The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1920-03-25
THE ALVERSON
MURDER TRIAL
Jesse Watts Accused Of kidnapping
and Putting TO Death the Vicks-
burg Physician. is Being Tried for
His Life Here This Week.


The Watts case was resumed Mon
day. Those from distance, who are
officially connected with the case, pres
ent at the opening Of court were
Judge E. L. Brien. District Attorney
j. D. Thames, County Attorney ]. j.
ONeil, Attorneys Pat Henry, W. A..
Voller, P. C. Canizaro and Court
Stenographer Hiram zadek. Ex-Dis-
trict Attorney j. M Gibson arrived
Tuesday.
The court room was filled with the
witnesses, taismen and several spec
tators from Vicksburg, besides a num-
Der of G, H. A. students.
The defense attorneys asked that
the case be continued because Of the
absence of some of the witnesses, a.
mong the number being DR.. johnson
and j. G. Watts, father Of the accus-
ed, whom it was claimed were i'll.
However, the prosecution placed wit
nesses on the stand to prove that
these last named men were seen the
day before and did not appear to be
sick.
The judge overruled the motion,
and the case proceeded to trial
1t required the remainder of the
day to select jury. This was COM
pleted little after seven o'clock in
the evening, when court adjourned un~
til Tuesday morning.
The jury is composed of the follow
ing men: j d. Wheeless, a farmer,
residing near Grand Gulf; T. M.
Hughes, farmer Of the st. Elmo
neighborhood; r. B. Houston, farm
er of the Fifth District; ]. D. Har-
mon, merchant and saw mill man Of
Willows; p S. Byrnes, Jr., young
farmer of the Carlisle neighborhood;
0. P. White, farmer and trucker Of
the extreme eastern part Of the Third
District; J, NJ Taylor, farmer and
postmaster Of Humphreys; w L. Har-
mon, saw mill man of Willows; ].
o. DUNCAN, farmer of the upper part
of the Fourth District; J. d. GOWNS,
a farmer Of the Fourth District; E.
c. Chvln, merchant of Hermanville;
=. Il Dunning, farmer Of the Fourth
Distri, t.
The jury was locked up the first
night. and it is in charge of two bail
ifs, r. G. Valentine and j. r. Butler.
The star witness for the prosecu-
ton is Reuben Winbush, the alleged
negro accompllce in the murder of
d.. Alverson.
Winbush is small, inoffensive look |
ing negro, who declared first, last
and all the time that he Is mortally
afraid Of Jesse Watts. He said he
has worked from time to time for the
accused for the past four years, do
ing everything from blowing corn to
sellirg whiskey.
The State rested its case after Win |
bush had testified Tuesday afternoon, |
and court adjourned until Wednes-
day morning
Local interest in the trial increased |
as the case progressed, and by Tues
day afternoon quite number of lad |
les as we'll as many men We're inter |
ested spectators.
1t was amusing to see many Of the
large number of men summoned for |
jury service clustering around the /
sheriff from time to time to see where |
their names appeared on his list. |
Chas. Little would have been the next |
man called when the jury was COM
pleted, and he was pretty nervous.
All Of the special veniremen, except +
those accepted for the jury, were dis
charged Monday night just before
court adjourned, and this greatly di-
minished the number Of spectators in
the court room.
Two Of the jurors, P. S. Byrnes, Jr..
and w. l.. Harmon, are quite young,
and it Is said this is their first jury
service.
About sixty men were examined
before jury was secured but there
We're really but very few Of those ex-
amined who could not have given the
defendant a fair trial
Two or three Of those who testified
they could not be changed by testi-
mony looked suspiciously like they
were making desperate effort to a.
VI ervice
The writer knows most Of the mem