Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-23
MANY CRIMINAL CASES
UNUSUALLY LARGE DOCKET AT
UPPER MARLBORO.
Prisoners Awaiting Trial on Charges
Of Criminal Assault and Murder
Lengthy Session Probable.
pecial Correspondence OF The Star.

UPPER MARLBORO. Nd,
September %. 1903
Now that the county fair is over and the
jurors have been drawn for the October
term Of court the attorneys who are to be
engaged in the more important cases are
making preparations to present them to tho
court and Jury. There are hundreds of resi-
dents of the county who are fond OF doing
jury duty, It is stated. and some OF this
class of citizens are to serve at the coming
session. Many persons living in the county
have to attend court, for various reasons,
and when they are called upon to serve as
jurors the county pays part OF their ex-
penses. Court convenes the first Monday in
October with several cases of interest on the
docket. One case that will attract unusual
attention is that OF the colored man John
Joseph Chase. who was recently arrested
for an alleged attempt to commit an assault
upon Miss Lizzie Wybinder near Tuxedo.
Exciting reports of the conduct of the
young lady's assailant reached here. but the
fact that the magistrate had fixed the bond
at only $1,000 caused the belief that the
affair was not quite serious as ii had
been reported to be. People in this section
were not much agitated over the matter,
many Of the residents of the immediate
vicinity not even knowing OF the mans in
generation In jail Chase is occupying a cell
In the county prison with other colored
prisoners, and he seems to fully realize that
he is In danger of being given a long term
III tiie state penltentlary.
Visit Attracted Attention.
1t was not until the visit of Miss Mabel
Risley to the Jail Thursday that much at
tention was paid to the presence of Chase.
Miss Risley is the young woman who was
assaulted In Virginia about two weeks ago,
and she was brought here for the purpose
of seeing II she could Identify Chase as her
assailant AS soon as 1t was learned that
she was here for the purpose OF seeing the
colored prisoner number of residents of
the town were anxious to see him. Sheriff
Sweeney accompanied Miss Risley and the
Virginia officer. f. ]. Pennypacker to the
Jail. 1t required but slight glance at
Chase for Miss Risey to declare he was not
her assailant Some persons who came here
from Washington because they imagined
Chase would spend but one night in the Jail
went away disappointed.
In the front room the lower floor OF
the Jail is prisoner who is charged with
murder He is +. p. Gibbs, a prosperous
farmer from the Queen Anne district, and
1t Is charged that he murdered a colored
employe named Thomas Turner. Gibbs has
his large cell comfortably furnished, and a
bunch of flowers usually adorns his table.
he has the county papers and other pub
locations sent him. and life is made pleas
ant for him as possible under the circum-
stances. Mr.. Gibbs pays no attention to
callers at the prison unless they are his per-
sonal friends. 1t is charged against him
that he had some words with the colored
employe and that the latter was in the act
of attacking him with pitchfork when he
used his revolver, the bullet from the wea-
pom striking the colored man in the neck.
The case promises to be an interesting one
on account of the prominence and standing
of the defendant The shooting is admitted,
1t is stated, and the plea at the trial will,
1t is understood, be self defense.
Boy Charged With Murder.
Another case of interest that is to come
before the October term of the court in
wolves a charge of murder against a four
teen-year-old colored boy named Ernest
Henry. 1t is charged that he shot and
killed Gus Pyles, also colored. His uncle,
Gus Henry, is also in the county prison to
be tried with him. The boy spends his
time walking about his cell, and he seems
to hardly realize the seriousness of the
charge upon which he is to be tried. He
converses with callers at the jail and is
willing to talk with them upon any subject
always being ready to tell OF the circum-
stances under which Gus Pyles was killed.
1t Is the claim of the state that Gus Henry
and Gus PyleS quarreled about girl, and
that the boy did the killing for his uncle,
the latter, it is charged, selling him the
revolver with which to commit the deed,
charging him five cents for II.
There are four white prisoners occupying
the rear cell on the first floor of the prison,
three of them being charged with having
committed minor offenses, the fourth one,
an elderly man named Michael Qualter,
being accused of felonious assault II is
charged that he assaulted the young daugh-
ter of a resident of the vicinity of Berwyn.
In addition to the number of prisoners
VINO are in jail awaiting trial there a
number of cases in which the defendants
have given bond for their appearance at
the October term of the court. The num-
coming session Of the court promises to
prolong the session, and larger number
of persons will be in attendance than is
usually the case at the fall session.