The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-11-10

Go to the jury.
The mutfny trial consumed the en-
tire day yesterday and the Drobabil-
ties are that the trial will not be con-
cluded before this afternoon. There
We're fully as many people in the court
room yesterday as on saturday. all the
standing room being Occlpie1. Wren
there is such a large crOwl i Is al
most impossible for perfect quia- TO
prevail but still there Were tins yes
terday when the witnesses would reach
some unusually interesting point that
perfect quiet reigned, the crowd look
ing intently at the witness and drink
ing i'm every word uttered.
The words of Adams and sawyer,
the defendants. both of whom were
put on the stand yesterday, Adams
testifying first, impressed nearly every
one present with a ring of sincerity
and those who all along had believed
all three negroes guilty were changed
in their belief ar7 quite a number Of
people were heard to saY that they had
the gravest doubts as TO their guilt
One gentleman who heard all the evil
dence and listened with absolute fair
ness, having known practically moth
ing about the case except was
detrimental TO all, stated yesterday
afternoon that he very seriously doubt
ed Adams and Sawyer's guilt and
thought Mr.. Peschau had a good fight
ing chance before the jury.
The points in favor Of Adams and
Sawyer are that they are corrobOrated
in many instances by conditions that
vEprp found TO PXiSt when the vessel
was boarded by the reSCuerS. A QueS-
ton often asked is, What more could
Adams and Sawyer have done if they
were guiltless than to knock down
Scott at the first opportunity, tie him
and then raise the distress signal?'
n it is also, when thought over, not
considered strange that Adams and
Sawyer did not go to the assistance OF
the white men, for they were TN
armed and Scott armed. Scott says
Adams. Sawyer and COak1ey We're arm
ed but their guns were not fOund on
board. 1t is known that Scott shot
CoakIey, he admits it, but says it was
in self d~efense. Coakley having fired
at him first while he was tied upon
the house, but still there is no mark
to be found on the floor of the house
to show where a bullet struck. At the
time Scott was tied upon the floor
and COakley standing owe him.
No matter how solemn the occasion.
and there is always a degree of so!cTn-
nifty about a murder trial for the life
of a human being is at stake, there
sometimes creeps in a humorous Incl
dent and for the moment the prisoner
and all present forget the
of the situation. Such ar incident oc-
CURED yesterday afternoon and even a
smile stole across the face of the
Judge. There was a burst of laughter
all over the court room but not loud
enough to be d~isorderly. The district
attorney was questioning Sawyer as to
the number of shots fired n Sawyer
had just told of ScOtt's having fired at
him. That was the first shot you
saw" asked the district attorney.
No Sir, I didn't see it." came the re-
ply from Sawyer. and Immediately
general laughter ensued and was join
ed in by the district attorney.
Both witnesses We're cross examined
as to every detail and the examination
was conducted by the district attorney
in rapid fire order but it was without
effect on the witnesses. When they
left the stand the statements made on
direct examination were unimpeached
by the statements on cross eXamina-
ton.
Adams Goes Upon the stand.
The first witness to take the stand
cIo NAA L IASN1AS AAotAA
ish West Indies, is a bright mu-
latto, very erect. and is about 8 feet
10 or II inches in height. His face is
not hat of a criminal and his answers
were made in an open and positive
manner. He testified as TO the Incl
dents occurring early in the voyage
and spoke of one time when a member
of the crew told him that Scott struck
the captain. He denies having pur-
chased a pistol in Mobile n stated
that there was nothing said about
shooting the captain if he gave any
~provocation to do so. Nothing occurr-
ed he said until the fateful day of
October 10th.
Il, Sawyer and the captain We're in
the starboard watch and were or duty
sounded I looked at the clock and it
was 4:12. 1 would have made eight
bells sooner but the captain generally
called them out but did not do so this
time. Scott relieved Sawyer at wheel
and Coakley relieved me. When Saw
per got to h forecastle I said I had
not seen the captain and he said he
saw him, that he was in the engine
room and I listened. my head
against the partition, and heard him
talking to the engineer. BY this time
we a zone to bed.
1T was about 5 O'Clock I suppose
when Coakley come TO the forecastle
n woke US UP and said, Get UP there
is shooting aft. I don't know whether
it is Scott or the captain We started
to dress and about this time Scott ap-
peared and said, you fellows stay in
there or I will kill everybody aboard
We stayed there awhile and directly
"a WUQr Unn+ o,,f n nd r hnd ri him sing