long-terl
prisoners in Kent and Sussex coiu,tis
will be transferred to the New Cast
e county workhouse.