The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-11-08
.JEFFORDs And
HARRISON
MUST DIE
Supreme Court Sus-
tains Lower Court
and Murderers of.
Annette w j / Be.
Electro cuted

Elect cuted
Columbia, Nov. The appeals
OF Frank ID. JeffordsSand Ira Har-
rison, convicted here May 20, this
year, Of the murder of John G.
Annette, eo-partner with JEFF
fords in the operation OF a filing
station, and sentenced to death by
electrocution, were dismissed by the
state supreme court this afternoon
and the judgment of the lower
court was affirmed The two opin>
ions were written by Associate JUS
tiee &. B. Fraser, and concurred
in BY the other members OF the
Court Jesse Treece. who was tried
along with Jeaords and Harrison
for the murder, was given life ina-
prisonment and did not appeal.
The appeals were based on three
grounds, ali Of which were over
ruled by the court
First: There should have been a
severance of the cases.
secend That Judge VII. Town
send, the presiding Judge, erred in
charging implied malice when no
considerable legal provocation ap-
peared !.
Third: That the judge was in
error in charging conspiracy when
there was no conspiracy set out
IN the Indictment. In the Jeffords
appeal. there was error charged in
the admission of the confession Of
Harrison. implicsting Jefords,
which the court likewise oyerruled.
Jefsords, Harrison and Treece
were accused of conspiring against
and beating to death Arnett in the
hling station. here on corner of
Elmwoed avenue and Main street
during the night of May 3. and then
loading the dead body into an au-
tomobile, turning the ear loose
down steep declivitY a, Colonial
Heights, a local suburb, sos hat Ar
nette would appear to have been
killed IN an anu emobile accident.
Annette. It was shown at the trial.
which began here May f6, was
struck over the head and killed by
stick and piece OF iron in the
hands of JefYerds and Harrison,
while Treece remained on watch
on the outside Of ths dlling sta
ton.
The next term of the court Of
general sessions will convene here
November 29, and # is probable that
JeRords and Harrison viii be re-
sentenced TO death then Solicitor
A. r. Spigner could not be COM
munieated with tonight to deter
mine what his disposition in the
case would be. So
In the opinion OF the Jeffords
case, Justice Fraser recites a short
history OF the case, tells of the
detailed confessions Of Harrison
and TreeceSas brought out at the
eoroners investigation and the re-
fusal OF Judge Townsend to
acquaesce in the plea Of Jeffords
Ter a severance of the cases, made
twice during the tia. =
Relative to the contention that
the case should have been severed,
the opinion holds.
It is unnecessary to- cite authori-
ties as the appellant admits that
the motion was addressed to the
discretion of the presiding Judge.
No abuse OF discretiog has been
shown Not only was no abuse Of
discretion shown, but the records
show that the appellant also con-
fesssd. not in detail. but in general
terms. when he said: I took part
in the killing or participated In
the killing. but was over per-
suaded. This assignment OF error
cannot be sustained.
OBJECTION was made to that part
of the testimony which recited
that a detective asked Harrison to
tell the others implicated so they
could be apprehended before they
escaped, and Harrison replied: All
right. send and st Mr. Jeffords.'
This statement. said the opin-
ion, did not necessarily charge
Jeffords with participation in the
killing. JefTords was the partner
of Annette. and most likely to
know Of the surroundings, and the
person who should have been most
interested in the punishment of
those engaged in the killing. The
assignment of error cannot be sus-
tanned
The assignment Of error in that
the confessions of Harrison and
Treece should not have been ad-
mitted, was dismissed by the court
with the statement that the charge
Of the presiding judge to the ef-
feet that the confession could ap-
ply only to those uttering it and
not the others cautioning the jury
TO this effect, was a correct rule
Of law.
In disrissing the last assign
nent Of error, in which Judge
Townsend charged conspiracy, the