Smyrna times., 1928-02-29
KENT COUNTY COURT SESSION
Many Cases Disposed of Including
Final Divorces in Which Smyrnians
Were Interested Murder Cases


Final Divorces in Which Smyrnians
Were Interested Murder Cases
Firm in his opinion that "a mans
house is his CASTLE" James P. Moore,
70 years old, of West Dover hundred,
who in December last shot and killed
Enoch Durham, a Moor, Monday re-
fused to plead guilty to manslaughter
and was acquitted by the jury. Dur
ham had gone to the home of Moore
for liquor and the man told him he
had none and ordered him away.
Durham did not go and Moore fired a
charge from a shot gun through the
window. Durham died in few min
utes. Charles L. Carey, Jr., was his
lawyer. Moore was indicted for first
degree murder and a number Of his
friends advised him to plead guilty
to manslaughter if the State would
allow him. The State was willing,
but Moore declared he had right to
do as he did and refused. In court
the State nolle pressed the charges of
murder in both the first and second
degree and charged Moore with man
slaughter. Once more he declined to
plead guilty and the case went to
trial. The court was positive in its
charge that before a man kills an
other, even in his own home, he must
exhaust other methods of getting the
man away. The jury was out but
short time when it returned verdict
of not guilty. Francis Mccoy, negro,
who shot and killed James alias
"Dickey" Turner in October last year,
was also arraigned on a charge of
murder in the first degree. The State
agreed to accept a plea of guilty to
manslaughter and Mccoy pleaded
guilty. The court sentenced him to
serve eight years in the New Castle
County Workhouse.
Many Cases Disposed of Last Week
In the General Sessions Court, Fri
day, Norman Elliott of Hickman was
charged with operating an automobile
while he was under the influence of
liquor, but a jury returned a verdict
Of not guilty. Sentences were impos-
ed on the following defendants, who
had entered pleas Of guilty earlier in
the week: Wilbert Swiggett, trans
portation of liquor, fined 500 and
imprisoned for three months; Clar-
ence Norris. highway robbery and
larceny, was probated to Jack Lord of
Dover for one year on the larceny
charge, the highway robbery case be
ing nolle pressed; George Williams,
charged with illegal possession of
liquor, one month in jail; Theodore R.
Russ, assault and battery, nine
months in New Castle county work
house; Roosevelt Walls, illegal pos
session of liquor, fined $50 and two
months Imprisonment; Nelson Harris,
negro, who shot Roy Fisher, sentenced
to six months in New Castle county
wrokhouse. In the case of Willard
Wilkerson in which jury returned a
verdict of guilty, the court imposed a
sentence Of six months in New Castle
county workhOuse. In the case of
William H. Draper, indicted for en-
bezzlement as agent, and who had
plead guilty, he was probated to State
Detective D. d. Wharton for one year.
Henry Swiggett, who was indicted
and plead guilty last July to illegal
possession of liquor, and whose SEN
tence was deferred until the present
session of the court, was probated for
one year to State Detective Wharton.
Final Divorce Cases Granted
Final DEGREES of divorce were sign
ed by the Judges of the Superior
Court at Dover Thursday in the fol-
lowing cases: James L. Seacord from
Elizabeth Parker Seacord; Emily eGr-
trude Enlow from Francis B. Enlow;
Helen Lewis Daniels from Herman j.
Daniels; Moses Draper from Mary
Draper; Charlotte B.Whightman from
Guy w. Wightman; Robert A. Sauls-
bury from Helen C. Salisbury; Will
bur Wesley Kirby from Virginia
Kirby.