The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-26

I've been praying said the VIII
mlngton negro, Dick Cause, sentence
ed 10 be electrocuted on Friday. hen
on yesterday Deputy Sheriff II. RI.
Crocher read to him in the States
Prison the TO life i'm
~prisonmeA granted by Governor
Kitchin. And Mr.. Crocker told him
that if he kept on praying il might
do him more good. 1t goes without
saying hat the negro was delighted.
and that the smiles were full sized
ones on his face.
The trial of the negro had in il
something of a sensation. He had
killed another negro, Ned Gibson.
in a drunken brawl in a low den in
Wilmington in March. in April his
case was called for trial in Wilmington
before Judge r. b. PEBBLES, but Soli-
citor H. Z. Shaw made AFFIDAVIT that
the State would not get a fair trial
owing TO the great prejudice and the
sentiment of a great humble Of citi-
zen of New Hanover against capt
tai punishment. On this Judge
PEBBLES mad an order that upon
the affidavit and upon knowledge de-
rived from his own experience he
found that New county was
not a suitable place to try a man
charged with murder and that there
fore he moved the trial TO Pender
county.
Both Dick Cause and James L.
Tisdale were put on trial before Judge
CT. g.. Ferguson in Pender county on
July Il for the murder OF Ned Gibson.
and the verdict was guilty of murder
in the first degree as to Gauze and in
the second degree as to GauZe and in
murder occurred on the night OF
March 20, 1911 in a low dive in Viii
mington where Cause, TisdaIe, Gibson
had spent the night in drinking,
Cause also using cocaine, Alewd ne
gro woman a friend of Causes was
present and the testimony was that
Tlsdale old GauZe that Gibson had
been two free with the woman Then
Cause Chased Gibson around with a
pistol and shot him as he went out
of the door.
Cause was sentenced 10 be electro
cuted on August %, but in order that
his case might be more fully heard
Governor Kitchin granted a reprieve
till next Friday. September p. In
the meantime Mr.. -. II. Bland. of
Goldsboro. who had defended Cause,
kept busy and secured many recon-
mendations for the Communication of
the sentence to life Imprisonment. He
urged that the negro is OF a low grad"
of intellect. without money and
friendless. that he was under the in
nuence of whiskey and cocaine when
he killed Gibson; that the chief Wit
nesseS against him were of a low
class. The trial judge, the solicitor
and all twelve Of the jury, as well as
many who heard the case, recon-
mended a Communication. and il was
granted yesterday. As TO n reasons
for il Governor Kitchin SAYS:
Rcascsls for Communication.
Although the prisoner was con-
victed of murder in the first degree.
the evidence was of such doubtful
character tina the trial judge. The
solicitor prosecuting and all twelve u
the Jury who tried the case are not
satisfied with the result and nave
recommended that / the
sentence to life i'm prisonment- Many
officials and citizens join IN THIS
recommendation. and although notice
of the application for Communication
has been duly published no intima-
ton against the c~ommutation asked
has reached me. IN a case Of mis-
kind I believe any doubt ] may have
should be resolved in favor OF human
life and the unanimous wish Of those
charged with the enforcement OF the
law in the case.
Il therefore commute the sentence
of prisoner to imprisonment in states
prison at hard labor for life. which =
more than the maximum fixed by Law
for murder in the second degree.