Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-02-12
IS GIVEN
LIFE SENTENCE
Will Neely, Charged With Murder of
Lula Thompson, Found Guilty By
The Jury.

Will Neely, colored, charged with
murder, was found guilty yesterday
afternoon at O'Clock and was SEN
fenced to life imprisonment by the
jury, after about five minutes delib-
Grafton. The case was prosecuted by
Co. Attorney NJ. Johnston ard District
Attorney J. M. Forman. Judge S. r.
Coleman represented the defendant.
The case was brought to a conclu-
sion just before o'clock and by agree
ment neither the State or Defense
presented argume5 IS, leaving the jury
to render their decision entirely from
instructions OF the Court.
VIII is charged with having muir
dered Lula Thompson, a negro won
an during March and after killing her
throwing her tody into the Pelncia
Bayou, east Of Greenwood. The body
of the woman was not found in the
Bayou until July 9Th, when the case
was investigated and Will was arrest
! ed, charged with the deed.
According to the testimony, Will
and Lula had been living together for
some time in a bridge gang car, east
of Greenwood. Will was employed as
a section hand for the Y. & M. V.
/ On the night Lula was killed, she
gave her a severe beating in the box
car About 9 o'clock at night, they
started to Greenwood down the dirt
road and when they reached the Bay
ou, they were seen by other negroes,
and were said to be violently quar-
relling.
Will is alleged to have killed Lula,
by striking her in the head. A rope
was then tied about her waist and at
: tached to railroad jack, and she was
thrown into the Bayou. When her
body was found in July, it showed that
that she had been struck in the head
with a sharp instrument, as several
holes were visible.
The jury was composed of the fol
lowing: c. E. Baglan, Ragesdale Nc
Nein, G. D. Beck, c. H. Sanders, R
: T. Wade, F. E. Manson, G. M. Frank
lin, J. II. Grant, w. C. Carpenter, w
: B. Crump, A. c. Aust, Sam Parker.
, NEW CASE CALLED.
} The case of Frank Richards, charg
ed with assault and battery, was call
ed for trial this morning. Frank is
charged with having cruelty beater
4 Tilla Bell, the small sister of his wife
His wife was tried on the same charge
at this term of court and was finet
$3.50 and given a 30-day sentence, tn,
n former being held up, pending goot
: behavior.
,, MCPHERSON WILL MAKE APPEAL
e The attorneys of Peggy Mcpherson
who was convicted on a charge O
n numbering Jake Gill and who wa
sentenced to the penitentiary for life
: will appeal the case to the Suprem
e Court.
S When the quarrel occurred between
3 8,
gy's husband, the former was diggin,
a post-hole, preparatory to establish
ing new property dividing line, an
when Virgil demonstrated with him
J he was attacked by Jake with an ak
and severely wounded.
Receiving news that her husband
p who was taken to a Memphis hospita
4 could not recover, Peggy became con
D. siderably wrought up and shot an
l. killed Jake. Peggy is one of the re
1t spected colored citizens of Greenwoo
'e and number Of prominent white cit
'r izens testified during the trial as
E. her good character.
Yesterdays article which state
a that Peggy was worth $4,000 was el
n roneous. While owning some proper
n ty here, her holdings are not anythin
s. like that valuable.
III