The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-03-28
HARRISON GETS 20 YEARS
Judge Ailsa Fires Bead ., $500
and aarrtscn u EezAadsd 10 jail
untll Bend CAa BE Csra1sa-
Court ovsrrEles EetAea 20 Sea
Aside Verdict and Arrest Jsag-
mint

came in at 10 clock and Txtarned .
verdict Of guilty. HayTasea arorEsed
bis bead at the jury : announcement.
stricken With surprise and rT1et.
The court ordered ham 10 jail for the
night, after lAe usual mosioa Tor an
appeal was made.
Court opened a. $50 and ordered
the disposal of the case Of the Stale
against Joshua Harrison. Governoi
Aycock arose and asked that The veT-
diet be set aside on account Of the Ill
feeling and prejudice against tae
prisoner and especially ga account oi
the outburst Of applause IL The court
room. lie said that the wall o. .
child lost in the night thrills the
hearts of men With such PASSION
that reason j. blinded and sorae ear
must perhaps unJustly suffer 3.r
said that they fled from t.rr ra-s sf
Currituck TO get a FAIR iFI-- h-i
that he fouri the Currituck lad lo..
lowed them and packed tie court
room; that Harrison had never sen
the boy in his life; and with q dcei
note of pathos inquired as II pAo
would tell his loyal friend Jarvis ut
the jury's verdict, and that his SIS
ter had perjured herself. lie dcclar-
ed that the verdict had brought hun.:-
liation 10 the wife, disgrace 10 thc
children and hopelessuess To tie
grand children Of Harrison. lie
wanted time in which the truth
could be discovered, free from passion
| and prejudice. lie referred to the
deplorable applause and Ia the No
men who were the pink Of the city
breaking into applause; that the feel
ing of the people broke into tie jury
box and influenced them. No action
of his honor could take that influence
ont he said, and he asked him 10 come
| to the rescue Of the law and set
aside the verdict.
Solicitor Ward spoke briefly, elo-
quently, masterfully, III reply. IL
asserted that the good people OF h1sls
county were the descendants -.iai
sturdy old English stock that land
ed on these shores two hundred OF
more wears ago, that the case was oi
| such nature as to arouse interest
and evoke conflict of intellect. said
that he thought that the jury would
have brought in the same verdict If
he had not spoken to them at all. Ile
declared that he was sensitive TO thu
charge of influencing the jury by
promising upon a conviction the resto.
ration of the child to his mother 5
arms within six months, and We
hemently denied that he intended
any such thing. He referred pathet
ically to Mrs. Harrison, and then
! warmly denied that he charged her
with perjury. "Perjury catches its
inspiration from q low, debased
source, but loyalty and love that
prompts wife to swear for her huS:
band, catches its inspiration from the
heavens. When her statement was
placed on the Great Book above, the
Recording Angel dropped tear and
blotted it out"
Mr.. Ward was followed by Mr.
Sawyer and Mr.. Pruden, who present
ed able arguments as to why the
motion for setting aside the verdict
should be denied. Governor Aycocl
again took the floor and reiterated
his belief that the jury had been IN
fuenced by the public opinion anc
passion and prejudice stating that cv
en- refined, cultured women were clam
oring for a conviction. expressed b!
= their applause in court.
Judge Allen denied the motion
Then followed a motion for an arres
of judgment, during the argumen
of which a number of alleged flaw
in the indictment were found by de
; fendant's counsel. Judge Allen over
ruled the motion. The judge the
proceeded to pronounce the judgment
| The court stated that if he had bee
:. on the jury there were a number o
Y questions concerning which he woul
have had some doubts. Judge ALE
5 referred to the testimony of the Nor
folk witnesses. He stated that b
was not satisfied with the evidence 0
? the Norfolk witnesses, but these que-
tions were for the jury TO determin
: and that they had found him guilt.
!, He was satisfied that the evidenc
was to them sufficient TO convlt
Il him. "The judgment of the court
that he be confined in the penitentlar
at Raleigh, for twenty years. III
sentence was pronounced at II a
The motion for an appeal to IL
Supreme Court and the question
bond was taken up. The judge sta
II ed that he would like TO have the al
peals settled before he left the di
: triet, which would be on the 18th
"a June. II. was finally settled by Il
IL court that both the State and the d
,r fense would be allowed 60 days eat
=, In which to argue the appeal, whl
will amount to 120 days. After 60
siderable discussion as 10 the amou
- of bail, the court fixed 1t at $50
= and the prisoner was remanded
. jail until the necessary amount cou
a. be certified.
- Story of the Crime.
II will be remembered that kenne
Beasley, 9-year-old son Of State Ser
tor S. M. Beasley, mysteriously dist
u peared during recess at the afterno
; session Of the school he was attendi
near his home at Poplar Bran
~ Currituek county, this State, Mond'
p swarps were thoroughly searched
al | hundreds Of people, In a sysreMa
l1;r~ S,-4se5 .p+n oom11 N