Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-11-28
ROBINSON IS
 GIVEN 3 YEARS WHITE MAN GOES TO PEN FOR MANSLAUGRTER, WHEN W.T.
 NESS SHOWED UP.
NEGRO GOT SIX YEARS
Henry Lee Also Enters Plea in Seyer- al Cases-NixOn Found Miss.
 ing Witness.

When J. w. Robinson, white ma l erraigned in the Jefferson circuit court yesterday on a charge of mur-
 der in the first degree, the indictment 1 growing out of the stabbing affray at
 Altheimer several months ago, when
 Robinson stabbed l.. E. Sawyer, an- other white man to death in a drunk en fight, the defendant plea ded guilt;-
 to manslaughter and was given five
 years in the state pen tentiary by Judge A. B. Grace.
 It was thought for some montns that Robinson would escape punish ment, as H. w. Eldridge, one-les- ged man who was rsilroad agent at Altheimer on the night of the tragedy, was missing, and as he was an im- portant and practically the only strong witness for the state in the quittsl were favorable. Eldridge wit messed the tragedy and arrested Rob- inson and brought him to Pine Bluff He later quit the employ of the Cottoi Belt at Altheimer and left the state. but District Attorney T. Havis Nixo, located him at Atlanta recently and had him to return here as 9, witness When the case was called yesterday morning Eldridge was in court. ready to testify. It was then that Robin
 son asked to be permitted to plead guilty to charge of manslaughter and District Attorney Nixon accept { ed five years.
 Robinson is man of family, as was also his victim. Both men were employed by the Singer Sewing Ma
 chine Company. Robinson made his home at Sherrill and Sawyer lived at Altheimer. They were the best of 1 friends when the tragedy occurred, just had alighted from train at AL the;mer, when they fell out and fought. Robinson stabbed Sawyer to death before they could be separated. They had been to Pine Bluff together just before the fight occurred.
 Robinson plee ded guilty upon the advice of his attorneys, Sorrells and Whitelaw and I. F. Long. He at first declared that he was innocent of the crime of which he was charged, and District Attorney Nixon stated that he would not accept the plea if he in- sisted that he YVES innocent, but an nounced ready to try the case. Attor- ney Sorrells informed his client tina: if he insisted that he was innocent he would so through the trial and de- fend him, as agreed. He announced ready for ' defense and it was only after considering the matter for some minutes did Robinson decide to enter pie of guilty. IIe informed Judge Grace that he was in ill health and asked the court to advise the peniten- tiary officials of his condition. Judge Grace assured the prisoner that phv- sicians would examine him before he was given any lebor assignment at tue state prison.
 Henry Lee, young negro, enter ed a plea of guilty to several charges of grand larceny and one charge of burglary and was sentenced to six years in the state prison by Judge Grace. In three cases of grand lar ceuy Lee was given one year each and in the burgl=ry case he got three years. Lee burglarized negro gro cery store on West Sixth avenue and stole shotgun from man namel Williams, at the Arkansas Short Leai Lumber ComDany's pl mt and also stole a wheel, belonging to Gordon Freeman.
 John F. Sennett, of New Gascony, uv0 0o s,Nf t,n asf sfr-