Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-09-16
FLEET JUSTICE
ON CANAL zone
Three Murderers Tried, Convicted
and Sentenced Within
Six Hours.
AGED WATCHMAN is SLAIN
Prosecutor Described Murder as "the
Most Dastardly Crime Ever Com
mitted in the Canal Zone"-
Men Ably Defended.

Crisicieal, c. Z.-Eighteen days aft
er they murdered a B%arbadian named
William Blackett, Daniel McCloud and
Eduardo Lopez, Panamans, and James
Williams, q Nassau Islander, were
placed on trial here and within six
hours the three were convicted and
sentenced to death.
The prosecutor described the u
der as "the most dastardly crime ever
committed in the Canal Zone" Black
EFT, an old man, was a night watch
man at a remote dynamite magazine
in a pit about a mile from the Allan
tic entrance to the canal. McCloud,
Lopez and Williams, two of whom
had been released from Jail not long
before, plotted to steal dynamite and
caps, with the necessary fuses, and
sail down the coast and sell their
spoils to fishermen. They stole a flat
bottomed boat, sailed up a narrow di-
version channel to within a short dis
lance of the dynamite ~storehouse,
silently stole up to the house, which
was guarded by the Waterman, and
asked for some dynamite. On the
watchman's refusal to give it they
hit him on the head with a black
smiths hammer, then tied a rope
around his neck and stabbed him in
the throat. They stole II boxes of
dynamite, placed them in their boat,
sailed down the diversion channel,
hid their spoils to be carried way at
leisure and went their several ways.
This was at one o'clock in the morn
ing, and Blackett's body was not dis
covered until three o'clock. when a
Waterman came to relieve him.
Quickly Appreciated.
BY ten o'clock that night two of the
murderers were in custody; the third
was ~apprehended next day. Most peo-
pie on the Zone thought there was nc
such thing as capital punishment on
the statute books, but they were mis-
taken, and three men have been
hanged since the. American occupa-
ton of the Canal Zone-in 1908 and
1909-for murder in the first degree.
The feeling among the residents on
the isthmus ran high against the ac-
| cused, especially among their own
people. The negroes on the isthmus,
as a rule, are ~peace-loving, and while
they will do much talking in their
quarrels they seldom come to blows.
That their c%ountrymen would kill an
other was beyond their comprehen-
sion.
McCloud, Lopez and Williams were
arraigned before the magistrates
court and held for murder and grand
larceny for the district court. On the
day Of the trial excitement was at its
highest. 1t was feared that an at.
tempt would be made to take the
prisoners from the police, and every
effort was made to insure their safety
The courtroom is on the third floor OF
the Masonic temple, in the very cen.
ter of the city, and on the border line
of the Canal Zone and the Republic
of Panama. The building is equipped
with fire escapes, and these were
packed with negroes anxious to ge'
a look at the men who had disgracet
luClE race. IicA NOulu nave Decl
glad to pass and execute judgment OF
the accused.
Ably Defended.
Judge Hanan designated three O
the most able lawyers practicing il
the Canal Zone courts to defend tn
murderers. Judge G. P. Fairman, a
American lawyer of high standing
was named to defend McCloud, Will
W. G. Todd and L. S. Darlington
both of Colon, were appointed to dc
fend Williams and Lopez.
The three on trial for their live
paid little attention to the proceed
ings except when on the witnes
stand. Then each admitted takin
part in the murder, but each denie
being the nan who did the actus
killing, each blaming the other. Th
governments case was SO closet
woven about them that there was n