The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-16
H|NSON ADMITS HE KILLED BASSFORD But Used the AK In Defense of
 His Life CASE NOW IN JURY'S HANDS Solicitor Aird Shows Bassford Was Covered With Sheet When Found, Indicating He Was Killed
 While Asleep.
ASE NOW IN JURY'S HANDS

1He case Oi JOe f1l1SpIs dH Ildlldn,
 charged with the murder of Charles Bass
 ford was on trial yesterday before Judge g. l.. Weaver in the first division of the criminal court The murder with which Hinson is charged was committed at East Lake on the night of June this year and
 was one which aroused the entire com l munity.
 l Owing to the brief testimony the trial
 of the case consumed only the afternoon
 session of the court, and 1t was submitted l to the jury for consideration shortly after
 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. There were 1 only five witnesses, including the defend
 ant. The jury did not report verdict
 last night.
 The facts in the case, brought out in
 the evidence yesterday, are these: On the
 night of June 3, Bassford and the defend- l ants roommate were out together until l quite a late hour and at Il 80 o'clock they
 went to .he room of the defendant to l spend the night. It seems that there were I 8 bed and a cot in the room, and that the
 defendant and his roommate were accus- I tened to sleeTing on the bed. However I on the night of the murder Hinson slept
 on the cot ard his roommate and Bass 1 ford shared the bed Some time about | o'clock the Eext morning Bassford was
 murdered double bladed ax being the
 weapon used His head was practically
 severed from the shoulders by two blows
 inflicted with the sharp edge of the ax
 The following morning Hinson had fed but was later captured at Gate City by
 deputy sheriffs.
 As stated. ewing to the fact that there
 were but i've witnesses In the case-two
 of these were used principally as charac-
 ter witnesses the testimony was brief.
 Hinson. however, admits that he killed
 Fassford, but before going into the trial 1 for his life a plea of self-defense was en-
 tered by the defendant
 According to the statement of the de- fendant. the difficulty between him and l Bassford which led up to the killing grew out of a dispute between the two men about a dog sleeping in the house l Hinson claims that he had asked Bass ford to stay away from his home; that | he did not like to associate with him on account of his boasting of the fact that l he had killed two men In Tennessee On | the night that Bassford came In with 1 Hinson's roommate, however, Hinson states that he gave up his bed to Bass l ford and went to sleep on the cot which was in the room.
 l Hinson testified yesterday that when 1 Bassford came to his room that night he l brought his dog with him and locked him ] inside of the room During the course of l the night, 1t seems, the dog got on the l Led in which Hinson was accustomed to
 sleep and Hinson got up and put the dog l out of the house. When he had done l this according to hte testimony. Bass | got up and let the dog inside again. This l led to hot words and Hinson claims that, l after boastinr of the men he had killed Tn Tennessee, Bassford told him he intended l to kill him before leaving Birmingham, l and that ne afterwards told him he was
 going to Kill him that very night.
 With the remark of Bassford that he | intended to kill Hinson, the defendant | declared on the witness stand that the deceased reached under the pillow on the bed for a gun. He stated that there l was a. double -bladed axe standing be- l
 while Bassford was reaching for the pis- | tol he struck him two blows with the axe and killed him.
 From all evidence introduced in the | trial it would be concluded that after Hinson had struck Bassford he imme- | diatelv left the house and went to Gate City. where he was captured later.
 MT. Wheelan, for whom both Hinson and Bassford worked, visited the scene l of the murder the next morning and he stated yesterday that Bassford's head was practically severed from the shoul- ders and apparently all of the bones on one side of the neck had been cut in two.
 The prosecution contends that the deed
 was not committed in self-defense, but that Bassford was murdered in cold blood. l To support this theory Assistant Solici- | tor J. B. Aird, who Is representing the I state, submitted to the jury the evil | dence which had been taken in which It 1 was stated that the body of Bassford l was covered up to the shoulders with l sheet when first seen after he was killed. | MT. Aird pointed to this fact as evidence | that Hinson had murdered Bassford while | he was asleep, and further stated that | Hinson's act was committed simply for | the purpose of satisfying feeling of | hatred.
 MT. Aird pictured to the jury horri- l fying scene of the murder and his speech l was one of much force and feeling. | M A. Dinsmore conducted the defense l of the case.
 l Much interest Is being manifested in l the case While neither Bassford nor Hin | son were of prominence the horrible cir | cumstances of the murder stirred the | entire community last summer. The | court room was crowded with spectators yesterday afternoon.
 Joe Hinson, the defendant, is of Ital- ian parentage but was born in the United | States.
 After the jurys had retired from the | court room yesterday evening quite
 number of people waited about the court house for AS hour or more expecting the | jury to find verdict However, the jury went to bed last night without coming | to an agreement. The decision Is await | ed with interest.
 |
 l