Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-06-14
20 Years in the Penitentiary,
Special to the Spectator.

Special to the Spectator.
Warwick G. Ratliff the assailant of
Miss Ona Bird was sentenced to 20
years in the penltentiarv by the cir
cult court of POcahOntas county.
After hard fought legal battle the
case above mentioned came to an end
on the 7th, when the jury after :,
nights deliberations returned a verdict
of guilty rs charged in the indictment
but recommended q sentence in the
penitentiary. After the verdict was
rendered the prisoner was asked to
stand up and say if he had any reason
why the sentence should not be pro-
nounced, TO which the prisoner said !,
MOT guilty" Then Judge Bennett
in a solemn and deliberate tone said,
1T is not Often that | criticize a jury
and do not say what l would hav,
done had | been on this jury. but
will say that they have dealt very mer-
cifullY with you and l have believed
that little girls story. The circum
stances of the case are such that | do
not believe your story" After talking
at length as to mau's duty to woman
and as to the care aud protection that
should be thrown around the home and
womanhOod of the county, he said,
From the evidence here given and the
circumstances surrounding the case
will give you the heaviest sentence The
statute will allow, and now sentence
you to 20 years at hard labor in the
penitentiary OF this State.
The story OF the affair is briefly told
as follows: On the evening of May ~
Miss Ona Bird, Is. and Arnold Glad
well, 20, a barber of this place, decided
to elope and get married, they, in or
del to escaye being tied up by wire and
recalled, decided to go TO the home OF
Ratlitf and get a conveyance to cross
the Virginia line via Huntersville and
take train at Hot Springs. They ar
rived at Ratliff's place which was on
top of Martins mountain about five
miles from Marlinton about O'Clock
that evening. Miss Bird stopped at
the gate and Caldwell went into the
house to see Ratliff, and after learning
that it would be all right to stay for
supper and get conveyance, he re-
turned to Miss Bird and they went to
the house. Ratliff is a bachelor and
lived alone on the farm be owned. With
him at this time was Albert Gay, a
young man who was raised in this
county and who bore good name
from early boyhood, but it seemed at
this time they had both imbibed too
freely from Is quarts of rotten whiskey
they had removed from the depot here
the day before, and after a little began
to act in a manner that aroused the
suspicion of Miss Bird and her lover,
and they went out into the yard, Rat
lift and Gay danced around the house
and began using prOfane language.
They then went and Caught two horses
and put mans saddle Oh one and a
side saddle on the other. Ratliff then
returned to the yard and said Miss
Bird l have horse for you to 90 to
MarllntOn. Mr.. Gladwe g d. you.
l have nothing for you" He then had
Gay get him his Winch ester and band
to him. They then made Miss Bird
get on one horse and Ratliff on the
other, and Gay held Caldwell for q
time and then went to the house, and
Caldwell came to town and gave the
alarm. Chief of Police Paris ID Yea
ger in company with MIR. Uriah Bird,
FASTENED to the scene, and about half
way up the mountain they heard the
DCI Vi LII 1913 Ditu, anu ic1lU lh6u w
their horses on nearing the scene NJ ISIS
Bird cried out, 'Oh, father, father,
am ruined and almost killed, there he
goes, Ratliff.'' AS Raliff ran Police
man Yeager fired two shots and the
asSailant surrendered. The girl was
taken on the horse behind her father
who fired two shots at the assailant,
who by. the timely action of Cnief
Yeager was kept from being killed.
The jury on the first ballot was as
follows: For hanglng-John W.Grimes.
s. D. Hannah, Samuel Moore, Scott
Darnell, John A. Beverage, Lanty
McNeel, Samuel Mcneil, Samuel Cas-
sell and Joseph Pennell. For impris
onment-H L. Kessler and j. Ii. Bev-
erage. mpromising-A. M. Col
Inns.
The decision is great victory for
the defense and disappointment to
the people, and several persons have
been heard to remark since the trial
that they were going to leave the cOun
ty as they feared for tue safety of their
families considering the ease with
which a case of this magnitude is let
down. But on the other hand they
cannot blame The court as it was plain
to be seen that if the statutes of this
State had permitted it Judge Bennett
would have made it so years instead
of 20 and he in way at least censur-
ed the jury for not bringing in a YER
dict to The fullest extent of the law,
The whole matter is to be deplored,
as the Bird family are very prominent
and the other parties are from good
for II Dntl Ixuu c
been drlnker and gambler to some
extent Gay has always been consld
cred reliable boy. and stood well with
his associates who were among the
best people in the State. Mrs. w. I'll.
r. Terry, wife of Supt. Terry OF the
e. q y. at Clifton Forge, is sister OF
the outraged girl, also Mrs. Lloyd
Moore of Lynchburg, Va. Mrs. W..
Tyree of Durbin. Mrs. Geo. Spangler
of Atlanta, Ga, and Mrs. Frank King
of Marlinton. Mr.. Howard Bird OF
Barlow, is brother. The father, Mr..
Uriah Bird, besides being justice is
engineer for the POcanOntaS Tanning
Company.
Reports that revolvers and belts of
cartridges can be seen on the streets is
without foundation, aud the papers
that have published 1t are misinformed.
The trial of Gay came up Monday
and was continued
Paris Mays trial which had been
remanded back from the Court of APP
peals. for shooting Samuel SIyman d
Syrian pedler over a year ago and who
was sentenced to be hanged bv this
court at the January term. 1906, has
been ended, and be sentenced to the
penitentiary for life.
Won't somebody please sic the Teddy
b ear On9the George Baer ?-PhiIadel-
mia North Arnarioap