The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-14
WOMEN RELEASED
INCREASES ACCUSED OF MURDER
 OF BROWN FREED ON BOND.
There Was Lack of Evidence To Prove Crime and They Were Allowed Bail at S10O
 Each.

After remaining prisoners In the county jail for five months. Alice Will Hams and Mary Perkins. the negresses charged with the murder of Grover Brown. a white man. last November, yesterday were released from custody under bonds of $100 each. and the case against them continued.
 This Is probably the first time in the history of the country that two mem bers of the negro race. indicted TOT the murder of white man. have been released on such a small bond. That the release should have been permitted IS probably due to the fact that J. c. Humphreys, the only possible witness to the killing of the dead man. was said to deny having any personal knowledge that a crime had been com mitted. Just previous to the death or Brown. the two men were with the women. No other witnesses who could testify how Brown met his end. could be found. Any case against the wo- men. therefore. would have to be based on evidence of the most circumstantial nature.
 Another bond which was allowed in the criminal division of the City Court yesterday, was that permitted to Jim Williams, charged with assaulting Ju- lia Randolph, both negroes. The Ran dolph woman. the chief witness of the State, was unable to appear in the court room when the trial was called. and the case was continued until the next term, the prisoner being released under a $200 bond.
 The trial of George Wright and Sarah Rayford, charged with the murder of Sam Strum, occupied the greater part of the morning and afternoon session of the court under Judge William H.. Thomas. All the parties in the case
 11 |. A,u1s killed by the discharge of a pistol in the hands of the Rayford woman. whose admirer he had been. The pistol was the property of Wright, who had succeeded strum in his affections. In defense, 1t was urged that the discharge of the pistol was accidental. A yer dict of not guilty was returned by the jury In the case of Wright. while the Rayford woman was found guilty of manslauRhter In the second degree, and sentenced to the penitentiary for one year and fined $500.
 With the conclusion of the Wright Rayford case, the criminal division completed It's docket of capital cases. Eighteen capital cases in all were dis posed of In the present term. which had come over from previous terms Of the total, one man was condemned to he hung; two of the defendants were convicted and sentenced to life impris- onment In the penitentiary; one was sentenced to twenty years. another to fifteen years, three to ten years, one to three years. and one to one year. Two fines of $500 each were assessed. One indictment was quashed. The Will liams and Perkins women of yester- day's trial, were released under $100 | bond each. and Jim Williams was also released under bond of S10O. Three cases were continued.
 Taking the eases as they appear on | the docket, the case of Tom Benjamin. once convicted of murder but whose decision was reversed by the Supreme Court. was continued. pending the re- hearing of the case in the higher trI- bunal.
 Sydney Davis. charged with murder, was convicted of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to twenty years. Ellison Stacks, indicted for assault, was declared not guilty.
 Life imprisonment was given to Ben Pratt, convicted of murder in the first | Aae<@~