Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-06-17
BOTH REASSERT
INNOCENCEOF
MURDER CHARGE
Maybe Time VIII Show
Negro, Ware, Guilty,
Says Duckworth

Announcement was made today
that the Supreme Court of Georgia
had affirmed the decisions of Judge
Littlejohn, of the Sumter Superior
Court, overruling motions for new tri-
ais in the cases of Sam G. Duckworth
and Walter W. Wilson, both convicted
OF murder at the last November term
OF the court here. Duckworth was
convicted of numbering his wife, Mrs.
Pearl Duckworth, and Wilson was
found guilty of beating Joel Edge to
death.
Il am not guilty of this crime. but
I'm going to serve like man." were
the words of Duckworth when t6Id
today that the Supreme court had af-
firmed his conviction. Asked who
Killed his wife, Duckworth said he
believed Sidney Ware, the negro who
lived near his home at the time was
guilty, and that he had borrowed his
knife for the purpose of killing her
: He used my knife so that it would
put suspicion on me-" said Duckworth
10 newspaperman who accompanied
Dan Chappell, Duckworth's counsel
70 MS cell. II don't know what made
ware kill her, but / believe he in
tended to do it when he borrowed INV
knife and left me on the edge of
Americas. Maybe time will tell abont
ms part In the killing, and it will be
shown that he is the guilty man." As
ne said these words tears welled into
the eyes of Duckworth and sobs chok-
ed his voice. GIVE seen my little oirI
once since I've been in iail," h added
ana l don't guess I'll ever see her
again till I'm set free" He was sem
fenced to serve for life.
walter Wilson, whose conv;o+;or
Tor the murder of Edge was also af
!lrmed in the same batch of dec;s-
IONS with the Duckworth case woo
present while Duckworth made his
statement, and his comment was that
ne never saw chat man." meaning
Edge, in his life. Wilson assertad
tnat although the Edge family NAV
De convinced of his guilt thew are
ssendlng him to the gang for life "an
innocent man." and that there o.
pears little hope for his ever qainino
his freedom. gaining
Il have been told" he said. "tba+
rev days after Edge was killed . Lot
Ter was received by the proscnt;or
telling all about the murder and civ
ing the name of the man who kiIlad
MN, but they never paid anv attan
tion to this, and I am to suffer he.
cause the truth has never been
brought out I never saw that man
IN my life, and I declare before tbe
world that | am innocent of his rur-
der. l don't know what made those
women swear like they did to convict
me of this crime"
Wilson appears to be well advanced
IN years, but asserted that he will
serve faithfully, and that ANYTHING
will be better than confinement in the
Jail here.
Wilson, Duckworth, G. L. Grady.
and one other prisoner are confined
in big cage in the central section of
the second story of the jail, and their
quarters are most uncomfortable ow-
ing to the fact that with all ventila-
ton possible the heat is still almost
uncomfortable inside the cage. Owing
to the recent attempted escape by a
number of the prisoners, Sheriff Har-
vey has restricted their liberty, none
of them being permitted to remain in
the corridor until the bars, almost
sawed in two, in the bathroom here.
can be repaired.