The log cabin Democrat., 1917-01-17
WILSON CONVICTED. GIVEN TtN YEARS MURDER CASE IS ENDED Argument Completed Tuesday Night
 and Jury Returns Verdict
 Wednesday Morning.

murder in the second degree and his
 punishment fixed at 10 years in the state penitentiary by jury in Faulk-
 ner circuit court today, for the mur-
 der of Bolden Wilson, his nephew. on l March Is last
 The evidence in the case was com pleted at 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Judge Trimble read the 1 instructions to the jury and the ar guments were begun at o'clock. 1 The attorneys were allowed one hour and half on eac.l side for argu-
 ments. Col c. w. Bruce, assisting
 Prosecuting Attorney G. Otis Bogle,
 opened for the state. Col. Bruce
 made strong plea for conviction
 He was followed by Attorney R. w.
 Robins, of the counsel for the de-
 fense. Following MT. Robins ad- o'clock p. m.
 , Attorney Roy G. Bruce, represent | ing the defendant, was the first speaker last night. He summarized the testimony, pointing out that the defense had succeeded to a marked degree in contradicting the evidence of the states star witnesses. He said that it had been testified to, and not contradicted, that Huey Wilson bore a good reputation for peace and quietude in the community, and that if the jury believes that the killing of Bolden Wilson was committed in the manner alleged by the state, it was an offense committed by lunatic
 Attorney George w. Clark con- cluded the argument for the defend ant. His address was a plea for ac
 initial, stating that his client shot his adversary in self-defense. He dwelt at length upon the testimony of Huey Wilson, who stated upon the witness stand that his nephew had drawn a pistol on him before he shot. He concluded with an eloquent appeal for the life of the defendant to be spared.
 Prosecutor Bogle appeared last IllSul peloie Jui III auihIiei Nouii ty for the first time as an officer of the court, and his address was de- clared to have been one of the strongest pleas for conviction ever heard in the courtroom. He demand ed a verdict for first degree murder, asking that the death sentence be assessed. Because of severe cold. the prosecutor spoke less than an hour the time allotted to him. He declared the case at bar was one of the most cold blooded murder cases he had ever been connected with.
 The case was given to the jury at 9:15, and at l0:30, l. G. Williams, the foreman, reported to the court than an early verdict was improbable. Judge Trimble then adjourned court until o'clock this m6rning, after making an order that the jury be kept together during the night. The jury returned to its room at 9 o'clock this morning, and immediately began it's deliberations. At 11:15 a. m, a verdict of second degree murder was returned. The jurors deliberated four hours and Is minutes. At one time, the jury stood nine for convic- tion of murder in the first degree and three for manslaughter, 1t was said. Many ballots were taken.
 Much of the testimony in behalf of the defendant was not allowed to go before the jury, the court ruling that everything that occurred before the actual killing had nothing to do with the case. The defense endeav- ored to prove that Huey Wilson's life had been bounded the past four or five years by the slain youth and his two uncles, brothers of the de- fendant but this was declared by the court to be incompetent Threats that Huey Wilson is alleged to have received from Bolden Wilson and others, which counsel for the defend ant tried to get before the jury, was said by Judge Trimble to be of no value as evidence in the case.
 The defendant was put upon the witness stand at o'clock yesterday afternoon. He said that he was born and raised in Wilson township, where the killing occurred. For several years, he testified, there had been i'll feeling toward him by his two broth CTS, Marion Wilson, father of the slain man, and Mathew Wilson. The trouble grew out of the division of his fathers estate, the witness de clared. He said that both he and his wife had been subjected to black guard by Bolden Wilson. "On the morning of the killing" the defend ant testified, "Bolden and several others passed by my field where l ,yas nIoyyino He cursed me. shook