The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1910-07-07
SCOTLAND NECK, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY :, 1910.

OiS NIOp. AIIIi lIllo iG CliC IiidIlho
get for it," This was his only wall
THINKS HE WILL SURVIVE SENTENCE
But the old fellow is planning fo,
his Scotland Neck residence after ht
serves his time. He seems to tn;
there is life in the old land yet.
And thus has he been since hi
trial ended 1t wouldn't do fol
men to try him in some spot un
known with the advantage of having
heard him talk in his garrulous un
meaningness. Many people believe
that he killed the deputy and sho
the two distinguished men when il
his insane belief that Kitchin was
defending two prohibitionist, he
laid hands upon the embittered ole
fellow. There is just no reason fol
guessing at it. There is no way tt
become enlightened.
INTERESTING INCIDENT OF THE TRIAL
Warrenton, June 29.-Mrs. w. T
Eure and Miss Alice Powell, daugh.
ters OF the defendant. E. E. Powell
Aquilla Powell, his son, and the 10.
seys, sat in the court room this NOR.
ming as comforters to the prisoner
and the prosecuting witnesses, chief
of whom are Representative Paul
Kitchin and DR.. H. /. Clark, took
their places on the other side. Three
Of the Dunn family are also in the
enclosure, but they are attorneys, and
until the opening of the court today,
they have not been called as witnes-
ses, nor have they figured in the ex-
aminations or the interposition of
objections.
The prisoner has shown some emo
ton at times. Whether recurrent
sanity, ruse or fatherly affection,
the mention of his dead sons name
brings tears to his face. 1t is con-
ceded by the few who observes it, a
genuing feeling. The dead boy was
his favorite. AS the old man wrote
messages to the spirit offices and
scrawled his insensate valedictories
to the loved and lost boy, SO does
memory of him revive the feeling
and this has been the sole circum-
stance showing lucidity at all. Of
course the old fellow looks at his
lawyers and follows the examination,
but the defense never has claimed
that at all times the prisoner was
absolutely bughouse. Members of
the household do not hold it true
But ali witnesses are giving it as
their opinion that Powell was never
long at time capable Of comprehen-
ding the enormity Of his crime.
In the dram attic aftermath to the
shooting, when Miss Alice Powell
was trying to quiet him, he exclaim-
ed as he saw the gathering and ex-
cited, not to say frenzied neighbors,
81 am not afraid, | have faced thou
sands.' That might not have been
we'll to relate, but Miss Powell did
not impress one as framing up"
anything. Even in that insane ex-
citement, Powell showed a flash Of
Intelligence. He did not believe the
crowd would do him up and when
younger Kitchin shot, he answered
the shooting with one Of his own.
The matter Of insanity having aris-
en- in such multiafrious ways, one
hardly meets a friend who doesn't
begin to suspect himself. The wit
nesses have given circumstances Of
irrationality, common to practically
every man alive. One man says
Powell's most shining piece Of idiocy
was his tendency after walking
down street to turn and walk back.
He was a dancer even as Herodias
and Terpsichore, while he could fid-
die like Nero and cuss like all the
naval forces. He didn't have a sin
gle monomaniac, but a regular cara
vansary of bugs, each alteration
seeming monstrous until its fellow
absurdity came to take its place.
Yet nearly all of these appeared in
consequential to the layman who had
to laugh at individual instances.
The lying on the boys grave appears
the most aggravated element of a
disordered mind.
The story is told of Ben johnson
that the old lord of English litera-
tnre did not believe the Lisbon earth
quake ever took place, that he accep-
ted the Cock Lane ghost story, while
Andrew Jackson was a believer in
the four corners and legs of the
earth. and Stonewall Jackson daily
believed that one Of his legs was
growing shorter. N early every
man has a single truancy Of mind,
but the monomaniac of smart fel-
low like Powell is as absurd as that