Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-06-10
BlJRLESON BREAKS DOWN IN COURT

all Of Albemarle, N. c., entered
a plea of guilty to the crime of
kidnapping to-day in the Halifax
Superior Court and were sentenc-
ed by Judge Cranmer to terms
of from one to fifteen years. jim
Sharpe and Alonzo Burleson,
obviously and confessedly the
most guilty of the trio, received
the heaviest sentences, jim draw
ing down fifteen years Of hard
labor for the State and AIonzo
Burleson being sentenced to ten
years. Mitchell Sharpe, who was
guilty only as an accessory, was
sentenced to twelve months in
the States Prison.
The action of counsel for the
accused in submitting them on a
charge Of kidnapping and that Of
counsel for the State in accepting
a submission on a charge much
lighter than that of which they
were accused in the original bill
of indictment was an entirely un-
expected denouement. The public
had looked for a hard fought
legal battle for the lives of jim
Sharpe and Alonzo Burleson
Mitchell had never been consider"
ed guilty of the graver charge.
During the hearing of testi-
mony for the purpose of fixing
the degree of guilt of the accus-
ed, the unsavory character of the
Sharpe Brothers was brought
out by counsel for the State
without rebuttal of any kind by
the accused. introduced in tes-
timony was a telegram from the
Charlotte Associated Charities to
Chief of Police R. II. Jackson, OF
Roanoke Rapids, as follows:
Sharpe brothers noted charac..
ters here. Jim been guilty Of
horse stealing, desertion of wife
and children, blgamy, drunk
eness, disorderly conduct, lm-
morality. Has worked for Saliva
ton Army, American Rescue
Workers and others. Wholly un-
reliable. Mitchell charged with
drunkenness and disorderly con-
duct. Both men continuously in
trouble. Glad to be of further
service to you.
Little fourteen year.old Lila
BarkeIy, the witness introduced
by the State, acquitted herself
splendidly on the stand. Without
hesitation and almost word for
word, she reiterated the story
she has told since the morning
after the night of the automobile
ride with jim Sharpe and Alonzo
Burleson. Severe cross examlna,
ton by counsel for the defense
failed to shake her story at all,
and it is significant that the de,
fense did not try to impugn her
character in any way. When
questioned by counsel tor
the defense as to why
she had made no outcry
when passing through the towns
of Rosemary and Weldon, she
stated that the two men were
drunk, that they had twisted hel
arm numerically and threatened
her with death if she made any
alarm whatever. A most pitlfu
and pitiable witness whose testl
mony was corroborated as far a'
humanity possible by that of DR.
D. F, Patchin, who examined hel
after the crime was committed
Theweakest point in the State''
attack was their failure to put tn
other girl, Anna Gillespie, upol
the stand at all. Counsel for tn
defense read to Judge Cranme
an affidavit by the Chief of 70
lice of South Boston, Va, VIII
arrested the Sharpe brothers
Alonzo Burleson, and the GILES
pie girl, to the effect that whe1
he arrested Miss Gillespie sh
was drunk; that she stated t
him that two men, known to hlr
2 and now residing in South Bos
t ton, had given her the whiskey
g that she expressed surprise a
, Burleson's arrest, declaring tina
+. he was only the chauffeur an
:. had right to take people in hi
.l thnu nyantQd 4