The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1910-07-07

pal Ileo W lne prosecution, showed
| their willingness to let the matter
drop.
AN INTERVIEW WITH POWELL.
AS soon as was practicable Sheriff
| R. E. Davis, of Warren county, con
signed the man to his cell and allow
ed your correspondent to interview
him.
! Immediately following the trial
Powell turned to the Joseys and
kept up running inaudible conver-
sation with them. He wept but
slightly. and upon his most flexible
face there wasn't the sign of smile,
the kind that has marked his insane
sneer as detailed by his relatives.
But he is communicative on prohi-
bition. 1t is his pet aversion. He
believes in it with all of his heart,
and after a few preliminaries he
opened up.
Il heard them say on the trial, :"
he began, that | cussed out the
courts and threatened to kill Charlie
Dunn. | never said a word against
Charlie Dunn in my life. l know,
too; that no man ever curesd Charlie
Dunn without getting knocked
down. He used to show me his fists
and | asked him what was the mat
ter with them. He told men that
he bruised them up hitting a niger
!; No, sir. people didn't insult him
| without getting hurt. Talk about
me hitting him. | didn't have the
strength of ten-year-o boy.
Once he said worried him and he
had notion to slap me. But l told
him alway when he saw me getting
that way to lay his hand on my
shoulder. | knew that would stop
me.
Il kept hearing my daughters talk
about me- being drinking man.
Th"y- 'vc~2 ~;r~ht. ! didn't drink.
| used to when | was young man,
but it hurt me and | quit. | never
sold any whiskey. and it never made
me crazy. The witnesses were wrong
about that"
Mr.. Powell told Of various things
that came out in the trial. He re-
membered them accurately and
said that while he recalled his daugh-
ter's story of his action the after
noon of the shooting, he hadn't a
memory it.
Il hope God will throw me out of
the window if | ever knew that |
shot those men. Why, they were my
friends. | like Paul Kitchin as well
as l ever did. l always voted with
himand did what l could for him. |
wanted to speak to him during the
trial, but was afraid he was mad
with me. | felt that way about lots
of the witnesses who came from
Halifax. | haven't anything against
them.
DECLARES HE LOVED POLICE CHIEF.
'The man | loved best of all was
Charley Dunn, and next to him |
loved the dog he gave me. And
when I found my self in Jail on the
charge of shooting my best friend,
| never did believe it. | can't un-
derstand if | shot three times why |
didn't shoot five. If ever shot at
Richard Kitchin or he at me, didn' t
know it.
Eyes, said something about 'agri-
cultural trimmer but l didn't say
it exactly like the witnesses told it
to the Judge. l amt got nothing
against prohibition ''-and the cd
man smiled and laughed outright.
Il prophesied that they would have
trouble in Halifax, that God knows
best and one of these days there
would be a hail storm that | called
an agricultural trimmer. 1t came
| in June. 1t knocked everything to
pieces. The neighbors were all
moaning about it. / was a cussing
man then, don't cuss now. | said
you got off damned light" And the
old fellow frightened up.
Sheriff Davis. a thoroughly sympa-
thetic, good fellow ,sald "Mr. Powell,
what makes you so lively this morn
ing? This is the first time that have
seen you laugh since you came here. "
And on the outside there was big
hearted colored janitor. who chimed
in: "Hit shore is, Mr.. Powell, | amt
seed you this way before" The old
man looked up and said: "Well, you
are talking sense to me. Generally
when anybody comes in to talk to
me he has to tell me that l am a
damned liar the first thing, and it
irritates me. They always make me
feel bad.
"Now they said | was crazy about
| nrohihition R1t I amt. don