The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-08-11
"BREECHES LEG" IS
POINT AT ISSUE
Charles Fountain, Slayer of Bur
ney Bunch, Vainly Tries to Ex-
plain Blood Spots on Over
alls-Appellate Tribunal
Refuses Writ of Error.
RIG HMON ND. vA.-sneciai

r I G III M o N ID, VA.-Speciai.-
Charles Fountains breeches leg has
gone up to the Virginia Court of APP
peals, but Charles himself will go te
the penitentiary for ten years.
me oreeches leg In question was an
exhibit accompanying the negro's Pc
tition for a reversal of the lower court,
but being mere slice of a pair Of
blue jeans overalls, IL failed to i'm
press the appellate tribunal and the
judges declined to allow a writ of err
ror.
This means that Charles is knocked
out in the first round and must serve
his sentence without further legal ado.
And Charles, who is a Louisa dark
ey about twenty years old, gets off
mighty lucky at that, for with some
blunt instrument he sent his friend.
Barney Bunch, to the other world and
then swore he didn't do il.
1t is said by those who know that
there's woman in the caSe-some
swart denizen of the Louisa oakbrush
but her name does not appear in the
record. On the contrary, the peti-
ton seems to indicate that Fountain
incarnadined his hands (and inciden-
tally his "pants") with human gore
after he had saturated his ebony hide
with cider.
The crime was committed on the
night Of December IL. 1909. near the
railroad track at Zion Station; in fact,
I'm the immediate vicinity of what the
record calls the depot"
That evening Fountain, Bunch and
one LinwoOd James had had a merry
time at the house of one William Jeffs,
who sold the juice of the apple.
Each of the trio drank his quart of
cider and then James separated from
his companions in order to pay his
devoirs to one of old Louisa's most
wtnsome mahogany daughters.
After an hour or so Fountain drop
ped by for him and the two proceeded
to Zion Station. While walking on
the platform in front of the depot.
James foot struck something.
The something was the corpse OF
Barney Bunch. and investigation
showed CHASTITY wounds on the head.
Fountain, the last man seen with
Bunch, declared that the two had
paused little while at the station and
that he had drowsed off, He VEN
tured the surmise that while he dozed
Bunch had been struck by a passing
freight, train, although the body was
found some distance from the track.
mO~ed the SOodS clay 20 ass
spicuous place, and the authorities
we're forthwith summoned. Some one
later on. observing dark spots on the
accused mans overalls, asked him how
they got there. He explained that they
were stains which followed the activity
or himself and James when they shifted
the corpse, which left its red trail
wherever IT was taken.
the lTlal FOOnt4ln QCnleO
that he had said anything at all about
he bloodstafns on his clothes. And
hence II came to pass that his pants
got to be sort OF side Issue IN the
lnquisition.
Fountain. feeling that the appellate
selves, filed one Oreeches leg as an eN-
hibition- His counsel also filed with
the record a little batch OF photogra phs
showing the scene of the crime. One
picture shows good-natured oittze n
posing as the corpse.
train-not he himself-killed Bunch.
and through his lawyer he maintained
that the Commonwealth has not been
able to establish a corpus delicti."
This means, in plain English. that he
called upon the State first to establish
been committed, and then demands that
ais own guilt be proved.
IL appears that the Commonwealth
has answered his call-at any rate.
Charles will go to the penitentiary.
1t is believed by those associated
slew his man with the idea OF placing
him on the railroad track, and then
fastening the blame on the soulless cor
poration. But the train came footing
along too soon for him to consummate
his grewsome scheme. He made a
The popular superstition that those
who take human life avoid looking at
their victims, apparently does not hold
good In Fountains case. He and James
handled the CORY corpse q good deal
after 1t had been found on the plat
form.
Clerk Jones. of the Supreme Court,
ioes not indicate what he will do with
the derelict breecheS leg, now that a
writ or error has been refused,