Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-16


There was a path running from the in
closed part Of the park to the spring in
the picnic grounds, and upon that path.
near the spring, the assault was COM
mitted. Wright was arrested in Washing
ton and was extradited upon a charge
Of murder after a long hearing before Chief
Justice Clabaugh, who surrendered him to
the authorities Of Virginia upon the identi-
fication of the colored GIRL Annie Green,
who testified that Wright had committed
rape upon her the 23d Of August and
a few minutes later had murdered her
escort, one Jackson Boney, by shooting
him in the forehead.
Case Carefully Considered. -y' .
"Chief Justice Clabaugh gave the case
unusual consideration, and after hearing a
great many witnesses on the question of an
alibi decided to surrender Wright because
of the positive manner in which Annie
Green identified him az a rapist and MUIR
derer.
After Wright was carried to Alexandria
county 1t was decided to try him for the
rape committed on Miss Risley. for the
reason that the case of rape and murder
depended on the testimony of Annie Green
and his Identification by her, while In the
case of the assault on Miss Risley both
Miss Risley and Mr.. Gooding were positive
of the identity of the prisoner. ase
1.-THE court being in session, the judge
fixed a date sufficiently far in the future
to permit the prisoners counsel to prepare
for trial and assigned to him two white
lawyers. Before leaving the District as
sured the prisoner that 1 would personally
see that white counsel were assigned him
in Virginia, and / visited his counsel,
colored lawyer, John w. Patterson. in the
District, and assured him that If he wished
courtesy would be shown him. At the trial
Judge Nicol presided. The foreman of the
jury was John B. Henderson. jr.. a repub-
lican candidate for Congress, and the jury
fxda d ond
contained three carpenters, q contractor, a
motorman on the railroad, a bookkeeper at
the Washington gas Office and several gov
eminent employees.
"a more serious and thoughtful jury
never sat In a case, and I told the jury In
my opening and again in my closing argu-
ment that If they had any reasonable doubt
of the identity of the defendant or of bis
guilt they should have the manhood to de-
clare him not guilty, Notwithstanding any
prejudice that might exist against him.
Miss Risley Positive. '''"
I'm the trial of the case Miss Risley was
asked several times by me II she was sure
that the prisoner was the man who COM
mitted the felonious assault on her and she
answered that she was sure, and then l
asked her this question: DO you know that
what you are saying may send this man to
the gallows" and she answered Yes, but I
know him; he is the man.
lie ScllS QucSliOu was put 10 T OTTeSC
Gooding. and he just as positively identified
the prisoner the man who assaulted him |
and committed the rape on Miss Risey.
Miss Risley testified that Wright talked
to her before taking her by the throat and
throwing her down, and that before he
threw her down he tried to persuade her, at
the point of a pistol, to have improper rela- |
lions with him; that he choked her then
until she was almost unconscious and then
committed this atrocious assault upon her.
She stated that she not only saw and
talked to the negro before the assault, but
that he remained with her for some time,
and that before he departed he again
choked her when she began to scream, and
forced her, at the point Of a pistol, to sur
render to him her pocketbook containing
SIG and her gold rings. 1t would be in
credible If she could not identify him, as
she said she had perfect view Of him,
had his face to hers and knew his voice
perfectly.
ut must be remembered that Miss Risley
always claimed she could identify the man
who assaulted her, and that she visited the
District jail, the Jail in Rockville and the
Jail in Alexandria county and looked at
more than fifteen people, as she and others
testified, and failed to Identity any of them
until she had seen the prisoner Wright.
1.-THE latter is very tall and round-shoul-
dered., with heavy jaws and neck larger
and face never to be forgotten.
Identification Of Wright.
AS REGARDS the claim tndt MISS RlSley
failed to identify Wright at the jail, that
matter was heard by the jury and thor
oughly sifted. The facts are that Officer
Wood, who took Miss Risley to the Jail to
look at the prisoners, told her that If she
saw the man who assaulted her she was to
say nothing and was not to point, but after
she had taken look at all the inmates of
the prison she was to go outside and COM
municate to him the information as to
whether she saw the man who assaulted
her. Mr. Gooding, Officer Wood and Miss
Risley all testified that she obeyed these
instructions implicitly; that after she look
ed at the men In line Officer Wood said to
her: Are you satisfied? and she answered
Yes and they then left the inclosed part
of the jail and went outside the bars She
then said to Officer Wood: I saw the man.
He was the second man on the right OFF,
Ger Wood said, referring to negro named
Alabama Are you sure 1t was not the
second man on the leftY and Miss Risley
replied: The second man on the left looked
like him. but he is not the man.
THE. guards at the jail. who were never
In conversation with Miss Risley Nhd who
testified that they did not go up near her.
said that they heard her say, The second
man on the left looks like him. as they
had only heard a fragment of the CONVEX
sation between Miss Risley and Officer
Wood.
Wright. 1t was not denied that Wright was
Immediately sent for at the request of Miss
Risley, and the officer talked to Wright in
the presence of Miss Rtsley and she recog-
nized his voice. and never then or thereafter
wavered in her statement as to the identity
of the prisoner as the man who assaulted
her. AS I have said. her statement as to
her identification at the Jail was corrob-
Grated by Mr.. Gooding and Officer Wood |
and of the five guards who testified at the