Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-22
NEW TRIAL ASKED
FOR TWO YOUTHS
SENTENCED To HANG
Confessed SIayers Of Rey-
noIds Salesman Fail to
Win Jury'S Recommended
ton to Mercy

BUTLER, Ga, Dec. 20.-Two Tay-
lor county youths, one still IN ms
teens, today are incarcerated IN the
local Jail with lone chance for liv-
ing longer than a month. one or
them lust recently announced he had
made peace with Cod and joined
the church while the other asked
his prison mates to pray for them
lust before they came here Tuesday
morning for trial.
Willie Jones, eighteen, and GerV1s
Bloodworth, twenty, were convicted
last night of the murder of H. f.
Underwood, medicine salesman, near
Reynolds, in this county, December
Z. The jury, composed for the great
err part of farmers. did not recon-
mend the mercy of the court as re-
ouested by defense attorneys but
gave them the extreme penalty
hanging. The execution date was set
by Judge Munro. presiding, for Janu-
airy Is.
New Trial Asked
The lone chance for the boys to
escape the death penalty lies in
the granting Of new trial January
Is. A motion was Immediately filed
bv ATTORNEYS for the defense, when
the verdict was returned, and the
date set for the hearing to be held
in Columbus. If the boys are hanged,
it will take place in the county jail
here, where they will remain until
their fate is finally known.
When the verdict of the jury was
read at 1850 o'clock last night. Jones
and Bloodworth appeared to be
dazed. The latter awkWardly brush
ed away the tears from his eyes
with his hands. Jones was better
able to control his emotions, al
though he, too, had difficulty in
keeping tears back. Mrs. Jane
Jones the heart-broken mother, ana
Mrs. Homer Jones, Sister-ln-laW, VINO
is out on $500 bond in connection
with the Staying, both Wept.
Mrs. Homer Jones is charged with
receiving and conceallng stolen
property" 1t is the contention OF
The authorities that she received
portion of the money alleged 70 have
been taken off the body OF Unoer-
wood oy the two boys.
mo. sir, 1 reckon not" was the
sobbed answer of Bloodworth to
I,1dpe Munros question as to Wheth--
Ar he had anything to say after
he was sentenced to pay with his llfe
for the Staying of another. He was
the first to know his penalty. TO
the same question few minutes
later. Jones, a tall blonde youth, re-
piled. mo sir"
Plead Guilty, Mercy Asked
The trial of the boys was the most
unusual ever held at Butler, ana
late Yesterday afternoon counsel for
defense. after consultation, created
a sensation when it was announced
that the youths admitted everything
charged by the state and entered
Meas of guilty, but asked the mercy
Of the court, indicating that Verolct
of life imprisonment would De ac'
ceptable.
The turn in the trial by the de-
fense in admitting that the alleged
confession of Jones made in the MUS
cogee county Jail at Columbus was
not taken under pressure was tue
most interesting move OF the trIdi'
which began Tuesday morning. The
defense soon after the opening of the
trial began to attack the alleged con,
fession in an effort to get it ruled
out. but were unsuccessful because
of the many witnesses the state
placed on the stand to corroborate
the contention of the solicitor tnat
he personally had heard the state
ment of Jones.
The crime for which the boys were
convicted was the shooting to death
of H. F. Underwood, a medicine sales
man, near Reynolds the early part
of the month. Underwood was slain
with a shotgun loaded with buckshot,
the full force Of the load entering
the back of the head, causing death
almost instantly