The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-17
MURDERER ADAMS
WILL Be HANGED
Supreme Court Has De-
cided His Fate.
FOUND NO ERROR
Adams Killed a CoIored Woman and
Her Two Children January 22,
1904 At a Former Term The
Court Ordered New Trial.
Other Decisions.

Will Adams. the Wake county negro
murderer. will be hanged. The SUI
premc Court yesterday handed down
an opinion in this case confirming the
judgment of the lower court. and find
ing no error. This was the second
case. at the former appeal the defend
ant being granted a new trial.
Adams was tried last at the January
term of Wake criminal court before
Judge Fred Moore. He was charged
with the murder of Mary BridgerS,
wife of Robert Bridgers, and was con-
victed in the first degree. There was
no witness to the deed. and the first
known of the crime. which was COM
mitted January %. 1904. was when
Bridgers. husband of the murdered
woman. returned to his home on the
evening of that day. about shutdown.
he found his wife dead in a cotton
field one hundred yards from the
house. lying on her face. with her
skull crushed. and two of the children
SO badly beaten and injured that they
died on the same day. He Immediate
~ went to the house of one Sidney
aHn, about one-half mile away. and
Informed him of what had occurred.
Hall and his two sons returned with
Bridgers. and upon examination tracks
were found leading from the door Of
the house in the direction of the cot
ton patch in which the body of the
woman was discovered These tracks
correspondent with those made by
Adams. and the appearance of the
tracks indicated pursuit. The tracks
were traced to a stream of water
down the stream to where they again
resumed the bank. and on to where
Adams was seen by several persons.
A large number of persons had o.
served the NEGRO in the neighborhood.
and that night between IL and l
o'clock when an officer went to his
home TO arrest him he resisted. and
the officer had to threaten to shoot TO
kill before Adams would surrender.
The mans trousers were wet from the
knees down. and he had in his pockets
several pieces of money corresponding
to the character of some Bridgers had
in his bureau, drawer 1t was urged
that the object of Adams was robbery.
having heard that there was $500 in
BridgerS house.
The first exception related to the
testimony of Rridgers as to what he
discovered when he reached home on
the evening of the homicide. Obiec-
ton was made particularly to that
portion of his evidence which referred
to the condition of his children. This
evidence was objected to upon the al
legged ground that it furnished evil
dence of a distinct substantive offence
other than that for which the prisoner
was on trial.
The exception was not sustained.
The transaction was connected and
contemporaneous. and in such cases
evidence even of distinct substantive
offence will be admitted to prove the
intent with which the offence under
investigation was committed.
The remainir~ exceptions related to
the special instructions submitted by
counsel for the prisoner.
Relative to the testimony of Bridg-
ers. the court held:
THE defendant objected to teSti-
mony of Robt. Bridgers as to the con-
dtion of his children when he found
them on his return to his home, upon
the ground chat it was not pertinent
to the issue. There was no error
committed in regard to this testimony.
True it is that evidence as to one Of
fence is not admissible against a de-
PENDANT to prove that he1is guilty Of
another and distinct crime. the two