Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-03-23
CONVICTED OFPOISONING WIFE
The Sensational Murder Trial David Boles Ends
dict of Guilty

Boles, "a years old, accused of pois-
oning his 1S-year-old wife, Minnie
Mcdonald Boles, by giving her
strychnine in a drink of cordial on
the evening of Dec. 26, was found
guilty, when, after remaining in their
room from 6 pm. to 8 pm, the jury
IN the case sent for Judge R. F.
Cochran and notified him that they
had agreed upon a life sentence for
the prisoner.
Boles was brought into court at
9:15 pm. He had been aroused by
Sheriff Carter and came in, convinc-
ed that he would not be hanged.
Boles' faith in this matter depended
upon a series of prayers which he
had uttered in Quitman Jail imme-
diately after he was taken from the
courtroom. Kneeling down in the
second story of the Jail, Boles prayed
aloud that the Lord would spare his
life. Only one person overheard the
prayer, but that person had noted
the stolid Indifference with which
Boles had greeted every ruling of the
court and every point of the counsel.
When he heard Boles offering a
prayer for his life, it occurred to the
witness that it was ridiculous, and he
sent out for his friends and neigh
bors to come and enjoy the perfor
nance. When crowd had gathered
they jeered at the young man as he
offered his petition to his Maker, and
the ghastly performance was kept up
until Boles had retired for the night.
When he was brought into court,
Boles came direct from his cot. He
had retired, but had not gone to
sleep, his hair was not brushed and
his clothing looked as if it had been
badly put on. Otherwise he appeared
to be the same Boles who had un-
finehingly faced a jury for four days.
When the verdict was read to him,
Boles eyes showed faint CLEAN of
triumph, but this was soon swallowed
up in the realization of his life i'm
prisonment.
Boles said: 81 feel fine. I am not
going to be hanged. Next time /
will prove that / am innocent"
Attorney Stone, Boles' counsel,
said Immediately after the verdict
that the case will be appealed.
"I am confident of my clients in
= nocence," he said, "and will prove
it before the Supreme Court"
Judge Cochran, addressing the
Jury, severely arrigned them. He
said:
You have rendered the most mer-
ciful verdict you could possibly have
rendered under the evidence in this
case The defendant is guilty as
charged in the indictment, and ought
to have been hanged by the neck un-
til dead. The very truth in the ad-
ministration of criminal justice in
this state is a farce and a humbug.
Criminal lawyers representing defen-
dants have ingrafted technical shell
ter and protection in the state Of Mis-
sissippi until the enforcement of the
criminal law, if not impossible, is
rendered difficult beyond all reason
and common sense. The bench and
the bar will bear witness that the
burden of the administration of the
criminal law in this state is not to
enforce the. law, but shield and pro-
tect the defendant, when charged
with a serious crime. The bar has
convinced the people of its intellect
ual honesty, but has failed to con-
vince them that it has a conscience.
The great body of the people believe
that when it comes to enforcing the
criminal law the bar is without
conscience. The wisest thinkers In
the Tenth District tell me that while
they sympathize with me in my ef-
fort to enforce the law, I will fail
unless the conscience of the bar is
aroused"
Boles kept his colorless eyes wide
open throughout the trial, and drank
IN as much of what was going on as
his intelligence would permit Never
at any time did he exhibit the least
anxiety as to his fate, and only
few occasions was there any varia-
tion in the hawklike attitude which
he has assumed since the trial began.
Two opposite emotions shook his
frame.
This case has excited wide interest
in this portion of the State, as was
evidenced by the crowded. courtroom
when the impaneling of jury was
commenced. Feeling has been run
ming high against the accused, it hay-
ing reached the extreme, after it was
learned that he had married the
young woman whom he had been
courting before the death of his wife,
where it was feared the people were
going to take the law into their own
hands. i