Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-12-06
ovERToN CONVICTED MURDER.
Death Sentence Passed--Appeal Stays
the Execution.

Guilty Of murder in the first de-
the death penalty {hanging) be i'm
| posed. was the verdict OF jury in
| the Madison county circuit court,
which for the past week has been sit
| ting in the trial of David D. Overton,
who was charged with the murder
| near here last June Of Probate Judge
| William T. Lawler, his political Op
ponent
| The verdict was returned at 11.30
| o'clock this morning in a partially
crowded court room after the jury
had deliberated since $50 p. M. yes
terday. Sentence to die January 12
was pronounced by Judge b. NJ. Mil
Ter, but suspension was ordered
motion for new trial. Date for a
! hearing on the motion has not been
| fixed.
| OvcrtOn Scanned Faces OF Jurors.
When the jury filed into the court
| room the prisoners eyes sought the
face Of each juror as if to trace some
message that would tell him his fate.
! When the verdict was read Overton
| remained calm; but Il perceptible
| expression Of surprise came over the
| former clerks cOuntenance, and he
looked at the jurors intently as if
| trying to fathom their thoughts. He
| was asked by Judge Miller if he had
anything to say. He was silent per-
haps ton seconds.
Nothing. Judge" he replied, 'cX-
cert that | am not guilty"
The words came from his lips in
almost whisper. Judge Miller pro-
nounced the sentence, counsel for the
defense filed their motion for a new
trial, and Overton, in charge OF seve-
raj sheriff's deputies, was taken to
the Madison county Jail, where he
will remain until his case finally is
disposed Of.
| Overton's conviction is the climax
to one OF the most dramatic murder
cases in Alabama's history. The
chain Of developments included the
killing of a probate Judge, the sui
cides soon afterward Of Huntsville
! attorney and sheriff Of Madison
county, and man-hunt which was
carried into practically every South
ern State and parts of Canada.
Oyerton Admitted Killing.
Mystery surrounding the discovery,
on June II, of the body Of Judge
Lawler in Tennessee river slough
under the Whitesburg bridge. ten
miles from here, was not cleared up
until November "a, when Overton
at his trial admitted he shot and
killed the jurist on the bridge on the
night Of June 14th.
He declared, however. that he kill
ed Judge Lawler after the latter had
attacked him with a knife. The at
tack. he said. followed his (Over-
ton's) refusal to join Lawler in a
plan to try to delay report which
was expected from special grand
jury OF the Madison county circuit
court. The grand jury was under
stood to be investigating alleged ir-
regularities in the election last
spring in which Lawler defeated
Overton for the probate judgeship.
He denied he had anything to do
with the disposition of LAWYERS
body. He stated he and the jurist
had driven in his buggy from the
county court house in Huntsville to
the Whitesburg bridge to discuss po-
litical differences which they hoped
to settle. These alleged differences
were not explained.
Judge LAWYERS body was weighted
down with a piece Of railroad iron.
and contained severe wounds on the
head. A bullet wound also was dis
covered.
Shelby Fleasants. a Huntsville at
torncy, and Sheriff Robert Phillips,
Of Madison county, shot and killed
themselves three days apart, the next
week. They left word they could not
bear suspicion which they believed
was pointed to them in connection
with the killing.
GIRLS DRAW 4 MOIST
CLOTH THROUGH HAIR,