Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-12-03
JURY ASKED FOR
DEATH PENALTY
BY SOLICITOR
4 Powerful Addresses
For And Against The
Prisoner.

1--WE the jury find the defendant
Walter W. Wilson guilty, with rec
ommendation to the mercy of the
court
This verdict was returned at 3IO
o'clock this afternoon by the jury in
superior Court, after having been
out two and one-half hours. The
verdict, bearing recommendation to
mercy, means that Wilson will be
sentenced to life Imprisonment A
verdict without the recommendation
would have meant that he would have
hanged.
Objections by Col Sheppard, Will
sons attorney, during the trial indi-
Gated that he probably would ask a
new trial.
Wilson heard the verdict calmly,
but was observed to tremble slightly
following its reading by Solicitor
FELTON,.
The case of Walter w. Wilson,
charged with the murder of Joel EDGE
on Sept. "a, went to the iurv at
l2;4O O'Clock this afternoon. The
charge by Judge Littlejohn required
about twenty minutes, and followed
three powerful addresses to the jury
today and one before adjournment
last evening. Attorney Hollis Fort
opened for the state. Col. ]. E.
Sheppard, opening for the defense
this morning, delivered what several
lawyers declared to have been the
best and strongest argument to a jury
ever made by himself and one of the
strongest ever heard here. He was
followed by Col. ]. e. D. Shipp, his
law partner, and Solicitor julie Eel.
ton closed for the state.
In his closing speech Solicitor Eel.
ton, by implication, asked for the
death penalty, calling attention of the
jurors to their oath in which thev had
declared themselves not opposed to
capital punishment. "And I don't
want you to forget that" he said.
Solicitor Grills Wilson.
The solicitor grilled Wilson terribly
combating the statement of the de.
tense that the two negro women
Lena Coolidge and Jensie McCul-
lough, were of low character and not
worthy of credence by the statement
that whatever Lena Coolidge was, she
was the product of the making OF
Wilson.
ME- Fort presented careful analv.
SIS OF the evidence as adduced bv the
state, connecting it up, link by link
In forceful way.
Col. Sheppard dwelt at the begin.
ming of his address on the uncertaint,
Of human testimony at the best: tber
followed with an attack on the char.
acter and credibility of the two negro
women, who had testified to being
eye-wltnesses to the killing of Edge
he pointed out that Jensie and Lena
were impeached by their own testi.
mony, having admitted on the stand
that they had given perjuredi test
lmony at the inquest when they de-
med knowing anything of the Edge
Killing. He reviewed the testimony
in detail, analyzing it as it appeared
to the defense, speaking for an hour
and one-half.
The Concluding Testimony.
Following is the resume of the tes-
timony subsequent to that published
in the Times-Recorder Monday.
Allen Johnson, a farmer, said he
left the city at about 10 o'clock on
the night of the murder and went out
the road on which Edges body was
found. He did not see the body and
said he could not have gotten past the
body without seeing it had it been
lying in the road.
Sam Harold, colored, a mechanic
employed at the Hooks garage. said
when he went to work at the garage
the next morning after the murder
Binyon's car was there.
Henry Binyon, alleged to have
driven the murder car, carrying Will
son, denied seeing Wilson or carry
ing Wilson that night or seeing Jen-
sic Mccullough or Lena Coolidge
He told of the ride with the Rices,
coming back and putting his car up.
On cross examination he denied he
told Jensie after the killing to keep
her mouth shut as he got a good
bunch Of money out Of it.
A. F. Sutlive, a Cotton avenue
merchant, said Lena Coolidge came
(CowtftS.,n.s -. No. rs,..,,.