The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-11
COCAINE KING
FOUND Gull Y
Charles White Sentenced 4cster-
day to Four Years in
Pcnitentiary.
FIRST TO BRING DOPE HERE
Three Officers Testify Against
Him, and Three Give Evil
dence in His Behalf.

With three police officers testtfying
against him and three testifying In
his behalf, Charles White, the noto-
rious Seventeenth Street negro, and
the man who by his w acknowledge
ment was the first to Introduce the
illegal traffic Of cocaine into Richmond
many years ago, was convicted In the
Hastings Court yesterday of the
charge of having cocaine In his pos
session. and was sentenced to four
years in the State Penitentiary.
Gilbert X. Pollock, his attorney,
made a hard fight for the negro, and
at times 1t looked as if acquittal was
in sight. But the prosecution was
bolstered UP with evidence that could
not be undermined despite the fact
that three OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Wiltshire n Policemen G. T. Smith
and B. II. Werner-went on the Wit
ness stand for the defense.
Immediately after the reading OF
the verdict to the trembling King
! of Cocaine Mr.. Pollock moved to set
aside the verdict as contrary to tho
law and evidence, and made a motion
in arrest OF Judgment. which motion
the court continued until a later date
in this term.
Hind AIl-Dny Trial.
The trial lasted all day, and the
verdict was rendered just before Z
O'clock. Both Mr.. Pollock and COM
monwealth's Attorney Folkes argued
at length. The defense based its case
on the theory that Eddie Fields, the
negro who purchased cocaine from
White and who was one OF the chief
witnesses for the prosecution, had
connected n plot to throw" White
because the accused had given In
formation to the detectives which led
to the arrest of Sarah Cousins, the al
legged consort of Fields, the Cousins
woman afterwards being convicted OF
a wholesale tewelry robbery IN New
York.
The prosecution showed hat tho arr
rest of White and the plan for his
capture was due only to the work of
the detective department through a
white man named Armstrong. Arm
strong purchased the cocaine through
Fields. giving the negro a dollar. the
latter not knowing that he was to be
a party to the detectives plan. ARM
strong furnished the detective DEPART
ment with the first Information. and
made an offer to Captain Mcmahon
that he would throw White for him.
Detective. Caught Two.
Captain Mcmahon then detailed Ser
geants Wiley, Wren and Bailey on the
case, and late one night the three men
arrested both White N Fields, hold
ing the latter as a witness against the
former. 1t was on their evidence.
coupled with that OF Fields, that
White was convicted. In their. evil
dence the other three officers helped
to sustain the theory that White was
| given up to the police through the
Vaccinations of Fields. Efforts We're
made to destroy Fields's character,
and Mr.. Pollock introduced several
, witnesses who swore hat Fields had
made threats that he would throw
| White because the latter had thrown
Sarah Cousins. One of these Wit
nesses was very amusing. He was
brought up from jail to testify. He
admitted that lie had spent several
He is now serving time in tho Rich
mond Jail.
What for?" inquired Mr.. Folkes.
"Dey 'cuscd me of stealin' chickens
he replied. and everybody laughed.
What did YOU go to the peniten-
tiary for?, again inquired Mr.. Folkes.
II dunno zackly.' he said. but /
think it was somethin' like losseny."
Another witness said that he had
gone to Jail for "fightin', shoothin' and
gettin' drunk" 1t was a fine array Of
jailbIrds.
After Him for Years.
Fields, when placed on the stand,
idenied all the accusations brought
Iagainst him in toto, and declared that
he had never known the Cousins Wo-
man. Most Of the other evidence was
In controverslon of hat brought out
by the defense, though the latter was
very strong.
White is fifty-two years old. The
police have been trying for years to
catch him in the cocaine traffic, and
he has often been arrested, but al
WAYS without conviction following.
inc conviction yesterday is regarded
as a great triumph for the detectives.
ana 1t is believed that with White
safely locked away there will be q
great reduction in the cocaine traffic.
while the jury was considering its
verdict The negro made the statement
That he was the first man to intro
duce cocaine into Richmond. though he
declared that he had given up the traf-
Tic since It had been made a penal
offense. He is much broken, and was
nervous and excited throughout the
trial.