The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-07-29
Negro Arraigned in Police Court
This Morning on Charge
Of Cow Stealing.
SAYS HE HAD
BEEN HoODoOED
Had Stolen Valuable Heifer and Mich
Cow From J. e. Hedrick.-Police
Justice Thought Few Days On City
Streets Might Affect Cure.

"Jedge, Use been under some sort
O. spell when l done that" was the
statement made in the police court
this morning by Henry Hall, alias
Henry Berry, alias Willie Moffat and
few others, when he was arranged
for stealing cattle.
The particular charge against Hall
was the theft of a hiefer from ]. e
Heddrick, a dairyman out West Pine
street this morning, but he was in
duced to confess the theft of a milch
COW from the same place on last
Friday night. This morning Hall
brought the hiefer in and was trying
to sell it to the city market when a
negro who had lost one asked the
officers to go with him to look at
it. 1t did not belong to the negro
but he warned the officers that it was
probably stolen and at this Hall began
to slip off, so he was Immediately ar
rested and detained until Mr.. He'd
rick whose brand it wore appeared
and identified it. The line with which
it was tied was identified by Mr..
W. S. Davenport, a neighbor Of He'd
dricks as belonging to him and he
also suspected the negro of stealing
a COW from him on Sunday night, Hall
denied this. saying that he had stolen
the line from Mr.. Davenport's wagon
this morning to lead the hiefer with.
The negro confessed, however, to
stealing a COW from Heddrick on last
Friday night and selling it. He did
not know to whom he sold it, but Of
fered to take the officers there and
did so. The COW was found at the
home of L. B. Watson, a railroad man.,
living on sixth street, to whom Hall
had sold it on last Saturday morning
for $1,000.
Before Judge Davis. Hail made a
plea OF guilty to the charge of theft
and was sentenced to a fine of 500
and twenty-five days. The negro then
asked to make a statement and told
this story:
He had been told that Nose Blakely
the negro who a few years ago in a
family row beat his brother to death
with a stick while he was begged up
in a branch, across which he had at
tempted to flee. was dead and so he
had married Moses wife. A few
weeks ago Nose appeared and his
former VIE Immediately deserted Hall
and returned to him. Nose Blakely
was much enraged that Hall had been
to his wife and told him that
he was to be "hoo-doo-ed" and would
be arrested Nose then went to
Scranton, taking his wife with him,
but a few nights ago Hall was hand
ed an envelope and looking about
saw that the one who had banded
it was Blakely's wife. He dropped
the envelope, but ever since, he says,
he has been under a spell.
The court held the opinion that the
sentence would probably break the
spell so it was not changed, but Con
stable Tucker suggested that if the
city's sentence did not do away with
the "hoo-doo" it will probably disap-
pear before the county gets through
with him.
Several other cases of cattle steal
ing have been reported and they have
not been recovered, among them be-
ing a valuable Jersey COW lost on Sun
day night by w. S. Davenport, and
the officers are determined that every
thief caught shall serve the limit.
An interesting point in the story
told by Hall is that Nose Blakely, has
been back and is now at Scra lton.
Blakeley has never been captured al
though here has been reward VI sew
eral hundred dollars for his arrest.