The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-01-08
IMPORTANT DAY
In CIRCUIT COURT
Death Sentence and Twenty.
Five Years Imposed.
Series OF Four Negro Murder Cases
All Victims Women, Concluded
Yesterday.
GEORGE FREEMAN VERDICT

Three men charged with different
offenses were on trial for their lives
In the McCracken county circuit
court yesterday. one being given the
death penalty, another a 20 year sem
tence and the third 1--WE year SEN
'tence. making the day the most i'm
portant on record In the county.
Besides the disposition OF the two
murder and one rape case. the John
w. Kelly incorporation OF trust
funds case from Trigg county. was
taken up and af,ed important mo-
lions had been heard. the case con-
tinued until the aext term OF court
In addition TO all this a negro. Willis
Dunlap. was sentenced to one year in
the penitentiary for obtaining money
by f. false pretenses and the evidence
In the case against Milton Brooks for
malicious cutting was heard aud the
case given to the jury. tfl.iA iif.
Evidence In the rape case against
VIII Hornsby. who was sentenced 70
20 years In the penitentiary. was
heard Wednesday. but the verdict
was returned yesterday morning.
Within fifteen minutes after thu
Charlie Lee mn jury had reported
flve-year sentence MIR. Lovett learned
OF a witness who claims that the day
before Hnl killed the negro woman.
he exhibited pistol and said that he
intended TO Kill Fannie Younger with
that gun. OF the evidence that was
introduced there was nothing 10 show
aav malice on the part OF the defend
ant ana little evidence.to controvert
the plea OF the defense that the shooi
Ing was an accident.
Georee Freeman.
George Freeman, the negro who is
TO die for the murder OF Essie Cobb.
Is medium sized mulatto and a.
stranger In Paducah. Jealousy was
the cause Of the crime and from the
evidence Freeman walked into res
tauTant on Kentucky avenue between
First and Second streets. where the
woman was sitting at a table drink.
Ing and taking with other negroes,
and shot her down without provoca-
ton. although the defendant testified
that as he entered the restaurant tn.
woman attempted to arise from her
seat with her hand on her bosom.
where she usually carried knife.
The defendants testimony was prac-
tlcally without confederation.
Essie Cobb. who was murdered. is
a.fa IN Hoo, Iaa., Var, haudeo,na for
one OF her race. She came OF
prosperous co'ored family at Metrop-
oils.
The verdicts In the Freeman and
Hiil cases concludes series OF four
murder cases. the crimes all occur
ring in the city Of Paducah in few
months time. Two OF the cases we're
disposed OF at the last term OF crimi-
MAJ court Monroe Bacon, who killed
his wife In Mechanicsburg. ano
against whom there was strong evil
dence and sufficient to have induced
the jury to sentence him TO hang. had
not the defense been able to substan-
tiate an insanity plea. Bacon had
looked for his wife several hours.
vowing to XII her. and when he came
up on her called her to a fence ana
shot her down. Alex Wade killed
Gertrude Pendleton and is serving a
lie sentence az Eddyvil.e. He Is said
to be making a model prisoner and
already a. movement lie on foot to
have him paroled. The other two
eases were disposed OF yesterday.
The remaining murder case that Is
before the court is that of Jonas
smith. charged with Killing his
father. The case will be called for
trial next week.
Stoney Ferguson. under indictment
for murder. Is at large. ~
The jury which returned the death
sentence against Freeman yesterday
was composed of w. +. Downing. c.
Il. Grldley, l.. r. Harris, ID. W. Nun
ply. j. H. Chi,dress. w. T. Harrison.
I Il. u. Pandle. W. A. Martin, ]. M.
Rouse. s. p. Goodman, A. ]. Thomp-
son. s. b. Smith.
| Attorneys Eugene Graves and T.
/ n. Hagelip. who represented Free
man. will make a fight for a reversal
~ l..