The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-19
Letter Purporting to
Come From Victim.
He WAS NOT THE MAN
So Says the Letter Signed by Mrs
HaIes, the Prosscutrix of Man
Convicted and Sentenced
to Die on April 9th

Upon his return from New York,
Governor Glenn found awaiting him a
remarkable letter purporting to come
from Mrs. Hales, the white woman
who was assaulted by negro near
Hope Mills, in Cumberland county,
for which an eighteen year old negro
bay was tried, convicted and sem
fenced to be hung on the sixth of
April next.
The letter purports to be a. confess
sion by Mrs. Hales that her testimony
identifying the Partridge negro as her
assailant was a perjury, induced by
the clamor of a mob of men and by
a gift of ten dollars to her to swear
that Partridge was the man who COM
mitted the assault upon her. The
writer states that she has suffered
greatly from remorSe since giving her
testimony in the court, and that she
wishes to make such amends as pos
sible in time to save the life of an
innocent man. She goes on to de-
scribe fully the man who assaulted
her. and states in the letter that he
was entirely different in appearance
from the prisoner who has been con-
victed of the crime. being an older
and a much larger and heavier man
than he. AS to Partridge's confess
sion. the writer states that it was
made when the negro was badly
frightened and while armed men held
pistols at his head. The writer
claims that the statement made by
Partridge that he had committed the
crime was untrue in every particular;
that he was frightened to the point
that to save his life from immediate
destruction he had answered what his
captors desired him to in its entirety.
The writer pleads with the Govern
nor to save the life of the negro and
expresses her willingness to go into
the Court House again and make a
complete re-cantation of her former
testimony, at whatever cost to her
self.
The Governor was yesterday much
perplexed by the letter, not being in
clined i'm view of the positive testi-
mony adduced at the trial to give too
much importance the letter unless
il had been fully verified. Having
been convicted and sentenced to
death, the only hope of the prisoner
lies at the hands of the Executive,
since no appeal was taken in his case
from the verdict of the jury in the
Superior Court, followed by the sem
tence of death imposed by the Judge
As there is yet some time before the
day set for the execution, Governor
Glenn has forwarded the letter to
Sh 0riff Marsh. of Fayetteville, for
him TO investigate as to the truth of
its authorship and report to him.
While it seems almost incredible
that the woman should have written
the letter, still the very fact that it
was mailed so long before the day set
for tho execution is evidence tending
to give it authenticity, since, If it is
forgery, the writer must have known
certainly that investigation would es-
tablish the fact.
The crime for which Partridge has
been convicted and sentenced was
committed on February 1st last, when
the victim, Mrs. Hales, in company
with her little boy. was on her way
from Hope Mills, near Fayetteville, to
Beaver Dam, another cotton mill fac
tory, near that town. She was seized,
brutally maltreated, over-powered and
assaulted, being dragged from the
road to the woods. Partridge was
caught after a few hours and accord
ing to the reports sent from Fayette-
vile was completely identified by Mrs.
Hales and himself confessed the COM
mission of the crime in detail on two
occasions. On account of prevailing
excitement, Governor Glenn sent a
special message to the Legislature
and procured the passage OF Dill,
whereby the February term of Cum
berland court was given jurisdiction
to try the case. Partridge was ar
raigned on February 21st, pleaded not
guilty was represented by counsel
and was convicted and sentenced to
die on February 22nd.
CanuIina Curos IIaadacheS and In