The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1909-12-24


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YEA eo1 RAGGED f1faaS ed '.II'y
AZ CSC eog0nss's inQr liloea We
nc Hor4 exaEllEei an4 t.c follow
ing s. leo story oElEacie1 tnrgqlFgil.
N1eY Roafee, VIA I've ether ncEIo
bOgu. Wlllio emifh and Iohl tIe1bef-
son. ae1e returning from re Aeaa4
slga Saturday night Oitcety ~
fH0nt 81 them were 3 number % white
men. retaining fFom tbe aame per-
fornanca We are reliably informed
that Whon the negro bOy1 drew ncar %
the Whffo men, about TIE tuncfute o.
kJOulesard and PARA ave-. Pcafce who
gaa Drafiy vel tanksd % VITA -bo0IeT
began 4 Quarrri bg osiiiug TIE white
men eclnckeFsH ana adding other I'm
uulent remarks. 1his impotence WIS
resonfed and q light followed he
other tU0 negroes Kept out 81 "a but
Roaree. who aemed determined q have
hig share o. excitome1t Wnded IN.
Bnen be Waded out again, be LEFT in
ron and with en- ugly knife stab 81
bis back.
IA an Instant he had e plot planned
Tor revenge; aud also q way Of cover
ing % his crime, n e had worked 90
smoothly as planned he threw bls hat
30 the ground, ran by a crowd Of ne
show took the hat Of the 1rst one be
came 20 and never stopped lie made
q circle Of several blocks reached the
house o. I'd smith, ran around 70
Willie Smiths room and, without
knocking Tor admittanco, entered he
lett again IN a few mOmentg, carrying
With him the double barrel shot gun
and q round Of cartridges belonging ~
Wil.se Saith. Armed with the gun
and ammunition OF another bOy who
was present at the time Of the fight,
and wearing the hat Of still another
who was In that vicinity at the time,
be continued his circle, going almost
within a block Of where the fight Oc-
Cured 10 Is easy TO see how he was
going % shift the crime from his
shoulders 70 that Of an innocent per-
son. He stationed himself IN the Gem
etery 70 await the approach 81 bis VIC
tim. 10 II presumed that be mistoOk
the Page girl for one Of the white men
with whom be had fought, as the light
on that corner was not burning. lie
fired the first barrel and she ran, the
second shot brought her 10 the ground.
Now, be extracts the shells from
the gun Of Willie Smith, throws down
the hat which be had stolen from an
other boy, and beats II back 10 where
he had stolen the gun 10 replace e, and
probably not 10 be apprehended But
IN this he was fOiled. Fanny Smith,
the mother Of Willie Smith, hearing
Penrce come IN and leave the room be-
fore the shooting occurred went down
and found the gun missing. This natu-
rally excited her curiosity, the gun
being taken FROM the room at that hour
OF the night, % she waited for the re-
turn OF the one borrowing it She
heard the shots, and shortly afterwarQ
Osbey Pearce came staggering up with
the gun under bis arm Caught with
the goods she took the gun IRON hini
and sent for her son, Millie. Osbey
was cut pretty pad and was bleeding
freely, 30 as soon a. Wine arrIveu
he hustled OF to a physicians.
when arrested, Pearce denied his
guilt, stating that he knew nothing OF
II, that he had not had the gun that
night, but couldn't account tor hiS
whereabouts between the time Of the
fight and when be turned up at Smiths
house, about a half hour elapsing.
No evidence whatever could be |
found 10 show that there was the
slightest FEELING existing between |
Pearce and the victim OF bis shots, and
not being able 70 get q statement fEoln
him regarding the shooting, Il II the
theory that be mistoOk bic victim TOR
the white men ana Tired, thinking that
be had his men.
The empty SHELLS found IN the Gem
atery were idennhed " Willie Smlth |
~ being exactly Ike e0me that be had /
on bis dresser By the gun and which /
were missing. They also were No ~
gauge, the same ~ the gun found Ia
the possession o. poarce BY Fanny |
smith. Abe gun showed that Il hag /
been freshly nrod "a both barrels. VIII |
he Smith teatifying that Il had not |
been used % he knowledge. since he
last cleaned a.
Judge Meginnlaa conducted q VERT
rigid examination at the inquest and
wove a strong net Of evidence around
the prisoner.
Several other negroes had been ar
rested on suspicion bat al were ~