The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-14
|uvDICT TMENT
 FOR COLEMAN Grand Jury Finds True Bill. ACCUSED NEGRO IDENTIFIED
J. D. Hendrix Saw Him Wearing
 Nood-stained Clothes.
Toid sterekeepcr He Had Been Butch- erfng . Pig--speeay Trial Assured Fer Man Chafged win
 Ffnley's Murder.

Finley's Murder.
 corbin Coleman. the negro around
 whom the police of the city of. Mont-
 gemery have 50 strongly fastened
 chain of circumstantial evidence as the
 murderer of John A. Finley last satur-
 day night, yesterday was indicted by
 the grand jury of Montgomery county
 for murder in the first degree. For more than four hours the jurors heard the testimony of witnesses who
 knew facts pointing or tending to point toward Coleman as the fiend who so hacked the helpless body of Finley. One after another the witness told their stories. One after another the links of the chain of evidence that lead to- ward the gailows were forged. When all those who knew anything bearing upon the case had told of their knowledge to the jury, the jurors were left alone. A recess was taken. and when they reconvened 1t was for a
 short time only. Scarcely a quarter OI Au HQHF AA0 GAupSSo DSAokC thCJ
 announced they had reached an agree
 ment. They filed into the court room.
 where Associate Judge W. H. Thomas. of the criminal division of the City Court, sat awaiting them. The slip of
 paper which contained the, wording of the true bill was hsaded to him by Foreman J. c. Haas. It read as fol- lows: |. Kiiled With a Knife.
 The State of Alabama. Montgomery County. city Court of Montgom- cry, February term. 1907.
 "The grand Jury Of said county charge that before the finding of this indictment. Colyin Coleman, alas Cal win Coleman. alias CorDin Coleman. un- lawfully and with malice aforethought
 killed J. A. Finley by cutting nim with
 knife.
 l ther charges that before the finding of this indictment. Colvin Coleman. alias Calvin Coleman. alias Corbin Coleman uniawfully and with malice afore- thought killed J. A. Finley by strik- | ing or. cutting hin with an instru- ment Which Is to the grand jury un- known, against the dignity and peace of the State of Alabama"
 The bili is signed py s; H. Dent, Jr.' solicitor.
 With the finding or this bill is start ed the legal machinery. which, the police believe, will take the accused murderer to the gallows. That there 1 may be slight delays in the progress | of the law toward its end. 10 believed, but 1t is understood to be the pur- pose of the court and of the court of ficers, to give the negro as speedy a | trial as the circumstances and the dig l. nifty of the law will allow. The second step in the legal side of the proceedings will be taken this morning, when Corbin Coleman will be arraigned before Judge W. H. Thomas and will be officially informed of the accusation which has been brought against him. At this mornings session. the counsel for the Legro will be ap- pointed. and the date for che trial will probably be set
 Trial Date Is Uncertain.
 There is some uncertainty as to the exact date on which 1t will be possi- ble to hear the trial. It is under stood tho police and the court are s<will- ing to expedite matters to as great a
 degree as possible. Before trial can
 be held, however, [ will be necessary to organize a special venire of jury men. The criminal division does not
 begin to grind Intil February 25. The docket for the hrst week of the term is already filled with cases set for the opening five days, and 1t is very prob- able a trial of the supposed murderer will not be held before the first week in March.
 If the negro is convicted, and ofthis | the poliSA whe have been workingN on | the case, feel confident it will be im- | possible to carry the sentence into eX- l ecution in less than four weeks as the | law provides for a respite of at least l that length of time after conviction l before execution.
 | There was little additional evidence
 produced by the police yesterday. Only
 one man whose name has hitherto been kept quiet was brought forward who | was able to add light to the crime. But the lignt that he was able to throw
 on the case was all against the ac-
 cused negro, and his testimony prac-
 tically completes the chain of circum | stantial evidence which has settled | about the neck of the supposed fiend. II J. D. Hendrix, who is proprietor of N e store at the forks of the Hayneville | and Mobile roads. near Washington Il Park, yesterday came to the city 10 examine the clothes which were found J Tuesday under a negro house occupied
 by Dan rinley in the edge of Peacock s Y Tract. Hendrix made the statement 1 that Sunday morning early, a man
 came to him to make a purchase His ! clothes were dripping and wet as though he had been trying to wash out !, some red stains which were still plain. ., ly in evidence. When he had secured | the article for which he had como,
 Coleman, according to Hendrix. offered
 in payment a dollar bill, which was wet and gritty. as though it had been in sand or dirt.
 Il Coleman Is Identified.
 1 Have you been butcheringr Hem | drix asked the negro The man ap-
 peared much confused and finally is
 said to have answered that he had been ! killing a hog. and had got some of the
 blood on his clothes.
 This story was told to the grand 1 Jury by Hendrix. who was one of the 1 witnesses before that body in the af- , teFnoon.
 Yesterday morning. Hendrix went to l the 1ail He was shown the clothes 1 which were found under the house. 1 and which bore the tell-tale stains of | the murderer's work. He readily ideL- i tified the garments as they were r&owh { to him. Coleman was then brought
 from his cell, and made to don the
 bloody coat. When this had been
 done, Hendrix positively identified t Coleman as the man who had come 60 1 his store Sunday morning early. With the finding of the indictment | against Coleman, it is believed the pC- | lice have given over the Idea of be!nS
 able to duplicate any other with the | negro as an accomplice. The evidence
 that Coleman is the guilty party wb" | so fearfully murdered John Finley ts an ctrnunoata a nfiaIIV nIafu and akPonG