Newport daily independent., 1914-10-29
NEGRO HELD
 WITHOUT BAH
John Woodland Charged Jointly With Negro Hung By Mob As Guilty Of Murder Of
 Officer Payne.

The inquest over the remains of Night Officer James Payne was concluded Wednesday by Coroner Melville and the verdict of the jury was that the officer "came to his death at the hands of Joe Davis and John Woodland ! by gunshot wounds, and recom- lmended that they be held with out ball." The jury apparently refused to take coznizance of the fact that Davis has already paid the penalty for his crime at the hands of the mob.
 The Payne inquest begun Sun i day was resumed Wednesday morning, when the following witnesses were heard: G. c. Martin, Alb Lawrence, D. l.. Proctor, B. c. Graham, Dr. c. K. Stephens, Joseph Lewis and John Woodland. The negro last named, who was taken to Little Rock Sunday evening and held in the Pulaski county jail for safe keeping was brought here to testify and his evidence is the only testimony which bears directly on the killing. %
 The negro testified that Joe Davis came by his house about 2 o'clock Sunday morning and that they went up town after a bowl of soup. When returning, and in front of Hafner Grocer Company, Payne came up and said to the two negroes, Con sider yourself under arrest. 7 The negro Joe had his hands in his pocket and the officer said Take your hands out of your pocket" As the negro Joe pull ed his hands out, he brought out la gun and began shooting. The witness claimed that this scared Ihim and that he ran home and didn't know until the next morn ling that Officer Payne was shot.
 Marshal Gus Martin related Ithe story of the finding of lPayne's body and the arrest of the two negroes. When Davis had been arrested he told the Smarshal that the Woodland negro had a shooting match with MT. Payne and that he (Davis) was hit by a stray bullet. On the Iother hand, Woodland when ar- rested. had told the marshal that Davis did the shooting.
 1 Alb Lawrence told of the find ling of the empty shells from a I38 calibre s. & W. where the ne gro Davis had lain the remain der of the night after the shoot ing.
 l D. l.. Proctor, night watch lman at the handle factory, testi- fled that in the shooting Sunday morning one shot was fired and that after an interval of a few seconds four successive shots 'were fired.
 B. c. Graham heard the shooting and testified that il looked as though two parties were shooting at each other about ten or fifteen feet apart After No. 5 had gone south, wit ness went to the scene of the shooting and found the body o1 Officer Payne.
 Dr. Stephens testified as tc the bullet having entered the
 back in the region of the tentf rib four inches to the right o1
 the spinal column, ranging little upward and coming out al the right breast. The bullet, 38 calibre, probably, penetrated
 the heart or some of the large
 vessels in the neighborhood.
 Joseph Lewis, a negro, testl' fled that he found Joe Davis
 wounded Sunday morning in the !; weeds near his house and that he assisted the negro to BOt Griffin's house. He asked Davis , who shot him and the latter an
 swered "a police" He also saw that Davis had a pearl handled revolver. When Lewis came , down town he heard of the mur , der of Officer Payne and went tt
 Marshal Martin and Sheriff Nc
 Cuistion and told them tfit
 house where he had carried Da