The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-09-06
SESSIONS COURT CONVENES.
Number of Cases Have Been Disposed
Of.-Several Plead Guilty.

:
/ Monday morning. Judge Thomas S.
Sease is presiding. Solicitor r. l..
Gunter. of Aiken, and Stenographer
! E. 4. Brown, of Barnwell. were in
! their respective places.
The solicitor handed out number
of indictments to the grand jury Mon
day morning. Judge Sease delivered
a strong charge to the grand jury.
Griffin Heath, charged with house
breaking and larceny, pleaded guilty
and was sentenced to serve nine
months in the reformatory. Heath
is only 16 years of age.
Oscar Beavers pleaded guilty to
violation of the prohibition law.
Judge Sease sentenced him to pay
fine of $50 or serve four months
! on the public works.
The first jury case tried was that
OF Joe Johnson, white man of Fish
Pond township, charged with lar
cenv of live stock and housebreaking.
Much interest was attached to this
case because of the fact that john
son acted as his own counsel, and
handled his case so we'll that the
Jury returned verdict of not guilty.
It was alleged that he broke into a
stable and stole a COW, carried her
off and tied her in swamp. Tne
cow was later found and returned
to her owner, and Johnson was
charged with the theft. AS the case
of housebreaking was not very clear,
the solicitor did not ask for con-
yiction on this count. At the begin
ming of the trial, Johnson appeared
in court with pad and pencil, just
like any regular lawyer. He ques-
toned every witness closely, and ad-
hered pretty we'll to the established
rules of court, having to be ad-
monishd only infrequently by the
Judge to desist questioning along
lines not allowed by the rules. At
the end of the trial, Johnson was
asked if he wanted to make speech
to the Jury. and he replied that he
did. and wanted to know how long
the court would let him speak. The
court replied by inquiring how much
time he desired. He astonished the
court by replying about thlrty-fVe
minutes, but the court told him to go
ahead-which he did. Johnson gave
a severe arraignment of his pro-
secutor, and alleged that he was
being prosecuted. Pathetically he
told the jurors that if he was con-
victed his family would be helpless
and uncared for, and his children
would not be able to go to school.
He scared frequently into flights OF
oratory that would have been credit
to a sure-enough lawer. Johnson
had only recently been acquitted in
Dorchester county of violation of the
prohibition law. He there argued
his own case.
The grand jury returned the fol-
lowing bills:
Marion Brown and Lee Brown,
murder; true bill as to Marion
Brown: no bill as to Lee Brown.
Elliott Nimmons, murder; no bill.
Ruth Ella Nimmons, murder; true
bill.
Ethel Glover, attempt to admins
ter poison, true bill.
Ethel Glover entered plea OF
guilty to attempting to poison Mrs
A. McB. Speaks. She is little ne
gro girl twelve years old. On account
of her plea of guilty and her youth,
the Judge sentenced her to the light
est sentence the law provides, two
years. At the end of a year, said
Judge Sease, if the girl behaves her
self, he will be inclined to recommend
a parole. This girl attempted to
poison Mrs. Speaks several months
ago. Mrs. Speaks sent her to the
refrigerator to get her bottle OF
chero-cola. The girl took Off the
cap. poured out some of the contents
of the bottle, and reflled it with
iodine. Mrs. Speaks detected the pres
ence of the poison and did not drink
enough to produce serious results.
The girl afterward acknowledged the
crime. No reason for the attempt is
known, unless it was revenge for
some petty grievance. The girl will
be kept in the Bamberg jail and re-
uuired to do such work as she is able
| to do.
Will Weathers and Willie Carter
we're next tried for housebreaking
and larceny. 1t was charged that
they entered the store of F. H. Nc