The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-01-29
THE pIGOT CASE.

| Ilst VI Jul tnCu sCiCSU0u Z" SCI
at the special term of the Lincoln
County Circuit Court, called for
Monday, Feb. 10th. AS is we'll
known to our readers, this term
of court was called by Judge Viii
kinson, the a.abie and honored Cir
cult Judge Of this district, in
response to an urgent appeal made
to him by a mass meeting of cit
liens of Lincoln County, for the
expressed purpose of giving a
speedy trial to Eli Pigot, the
negro charged with criminal as
sault. Judge Wilkinson is natu-
rally desirous that this negro
should be gwen an orderly legal
trial, and if then found deserving
of death, that he shall be executed
as soon as the law will permit.
having been specially requested
to come and hold an extra term
for this purpose by the people of
Lincoln county and their wish
es acceded to, they are un-
der extra obligation to respect
the Court and its officers and give
all needed support in having the
law carried out in an orderly man
ner.
If he wished or thought it nee
essary, Judge Wilkinson could
summon and have all the military
companies in Mississippi come to
Lincoln county and serve as a
body guard for the protection Of
Pigot; but he is disposed to think
that to have a single soldier in
uniform to act as a body guard is
an unnecessary reflection on the
civic virtue and law abiding char
acter of the people of Lincoln
county, and that since they have
had time to reflect and the passion
and resentment aroused by this
negro's brutal crime has had time
to cool, that it would be a needless
humiliation and expense to the
county to assume that her
people will not properly support
and sustain their own officers and
court in the discharge of their
sworn official duty. 1t will be
the duty of every good citizen to
see that Judge WiIkinson's conf
dence in, and estimate of, them in
this respect is not misplaced.
The Leader committed an error
last Saturday when it stated broad
ly on the authority of letter re-
ceived by some one else that
Judge Wilkinson himself had in
terviewed the negro Pigot in the
New Orleans Jail, and on that ac-
count spoke advisedly when be
said there was no doubt but Pigot
could be legally convicted and eX-
ecuted. This in justice to Judge
Wilkinson and to keep the record
straight. In letter since to the
editor of The Leader Judge Will
kinson states that he has no doubt
that Pigot can be legally convict.
ed and hung, but he bases this
statement on confessions Pigot
has made to others who have in.
terviewed him in the New Orleans
Jail, including Mr.. G. D. Miller.
of Pike county, and not to him
self. Judge Wilkinson, moreover
is convinced that the negro will
plead guilty when arraigned and
that there will be no need for wit
nesses on the stand against him at
the trial.
The whole proceedings of the
special term of Court, including
the session of the grand jury.
need not and probably will no
consume but one day, If that
much. 1t will be useless for any
great crowd of people to come t.
town that day to witness the trial
because the constitution express
ly provides that IN cases of this
character, all except officers of the
Court and those actually needed
: in the conduct of the trial. may
be, in the discretion of the court
; excluded from witnessing tn
proceedings, and Judge Wiikin
, son will doubtless adopt thi
COURSE.
! Pigot has been transferred from
the Parish Prison in New Orlean
{ to the Jail at Jackson and will no
: be brought to Brookhaven unit
the day of his anticipated trial.