The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1918-02-08
CILBERT'S SLAYER
TO HANG MARCH 8,
Voil Brock to Pay Penalty for Crime.
Lawyers put up Best Defense Pos.
sible. Brock Denies Guilt. Some
thing of Where He Went After
Escape.

NHIic dIter MS case was given INTO
the hands of the twelve men empan-
neled to try him. The prisoner was
remanded to Jail and was not sentenc-
ed by the court until Saturday morn
ing. Friday, March 8, was the day
set by the court for the accused to
pay the penalty for the murder of
deputy sheriff Gilbert. The prisoner
maintained that he did not strike the
blow that killed Gilbert. He said
that was done by his father-in-law,
Archie Greer, who slipped up into the
Jail that unfortunate night just be-
hind Mr.. Gilbert. He told pretty
plausible story, in fact what he stat
ed was about the only thing that could
have given the least semblance to
the assertion of anybody's. else con-
nection with the unwarranted and
unprovoked crime. He said that he
and Greer planned the affair that af-
ternoon while Mrs. Gilbert had gone
to the post Office to mail letter for
him. However, the jury evidently
put no faith in his story. Greer was
present and went on the witness stand
and stoutly denied all Of what Brock
said. Greer has borne good repu-
tation among the white people and
is regarded as hardworking negro.
A representative of The Sentinel
visited Brock at the county Jail this
week and saw him in the death cell.
He responded readily to questions and
expressed a desire to have the color
ed ministers Of the town visit him.
He said he was member of the Bap-
tist church and that he was trying
to get ready for the fate that await
ed him. He had Bible lying on his
cot and said he spent most of his time
reading it. He is about twenty-five
years Of age and was born in Cal
houn county. When the writer left
the Jail, Brock asked rather plead
ingly that he come back to see him.
Brock stated that when he left the
Jail on the night Of June IL, he went
straight to his wife's home via river
bridge and that he remained the
greater part of that night under the
crib. He left at an early hour the
next morning, he stated, and went
down the river for perhaps mile
and a half. When he found that he
was being closely pursued by dogs,
he swan the river, coming back ia
this side, and he stated that after get
ting over the river he saw the dogs
on the opposite side. He then made
his way to Greenwood and from there
to Tutwiler, thence to Memphis ant
from Memphis down the river, on 8
steamboat to Helena where he sale
he had worked before. He remainee
there, he stated, until he begun tt
hear talk of his crime, then he wen
to st. Louis, thence to Burlington
ILL.,, and then to Chicago. From Chi
cago he went to Wilson, Ark. wher'
had some relatives. He married a
Wilson and was living with the new
wife when captured. The officer
that landed him surrounded his hous'
about 4 o'clock A. NJ. but he refuses
to come out.
The Sentinel understands tina
Brock was provided with gun an
that the only way he was ever in
a. nf thu hnnsQ
that he knew it was about to b
blown up with dynamite. The off
GERS were compelled to keep vig
around Brooks house notwithstand
ing the snow and the intense col
while another member of the part
went back to town for dynamite
Brock says that the only thin
that made him want to escape froI
the Jail here was because he ha
learned that he was wanted in Ca
houn county on the charge of breal
ing a labor contract. While he COZ
tended on the witness stand ths
Greer struck Gilbert the fatal blow
yet he admitted that he had prepa
ed himself to kill Gilbert if Gree
failed. The weapon used to stril
Gilbert was the iron leg which he ha
broken off seat provided in I'll
corridor of the jail Brock has bee
a somewhat roaming negro. He do
not seem to have believed in stayir
long in one place. He claims to hay
= relatives at Wilson, Ark and stranl
to say, after killing Mr.. Gilbert ar
escaping from the Jail, he did n
change his name. He says he to
his Lew wife of his crime and that
was known around Wilson, becau
he had worked there before, is Il