The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-06-25
MON ALL SIX CASES
IN HIGHEST COURT
Good Record Made by South Carolina
Attorney Generals Office
Bethune Gets ReprieVe.
News and Courier.

Column Dla, June ZZ.-AIlOluey Neu
eneraI Peoples and Assistant Attorney
eral' Peoples and Assistant Attorney
ulated on winning the six cases before
the United States supreme court, IN
which they represented the State OF
South Carolina. Three of these were
capital cases and in each one the high
est tribunal upheld the sentence of
dea1h, T. U. Vaughn, Joe Malloy and
Willie Bethune being the condemned
trio. They appealed on the ground that
the changing of tie mode of legal ex-
ecution from hanging to electrocution
was in the nature of an ex post facto
law, but the supreme court held other
wise. Two of tie cases were insur-
ance cases and in both of these the
attorney generals Office won out.
The Grant Case.
The sixth case was that of Joe
Grant, alias Frederick Brown, a negro
VITO is under indictment charged with
murder. It is alleged that he shot and
killed ]. F. Derrick, a white man, at
Johnston, in Edgefeld county on April
Il, 1906, and fed to Pennsylvania. He
went to Philadelphia and was working
in a barber shop when arrested by a
negro detective. Then began long
fight against extradition. Solicitor
George Bell Zimmerman got requisi-
ton papers and went several times to
Pennsylvania in the various fights
made by the negro in the courts
against being returned to this State.
i Finally he lost and the governor Of
that State granted extradition papers.
An appeal was taken to the United
States supreme court and Attorney
General Peoples and Assistant Attor-
ney General Dominick represented the
State at Washington, again winning
out.
Grant will be returned to. this State
and placed on trial at Edgefeld. He
will probably be brought back within
six weeks, for it will be thirty days
before the mandate of the supreme
court is sent down to the Pennsyl-
vania courts.
The Vaughn Case.
/ T. U. Vaughn, VITO yesterday lost his
appeal before the United States su-
,preme court, will be taken back to
Greenville at the next term of the
court of general sessions for re-
sentencing. He was convicted in Oc-
tober, 1912, at Greenville, for criminal
assault on little girl inmate of the
Odd Fellows nome in 1908, he being
superintendent at the time. His trial
attracted countrywide attention. Since
his conviction and his appeal from the
death sentence Vaughn has been con-
fined in the State penitentiary and is
either insane or a consummate actor.
Some of tie authorities believe he has
! lost his mind, but it was recalled this
morning that DR.. A P. Herring of
Maryland, while in Columbia the first
of this year, examined Vaughn and
pronounced him as feigning insanity.
Commission May Decide,
! Governor Manning said this morn
ing that commission to examine into
Tire sanity of Vaughn might be ap-
pointed, as he understood an applica-
tion for such commission would be
made by parties representing TIE con-
demned man. The governor will give
a close study to the case, although he
has made no official announcement of
the matter along this line.
Willie Bethune, the Clarendon negro
under sentence of electrocution on
July 2, was reprieved for 80 days this
morning by the governor to look into
t5is case. 1t is thought t5is case may
go before the pardon board. Bethune
has been sentenced to die several
times, mas had several trials, and has
taken his case to the United States
supreme court, which upheld the sen
tence of tie South Carolina courts.
1t is probable that a thorough in
vestigation into this case will be made
by the pardon board, and the COVER
nor.