Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-13
NEGRO MURDERER
FINED AND GIVEN
LIFE SENTEE,CE
Iohn Simmons Enters Plea OF
Guilty to Killing Hayes
Benton
ECHO OF NEW YEAR PRANK

.Iohn Summons culnrcd. after plea
of guilty oi murder IN the second degree
had been entered ny his council, appointed
nv the court. was TO-DAY sentenced 70 paN
a tinc ~ 81 Opu and given lite term IN the
New Castle County woIhhousc ter tho
killing cf HAYES Benton. also colo rcd, o.
New \ cars Day lie VAS arraiEncd ~
the court ui OycI ami fcrm'nCr Judge
Conrad passed sentence
Summons. Who vas ~ the employ 81
the Wilmington Leather Company, SHOT
Benton in 3 Front street saloon alter
trivial argument Summons. alter ms
ares, ia the evening following tho shoot
inc told the detectives that Benton had
hcrn pc>tcrlug him for long time
III sand however. that hc had obtained
th,, revolver from 2 dehk az the office 81
IN, watchmau uf tho Leather Company
Ia protect himself from another Negro
who had chased hlm throwing bricks at
hun, that morning
According 10 the police. Simmons
wss Stead> worker and was made the
butt of horse play and 'JcshinG by many
az his race He has been considered weak
mentally, the police say lie told them
he was full of 'rust head wklskey and
when Benton called HIM bad name IN
tbc soon he shot him
The case If Edward Miles, colored.
charged with the murder Of Alexander
Cuhhagc also Negro. IN New Castle
on December a was continued until
tho March term Of court lic pleaded
not guilty
Edward Ccpha~. the l4-.car-old col
nrc,i hoy wh, shot and killed Isaac
Roar,!lc, with i She. ClI" about month
ago Will, thcy Ncrc cunning III the
marshes in Soutt Wilmington. was
rcnandcd ~ n, lavcnilc court ~ the
request Il the icrutv attorney general
JONES Ur FoK TRIAL AGAIN.
The cas-, of Nathaniel Jones Alias
Ctlhan, cmarci charged with the muir
der uf Mary Elizabeth Graves, also
colored. II. August 1916, III which the
u,rv disagreed a. the November term,
was ,hc pr>t to como before = jury IN
over and Tcrmlner Court tins morning
Joncs Is accused Of choking the Graves
woman 10 death. leaving tn, body hid
der m the weeds IN the bed If East
Fifteenth street Jones was recognized
bv an acauaintcncc At Camp Dix while
serving In he army and his arrest fol-
lowed. He dcnIcd killing the woman.
The fcll Wig Jurors were selected after
numerous challenges were made by both
sides
William Dcakyne Samuel " Way.
Andrew Hnfer, Harry : Woodkeeper,
John SCHUYLER. Jr Walter Martin, vii
lard Gould William G. Devinc. John
Berry samuel Johnson. Frederick Darling
ton and Joseph J Wilmer The panel
was completed Al - 10 = m Attorney
John " BRADY defended Homes
attorney General Rclnhardt who out
lined the States case said that he would
show. that Jones had frequently threaten
ed to do the girl bodily harm; that the
PAR were seen together 81 II l5 midnight,
nf the morning the girls dead body was
found and hat Jones had declared, he
was in three different places AT the same
time IL his testimony Al the former trial,
IN irving - account fer his movements
on the night oi The murder
Harvcy Nichols former equity
coroner testified hat he had examined
the body ui The SLAIN girl and found marks
on either side OF her neck and throat
and that her mouth was full Of earth