The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-05-07
|JUnY UNABLE
ITO AGREE ON
MURDER CASE
Testimony At First Seemed to
Incriminate One Unnamed
Deputy.
DELIBERATED
FOR FIVE HOURS
Sensational Evidence Offered
Every Witness Placed
on Stand.

sensational testimony featured the
coroner-s investigation into the death
of the negro. Jenkins, yesterday. but
the jury was unable to agree and
after being in the room until 10 O'Clock
or five hours deliberation, the body
was discharged. The men who com
posed it were: F. X. Carroll. oscar
Davenport. H Crabbe, j. s. McLeMore
r. Owens and Mr.. Leyland.
The sensation of the day was fur
nished when the pistol of the negro
was produced by Detective Moore.
This followed the appearance on the
stand Of both deputies, who claimed
the negro had opened the fireworks on
the roadway. and they responded only
when they thought they were in dan
ger. The pistol, according to the de-
tective had been discovered by Mr..
McGeachy and himself, and was just
as 1t had been picked up. One bullet.
as stated, was discharged. the other
chambers being loaded. That bullet.
the state claimed, was the one which
wounded the negro woman. who was
too weak TO attend the hearing and
the jury went out there where she
was. On the way back the jury
stopped at the office of DIR. NJ. c. Bev-
erefte, colored. and teeh statement
from him relative 10 his treatment of
the woman. The jury then returned
and had Mr.. PRESLEY demonstrate e
how the party was seated when the
trouble started Mr. Presley was in
rear is said to have been made by
the leaden messenger of death which
caused Lowery's demise.
This morning a new panel will be
summoned to probe the cause of the
death of Lowery. and States Attor-
ney r. A. Mc6seachy will be on hand
The gist of yesterdays testimony
follows:
Joe Presley Testifies.
Joe Presley. driver of the taxica b
from Bagdad was the first witness
called at the afternoon session, and
his testimony was of the most dra-
matte nature possible. Witness said
that his home was in Bagdad and that
he knew both Lowery and Jenkins.
He did not know Deputies Bayless or
Graham until last Saturday when, he
said they met him on the Ferry Pass
road, possibly one and one-auarter
miles on the Pensacola side. He testi-
fled that he started TO Pensacola driv-
ing his taxicab, and had in the car
with MIN. MS Httie 3-yedT- -clu ndes,
Jim Lowery, Ed. Jenkins and Dixie
Merrill His contract was to bring
the people to the city FIis little girl
was a passenger and Lowery was a
sort of a companion. The first he
knew that the men were endeavoring
to stop his car, Presley said. was
when they started firing. and shots
rang out according to his story, two
or three in succession. The car the
deputies were using. the witness
stated, was just out on the edge Of
the road and when he passed IL, he
noted a signal which he thought was
salute I'm a Hoosier and took 1t
for a road salute" he said. About the
time the salute" was offered. Press
ley said. shooting started and with
about the first shot, Lowery. who was
sitting near him. threw UP his hand
in an apparent death agony. and fell
over. blood streaming from the wound
In his head. When he caught sight Of
the deputies. he remarked there were
two men with gun each and thought
they were going TO try and halt them.
They were then about forty yards
away When his car did not stop. he
said. three shots rang ont. About this
time his car ran into the side of the
road. and they got out.
The negro. PRESLEY said. who was
sitting on the rear seat with the
woman he had shot at Bagdad. left tho
car and tried to run for cover. it was
suggested Not one shot was fired by
the negro witness said but when he
started off TO get the protection Of
tree. round after round of shots were
fired at him, and he fell near a big
pine tree. After shooting the negro,
one of the deputies, he said. whom he
explained was Mr.. Graham, came up
to him and expressed pleasure that
they had gotten the bad negro" but
regretted that "a white man was
killed Lowery was then In the car
dead, and one OF the depu-
ties got into the car with him and
came on to town. Witness said that
he endeavored TO take the wounded
man to the hospital but the deputy
sternly refused. saying that he would
have To deliver him to the county Jail
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