Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-09
LOOKS BAD FOR RAND
Negro Charged With Assault
on White Woman.
NOW ON TRIAL IN MARYLAND
Taken From Jail at Prince Frederick
for Protection.
ONE COLORED MAN ON JURY
Case Has Attracted Widespread In
terest-Mrs. Ward, the Victim,
to Be First to Testify.
NOW ON TRIAL IN MARYLAND
ONE c0LoRED MAN ON JURY

l
PRINCE FREDERICK. Md. May o.
Arthur Rand. alas John Jones. colored
an escaped convict from the Raleigh re-
formatory. who. it is charged. on the
night Of January % last feloniously as
saultsd Mrs. Mary Buggie Ward at her
home near Mount Harmony. is on trial
hefe for his life. Sheriff Meade of Cal
| vert county reached this place with his
prisoner Thursday. Rand had been con-
fined in the Baltimore jail for safe keep
ing. as many threats to lynch him had
been made. Angry mutterings against
the prisoner are heard on every side and
there is considerable suppressed, excite
| ment in this community because of the
| outrage.
Fearing that lynch law might be in
voked. the prisoner. Rand. was taken
from the county jail about II o'clock
| Thursday night by order of Sheriff
Meade and spirited away to a place of
hiding.
Kept in Woods AL Night.
When questioned about the removal of
the negro. the sheriff said Rand was in
| the custody of Deputy Sherifrs William
Smith and Mack Fowler. He declared
| that his prisoner was still In the county,
that he thought he had better not leave
| him in the Jail over night.
1t had been reported to Sheriff Meade
| earlier in the evening that mob was
| forming at Mount Harmon, in the upper
| part of the county. with the avowed in
tention Of taking Rand out of Jail and
| lynching him.
An impression was given that the negro
is being kept in hiding In the woods. but
there is considerable difference of opin-
ion on that point All that Sheriff Meade.
will say Is tnat he will have his prisoner
in court at 9>oclock Monday morning.
AS soon as night fell Gordon of ten
armed guards was posted around the
jail. at a distance of perhaps To- feet.
with orders to allow no one to enter
What crowd there was dwindled away
until finally there was scarcely any one
on the watch in the vicinity of the Jail
and their prisoner came out Of tie bund-
ing and quickly disappeared in the dark
ness of the surrounding woods.
Colored Man on the Jury.
There is one colored man on the jury
that will try the case-WilIiam j. Smith.
When arraigned before Judge Briscoe,
who is presiding in the case, Rand enter
ed plea Of mot guilty
The case has attracted widespread in
terest throughout Calvert county, and
the township Ia filled with people from
every section OF the county.
Mrs. Ward is stopping at a local hotel.
She Will be the farst witness called in the
morning and will tell all the Incidents
surrounding the assault. ~
1t is believed that Mrs. Ward would
have been placed on the stand Thursday
afternoon but for the crowd in the court
room. Mr. Parran feared that the crowd
would not only hinder the progress of
the case. but would embarrass Mrs.
Ward in testifying. AT the request of Mr..
De <hn
H. Helen to assist him in the prosecution
of The case. The negro Ia defended by
Messrs. John G. Gray and Francis uantt.
Shortly after IL pm. Rand was taken
out of the jail by order Of Sheriff Meade
and he was spirited away to a place of
hiding.
Attorneys Opening Statement.
Commonwealth Attorney Parran in his
opening statement said the state would
show that the negro had Committed a
criminal assault; that when he entered
Mrs. Wards home he carried a shotgun
and an AK. which he threatened to use.
After committing the assault in one room.
he said they would prove. he made
her so into another room and there forced
her to submit to another assault. The
negro, he said then left the house and
threatened that II Mrs. Ward left before
OaWn tune assault HAVING VCCuIIcu dt
night he would kill her.
Despite this threat, he said. Mrs.
Ward left her home and went to the
barn. In her bare feet and with only a
thin shawl over her shoulders. she ran
across the snow-covered ground to the
home Of q negro named Randall. She
was then taken to the home of Elzey
Hardesty. q tenant on her place to
whom she told Of the ASA ult Mr. Har-
desty. with his brother. Mr.. James Har-
desty. went to the barn and found a
horse gone. The next day Mrs. Ward
swore out a warrant for Rand's arrest.
The Hardesty brothers. Mrs. Ward and
Randall are the only witnesses that have
been summoned by the state.
The defense, il Is said has summoned
about twelve witnesses. A number of
them. 1t is believed. will testify as TO
Rands character. 1t is said that they
will also testify as TO the character Of
Mrs. Ward. The defense has also sum-
moned Mrs Wards husband. but as yet
he has not sbeen located. Mr.. and Mrs.
Ward have been separated for a number
OF years.