The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-10
Supreme Court Believes Dali
las Wright Should Have
New Trial for Hic Life
HISTORY OF CASE
GIVEN IN APPEAL
Buckingham County Man Reviews
Details Of Alleged Staying
of Two Men in Log
Cabin.

was granted Friday by the supreme
court OF appeals in the case of Dallas
Wright. sentenced to be electricuted
for te alleged muid der Of r. c. and
w. j. Stuart IN Buckingham county
In April. 1909
The record and appeal in the case
IL very interesting document and
contain story that links dreams with
reality, visions with law. and gives
some idea as to the length 10 which
men will go TO obtain rewards The
entire history OF the killing OF the
Stuarts which so shocked Bucking-
ham county residents is told in the
appeal.
Gives History of Case.
Wright was convicted on March %
last after previous jury had dis
agreed as to his guilt. The date or
Is electricution has not been set
In his appeal he says the Stuarts
lived in a litsie, isolated log cabin
III sparseiy settled portion Of the
county. kept to themselves and were
reputed TO be worth considerah bic
money
On the night of April II, 1909,
their house was destroyed by fire
The following day a neighhor, pasy-
Ing the site where the house once
stood. saw the ruins and went TO a
negro woman's house half mile
away and told her Of the fire. The
woman sent her son TO tell Dallas
Wright and his brother Clifford. The
brothers went to- the burned house
pr out the fire. which was still rag
Ing and examined the ruins
In the debris they found the charred
and biackened bodies OF two men and
some melted silver dollars Examina-
ton of the heads Of the bodies dis
closed the fact that one head had
nsen entirely several from the torso
before the fire and the other head
contained huileta In the debris was
Also found a gun containing an empty
she'll
Several days after the fire and find
Ing OF the bodies, q. f. Bolton. 81
FARMER living in the neighborhcod.
told OF dream he had had on Aprtl
II.
Il dreamed / saw five men walking
In mist or haze toward a small log
cabin, said Mr.. Bolton to his neigh
tsr. They walked around the house
and then went in IL. / recognized
Dallas Wright and Edward Perkins
among the men. Ono of them had a
gun.
II saw three men busting around
inside the house, then / saw them
Win "a man. TWO OF them
held a man, while the third took a
large broad headed AK and chopped
his head OFF. Perkins cut tho mans
head off,
Guided by Dream.
The authorize smade a dnigent
search for the alleged murderars all
the while bearing Mr.. Bottoms dream
In mind Weeks passed without any
Developments in the case.
Early in June, however, after large
rewards had been offered by the coun-
ty and State for the apprehension and
conviction OF the guilty man or men,
Deputy Sheriff Edward Carter and his
son .Moorman Carter. went to the
home OF Edward Perkins, named in
Mr.. Bottoms dream, about midnight
an dread to the awakened negro a
bogus warrant charging him with
murder. The negro protested that he
knew nothing whatever of the muir
der The negro protested that he knew
nothing whatever of the murder.
The deputy and his son mounted
horses and started 10 jail with the
negro, who was unshaekled. but walk
ed beside the horses, protesting inno-
cence at every step. When the trio
struck a clump of dark woods, out
sprang dozen or more armed men.
said to have been placed there by
gre into confessing. They fell upon
Edward. hastily threw rope around
his neck, called for his blood. tossed
the rope over the limb of tree and
strung the frightened negro up half a
dozen times. The mob commanded
him to tell all he knew OF the muir
der and his life would be spared. He
told them he knew nothing of the
murder and could tell them nothing.
even II they hung him. After repeat
Ing the operation of stringing the
negro up at / o'clock in the morning
III the weeds, the mob finally gave
him Kick and sent him home.
To Have Some Fun.
Some days later Mr.. Bolton said
he thought he remembered Aylette
johnson and william jackson In the
quintet which marched to the little
cabin. These negroes were arrested
and thrown into jail. After several
days they said Dallas Wright and
Edward Perkins had committed the
crime. The negroes declared the two
Wright brothers and Perkins came to
their house and asked them II they
wanted to go to Stuarts and have
some fun" They replied that they
did not. The negroes declared they
were compelled to go to the Stuart
cabin against their win. There, ac-
cording to their statement. Perkins
and the Wrights set firs TO the cabin
Perkins cut OFF one OF the Stuarts'
heads after the trio had forced him
to give them $3.50. The confessors
safd Mr.. Stuart made no protest
against giving up the money or hav-
ing his head taken on.
indictments were returned against
Dallas Wright and Perkins a. a re-
suit Of the negroes stAtementa. Per-
kins was convicted and sentenced to
die In tho chair. Later he was
GRANTED 4 new trial. the court rul-
jng that tho confessions Of jackson
ana johnson challenged human be-
lief. were Allied with contradictions
ana faisehoods." Wright was con-
victed On the same statementa ana
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