Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1920-03-18
FOSTER PARSONS SANE
car for $3.50.


On Aug. goth, he again came
to Hamlet, spent the night at
the Terminal hotel, and next
morning hired another jitney
driver, Joe Wilson, to take him
up the road. They left Hamlet
about 10 o'clock the morning Of
Aug. 21st. When on the main
road near Keyser, Parsons (ac-
cordlng to, his statement made
to DR.. Hall) pulled his pistol and
snapped it several times at the
back OF the negro. It then SEEM
ed to Parsons that the negro was
suspicious, for the man stopped
the car, opened the door and
started to get out. Parsons says
ne thereupon snapped the pistol
again and it fred. The body
crumplsd forward. He watched
the body for q few minutes, then
crawled over to the trent seat,
got the steering wheel and start
ed che car forward, taking by
road and driving down it some
distance in to the woods whore
he dumped the body out; he then
returned to the main road and
started towards Aberdeen; after
going a few miles he stopped the
car and went to sleep in it. He
says he was drinking gin. He
later went on to Durham, and on
Saturday following was bring
ing his wife and wife's sister
from Durham in the stolen car
when he was arrested at San
ford by Chief Braswell. A con-
fession followed later.
A special term of court was
ordered by the Governor to try
him. This began Oct. 9Th, with
Judge w. P. Stacy presiding.
When the case was called at 8 80
OF the afternoon of Monday, Oct.
9th. the young mans attorney,
A. M. Stack, arose and address,
ing the Court stated that the de-
PENDANT lis not competent to an
swer to the bill of indictment,
and we therefore pray a prelim-
mary inquiry upon a trial for
the actual murders, the case re-
solved itself into whether Par
sons was sane or insane at the
time of the trial and whether he
was competent to stand trial.
His attorneys were w. r. Jones,
Thomas & Phillips, and A. M.
Stack. Assisting the Solicitor
was H. F. Seawell, of Carthage,
and l.. M. Gibbons, of Hamlet.
A jury was not secured until
1O:45 next morning, A men
having been excused from the
jury box. The jurors as finally
empannelled and who passed
upon the sanity Of the defend
ant, were: VIC. Ellerbe, T. F.
Lentz, Stephen Terry, j. R.
Crowson, Henry G. Dawkins, O.
D. Parker, E. S. Hart, G.. Walt
Smith, A. L. Kendall, John w.
Stubs, Henry McLemore, T. M.
Ledbetter.
The defense then introduced
many witnesses to show that
Foster Parsons was weak-mind-
ed. His mother, Mrs. Allen Par
sons, testified that when baby
he had a fall on the head and lat
err had falls which impaired his
health. The star witness for
the defense was DR.. J. K. Hall,
of the Westbrook Sanatorium,
Richmond. DR.. Hall testified
that in his opinion Parsons
was not competent mentally to
stand trial-that he was feeble
minded and though % years old,
yet he had the mind of boy of
only II years. DR.. Albert An
derson testified that Parsons
was feeble-minded and had the
mind of a 12-year-old boy. DR..
James Taylor, on the other
hand, testified that he thought
the man was sane, though of an
unusually low intellect. DR.. J.
E. S. Davidson testified that he
believed him sane.
The evidence was concluded
at $3.50 Thursday afternoon,
October 9th. The attorneys then
began speaking, the case finally
being given to the jury Friday
afternoon at 2:55 o'clock. The
issue submitted to them was "Is