The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-05
RAWL|Ns and
MOORE HANGED
Murderers of Carter Chill
dren Pay Extreme Pen
atty After Long
Legal Fight.
NECKS OF BOTH MEN WERE
BROKEN WHEN TRAP WAS
SPRUNG-RAWLINS MAINTAIN
ED THE INNOCENCE OF HIS
THREE SONS TO THE LAST
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
BY Associated Press.

Valdcsta, Ga, Dec. 81. G. Raw
Inns and ALI Moore, the latter colored,
we're hanged together at ten fifty-five
his morning. The necks OF both
we're broken.
Rawlins to the last maintained that
is three sons were innocent and
Ioore reiterated his former state
lent and declared that Milton Raw
ms did the shooting of both the Car
+ children.
The crime for which J. c. Rawi;nS
Id ALT Moore were executed and the
belonged litigation which followed
/ the attempt to save them from the
3allowS, have been almost without
recedent in the history of Georgia
?he killing of Willie and Carrie Car
ter OF the night of July IS, 1905, was
regarded as particularly cold blooded
L2adi, < up to this crime was a feud
between J. G. Rawlins, formerly a
Baptist minister and W. l.. Carter, a
Methodist minister, which originated
in Coffee county. Georgia. and which
WAS renewed when the two men
found themselves occupants of adj
joining farms in Lowndes county, OF
which Valdosta is the county seat.
Children Saot Down.
On the night Of July Is disturb
ance outside the Carter home brought
Willie Carter into the yard to inves
tigate. Immediately a shot rang out
and he fell mortally wounded His
sister, Carrie ran to his, side and two
shots brought instant death to her
The elder Carter opening the door
saw that an attack was being made
on his home He barricaded the
house, fearing even to so to the aid
OF his children. Later Willie Carter
dragged himself to the door and was
taken in. He died a few hours later
The body of the little girl remained il
the yard until daylight. During the
night occasional shots rang out bring
ing added terror to the beSiegeC
home.
Great Indignation.
A recital of the crime the follow
ing day brought intense indignation
to the citizens of Valdosta and O.
Lowndes county, and for time VIC
lence was feared when the crime ap
il6dISu w De ldSISlCu OAl VI ASe ="
| Inns, his sons, Jesse, Milton ant
Leonard, and the negro, Aft Moore
The five were arrested and the ne
gro confessed, saying that the eide
Rawlins had hired him to kill the en-
| tire Carter family and had sent hi
! three sons to assist in the job. Tn
negro said Rawlins had told him t
| kill Carter and his wife and as thu
children ran out of the house. to Xii
them According to the confession
neither the negro nor Leonard Raw
Inns fred a shot. but the bloody worl
was done by Jesse and Milton. It az
! peared that j. G. Rawlins had nc
/ been at the scene Of the murder, bu
certain remarks b. him implicated
hini as having q guilty knowledge Z
| the crime. The result Of the tria
which followed speedily was the cor
viction of J. G., Rawiins, his tire
SONS and Aft Moore. All received tn
death sentence, except Leonard, 10
! whom the jury recommended elem
/ ercy and his sentence was life in
prisonent.
Fight fer Life.
Then began the fight for life, con
Quoted by John R. Cooper, OF Macon
attorney for Rawlirs, which lasted I'm
til the gallows claimed two victims
Twice has the case been reopened II
the Lowndes superi0T court. the cour
OF original iuirdisction; three time
has it come on appeal to the suprem'
court of Georgia: once a motion wa
fled in the United states olstTlc
court Of GEORGIA: once a motion wa
filed in the United States district cour
of Macon and twice has the cas-
reached the supreme court of the Uni
ted States. and in every appearance
in a higher court has the decision o
tho lower court been sustained. Ono
ATTORNEY Cooper filed pettlon VIII
the Georgia prison commission ASH
ing clemencv for J. G. RaWlins an
konce before the same board has n
oslyod communication of sentence 10
Io.ro and Milton pardon for LeoT
ard RawIins. New trIaIs nave bee
locl[ad ON the ground OF newly discoN
- evidence, embodied in a comics
sion of ]. G. Rawlins, admlttlns III
pniIt and that of ALI Moore, but dc
wing that of his sons. A peuuo
for babeas corpus was demanded 20
nc defendants on the ground that tn
oxcIusion of preachers from the tria
iurv under Georgia laws was Gas
IoeisIation and unconstitutional. A
a final effort in behan. OF ). u. aaN
Inns. the question Of sanity was ralsS