The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-10-06
JESSE ADAMS
NOT GUILTY.
Interesting Case. Up In
Court Here Yes
terday

L'extreme felicite a petne separee
par une feuille tremblantu de Tex
treme desespolr. n'est.ce pas Ia
vie?" Sainte-Beuve.
1T means, translated literally"
explained Assistant Prosecuting At
torney John w. Mason, Jr., yester-
day afternoon after the trial OF
Jesse Adams in Criminal court on
a charge OF felonious cutting. "Ex.
treme happiness Is separated from
extreme misery only by the trem-
bling of leaf. Is not that lite?"
As tho old negro sat in Criminal
court yesterday afternoon, and lis
tened to the evidence brought
against him by the states wit
neeses, no was indeed the picture
OF woe. Clad in an old black and
white striped shirt, torn up the
back showing coarse undershirt.
no coat or vest, m old pair Of work
ing pants, shoesadown at the heel
and run over on tho side, the old
man sat hunched down in a chair
beside Attorney Harry Cronin who
had been appointed by Judge e. NJ.
Showalter to defend him. and lis
tened alphabetically to the testt-
mony of the two witnesses, a young
negro called Dummy" whom the
old man had cut with a razor last
July, and Patrolman Tom Ford who
had made the arrest. Women we're
excluded from the court room while
Dummy showed the scar on his
thigh where the prisoner had cut
him with a razor. The policeman
testified that the old man had COM
plained a number of times that
Dummy had been molestiug him,
and that no Ind advised. him to get
q. warrant for the arrest Of his per-
secutor. With the hearing OF these
two witnesses, the state rested.
Two white women were then
called and sworn with the old man
byI,, A.: atherI clerk OF the court,
thre stood dsbefo the Scierk'
and were told, to hold up their right
hands, the. old man held up his left,
then with the imitative faculty SO
strong in members Of his race, saw
his mistake and held up the other
hand.
Mrs. Lena yanGIIder was the
first witness for the defense.
Sho told Of the incessant perse-
cution that the old man had been
subjected to by the young negro
called Dummy. Time after time,
she said, she had seen Dummy in
terferIng with thu old man at his
work In the little garden near the
shack that some kindhearted per-
son had allowed him to sleep in on
the river bank, back Of Water
street. On the afternoon of the cut.
ting, Dummy had come again to
the place, knocked the old man
down and taken his hoe away from
him, torn of his shirt, forced q
handful Of grass into his mouth and
afterwari had gone to the shack
with a piece of two-by-four with
handle whitfield on the end, for the
purpose OF assaultinE his victim
again. Then It was, she said, that
the worm turned, and as Dummy
struck the old man over tho right
hand with his weapon, he received
the wound from a razor which the
other had grabbed up in despera-
tion to defend himself with.
Dummy, she said, got just what was
coming to him and she had the
same two-by-four at her house to
provo her statement II anyone want
ed to contradict her. No one OK.
pressing O desire to question her
Testimony, the witness was ex'
cused.
Alice CIayton's testimony was
simply corroboratlve OF that OF the
other woman. Many times. she
said, she had seen Dummy picking
on the old man, who was always
sober and Industrious and always
attended strictly to his own bust
ness. She did not see the cutting.
but was convinced that Dummy had
1t coming to him.
Adams told a simple straight
forward story to the jury. Time
after time, he said, Dummy had
assaulted him while he was work.
ing In his little garden and at vari-
Gus other places. He had complain.
ed to the police but 1t did not seem
to do any good. Dummy had not
only assaulted him but had de-
stroyed the tomato plants he had
lust set out on the afternoon OF the
trouble. He admitted that he had
cut Dummy with the razor, but was
afraid Of the younger and stronger
man with the inprovised club, and
had simply seized the only weapon
at hand with which he could defend
himself.
In answer to some questions
asked by Judge Showalter, the old
man said he had been in Fairmont
for four years, coming from North
Carolina about that time. He al
ways worked. he said. and all he
wanted was a chance to make an
honest living without any hind
rance from anyone.
As he concluded his testimony,
the old man hobbled back to his
seat and sat down again beside his
attorney. Sheriff Charlton and
Deputy Sheriff Charles Bartholow
were in court and when asked by
the Judge about the reputation Of
the prisoner, both spoke In the
Nrghest terms Of his character.
Have you gentlemen anything
"a - 49, AaTVRh