Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1908-02-21
RIPPEY MUST
Die MARCH 27
Convicted of Brutal Crime Com
mitted Near Pocahontas Last
Thursday-Swift Justice

in the indictment, and place his
punishment at DEATH
Assault committed Thursday, ar
rested and brought To Jail Friday,
indicted Monday, tried, convicted
and sentenced to be hanged Tuesday,
is the record established by the Taze-
well Circuit Court in the case of the
Commonwealth against Walter Rip
py, the nogro rapist.
Thus, the "most heinous crime
ever committed in Tazewell county
came TO an end on Tuesday after
noon. The trial of Rippey began at
2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, and at
A As the jury had the case. They re-
mained in the jury room fifteen
minutes and returned, returning a
verdict of guilty, but not fixing the
punishment. They were returned TO
their room, and returned i'm min
utes, returning the completed verdict.
The verdict was we'll received, but
there was no demonstration, what
ever.
AS reported in this paper last
week, Walter Ripley nergo, was
arrested charged with assaulting
(not Mrs. Armstrong, as stated, the
names being confused in coming over
the phone) white woman near
Pocahontas, on Thursday afternoon.
The name of the woman is Mrs.
Dancy, the widow of miner who
was killed a year ago in an eXplo-
sion in the mines at Pocahontas. The
nergo was arrested at Coaldale, and
brought TO Poe ahontas, Identified
and given a brief hearing, and with
great difficulty lynching was
averted. He was hurried 10 Tazewell
hontas and Bluefield policemen, and
safely lodged in Jail here. On Mon
day an indictment was made against
the negro by the grand jury, this
being the first day of court. On Tues
day, a jury having been secured,
the trial began. Judge Henson saw
TO il that the negro had strong
counsel, Messrs Chapman and GILES
pie and Barnes Gillepsie, three of
the best lawyers at the bar, consent
ed TO see that the nergo had fair
trial. The court room was packed 10
its utmost capacity by quiet but
earnest and determined crowd of
men. Judge Henson ordered that all
boys under 21 years of age be eXclud-
ed from the court room.
n (srOnEaft "a, 4 IA -
Attorney, was assisted by T. G.
Bowen and w. NJ. Minter.
A number of witnesses were ex-
amined, chief of whom was Mrs.
Dancy, the victim. a great many
people expected that Judge Henson
would clear the room of spectators,
but he did not, and she told the
narrowing story in broken voice,
between sobs, being several times so
over come that she could not speak
or proceed. The spectators were
visibly affected, many of them 10
tears. She told how that she, with
her 2-year old baby in her arms, and
in company with her friend, Mrs.
Armstrong, a neighbor, was return
ing home from Pocahontas where
they had been to purchase goods.
AT lonely spot in the unfrequented
road which they were travelling they
met the negro, Rippey. He stopped
them, with a club in one hand and q
rock in the other he commanded the
two frightened women upon threat
of death to them both as we'll as tn,
baby, to go before him until they
reached a lonely spot some distance
from the road, in the thick laurel
growth of the mountain. With brut,
force he accomplished his fiendisl
purpose upon his helpless victim
using his muddy black hand to stiff
her cries, and threatning to kill he
baby If she resisted. The story is to-
sickening, pathetic and revolving t
pursue further.
AS soon as possible the facts wer
made known and party of deter
mined men started in pursuit, VIII
found the nergo at Coaldale som
five or six miles from the scene c
his crime, and possessed sufficien
self control and coolheadedness {
bring him to Pocahontas alive.
Never, in the history of Tazewel
and perhaps few other counties il
the South, has a case been tried ths
was more revolving, and at the sam
time, in which justice was swiftt
or fate more deserving.
The jurors who tried the cas-
were:
Don Litton, S. f. Allison, J. +
Beavers, J. G. Beavers, A. ID. Ha
man, Daniel Asbury, A. o. Shannon
w. M. Crabtree, T.. f. Fields, s. /
Hedrick, J. p. Spracher, G.. "
Sparks