The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1909-07-17
tom BOUTWELL, CONVICTED.
Jury Finds Him Guilty Without Capital
Punishment.

Punishment.
Franklinton. La. July la. The
jury in the case Of Tom Boutwell,,
for the murder Of B. G. Sowell,
after being out since yesterday eve.
ming at 3:45 o'clock, sent for the
Judge this morning at 8 O'Clock.
The Judge had court called and the
jury was brought in open court and
upon being asked il they were
ready to report they replied that
they were and their foreman, Silas
w. Magee, handed the indictment
and their findings to the judge.
which was read. The verdict was'
We, the jury. find the accused
guilty as charged, without capital
punishment. The verdict was
accepted and the jury discharged.
Boutwell, received the verdict In
the same cool, collected manner
that he has shown throughout the
trial and when he was called for
sentence he stood up without a
tremor or any other visible signs Of
disappointment, and upon being
asked by the court if he had any
thing to say, said: II desire to
thank your honor for your kind
ness in appointing attorneys to
represent me and for other court
estes shown. know there is no
use for me to ask you to be light
on me, as the law fixes that. but |
do wish to say that | am being
punished for the crime of anothersss g q
The prisoner was then sentenced
to the State Penitentiary for life.
Boutwell, admitted on the stand
that he had killed three men.
The attorneys for the defense
asked for a new trial but itwas re-
fused, and an appeal to the State
Supreme Court was granted.
Sheriff Joe N. Magee left this
afternoon with Boutwell, for the
Parish Prison in New Orleans,
where he will be kept pending
his appeal.
The testimony of Bud Wall yes
terday was to the effect that on the
day of the homicide Tom Boutwell,
and Ben Sowell came to Goodman S
place on business and that Sowell,
after a secret conversation with a
negro woman, Belle West, and
after all hands had taken a bottle
of beer, Sowell started out of the
front door accompanied by Boutwell,,
He turned around and said to the
woman, 8 Remember, 2 o'clock /,
at the same time holding up two
fingers. This was about II o'clock,
and in the afternoon about 2 clock
Boutwell, came back alone and
after a conversation with Good
man which the witness did not
hear, asked him to accompany
him uptown. They walked over to
Richardstown. a suburb of Boga-
lusa, and then went to witness
residence where Boutwell, changed
clothes. asking him to burn his
shirt. He said he asked Boutwell,
where Sowell was and that the
reply was, II left him in the
woods. =
Charley Goodman's testimony
corroborated that of Wall and the
negro woman, Belle West, and as
to what took place at his place Of
business, with the addition Of a
confession which he said Boutwell,
made to him. He said that when
defendant came back to the place
that he told him that he had killed
Sowell in the woods and that while
he thought the dead man would not
be found. that in case he was and
that any suspicion should rest on
him (Boutwell) he wanted to pse
witness to prove an aIibi. He aaid
he asked Boutwell, why he had kills
ed Sowell, and that he replied: II
was dead broke and had to have
his money. and could not get it any
other way. and If you squeaI on me
| will do you the same.
Boutwell,, the only witness for
the defense. went into details as
to his whereabouts on the day Of
the tragedy. He said that when
he and SoWell went into the woods
Sowell Whistled, which was answer
ed BY some one not far from where
they were, and that when they
came to the one answering SowelI
it proved to be Bud Wall and the
negro woman. Belle West. That
Bud Wall said to him: What are
You doing here?' and that Wall
called SoWell to one side, and that
he heard them ii conversation but
did not know what they were talk
ing about until he heard SowelI say !:
You dom t mean it, Bud" and lie.
saw Wall pull his gun and fire On
and that two more shots
were fired. He said he afterward
saw Wall and Wall asked him if he
were going to give him away,
which he said be promised not to
do. He claimed that when be
and Wall were both locked up III
the prison il BogaIusa, Wall asked
him again if he were going to tell
on him, and that he promised he
would not. He also stated that
when he and Wall were at Wall S
residence he saw Wall count lot
of money and that some Of the bills
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