Milford chronicle., 1932-01-22
NEGRO MURDERER
IS FOUND GUILTY
rContinned from First Paael


concluded Tuesday night in the Bal
timOre County Court House at Tow
son, Md.
Arguments were started when
Court opened Wednesday morning
with the International Labor De-
Tense League seeking the negro's re-
lease and the prosecution demand
ing the death penalty
The trial opened Monday on a
change of venue from the first ju-
dicial circuit court on the Eastern
Shore. Using but half of its avail
able witnesses, the State rested late
Tuesday evening after presenting
evidence designed to show the negro
had been in the vicinity of the Davis
home at the time of the murder and
had been in possession of belong
ings of the family.
Taking the stand Tuesday night in
his own defense, the negro denied
he committed the murder. He has
also been indicted for killing Mrs.
Davis and their two two daughters.
David Levinson, Philadelphia,
counsel for the International Labor
fense attorneys, was cut short in his
opening statement when Judge I.
Scott Offutt ruled out derogatory
remarks directed at the section of
Maryland in which the crime was
committed.
The State rested its case after
having called but about half of its
list of sixty witnesses, and without
introducing two confessions which
police said were made by Lee short
ly after he was arrested.
The defense apparently was
caught mapping by the sudden de-
veIopment and placed on the stand
Martha Miller, negro, at whose home
Lee had lived and was arrested but
dismissed her after one question.
Earlier in the day, she testified
for the State that Lee was absent
from her home the night the muir
ders were committed, October II.
She also described the arrest OF
Lee by Ocean City and Worcester
County police, and identified jewel
nv and clothing offered in evidence
by the State as having been found IN
his room when it was searched by
police. Other witnesses, including a
sister of Davis, identified the same
articles as belonging to the slain
family.
Lee, under questioning by Levin
son, declared that he had left po~
sition with Davis to go into boot
logging, because l could make
more money that way"
"You are charged with murder"
Levinson said. Did you kill Green
K Davis?"
81 never did-nO, didn't kill Mr.. /
Davis" Lee answered Vehemently.
The negro was on the witness |
stand for nearly an hour and had to /
be admonished frequently to speak |
loudly and less rapidly. lie stood |
most of the time twisting thick !
roll of paper in his hands. His man
ner at times indicated tension and
answers to questions were incoher-
ent.
At times he spoke with apparent
deliberation demanding more time
to frame his answers. Several times
he told the prosecutor cross-exam-
lining him that he wanted time to
weigh his answers and that ne
would tell prosecutor more than he
wanted.
James L. Anderson, States Attor-
ney for Baltimore county, who was
examining the negro interrupted
Lee to warn him sharply that he
wanted mo lectures" and mo
speeches" from defendant.
Questioned concerning his early
years Lee said that from 1901 10
1918 he was in Pittsburgh and that
he was in prison then on a charge
of killing a family there that also
was named Davis, but later was
acquitted. II
Lee when asked about cleaning
the shotgun, an action that had been
testified to by his landlady earlier
in the day, said that the gun was
his own and that it was rusty. 1t
had not been cleaned for six months
before, he said.
He frequently spoke bitterly of
the prosecution, charging it with
having framed him and procuring {
witnesses to lie about him. He de- !
MED there had been a quarrel be- {
tween him and Mr.. Davis or that he {
bore grudge against Mr.. Davis and {
two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary. {
Members of Lees own race gave 9
what was regarded as the most dam
aging evidence against him. Mrs. i
Martha Miller, colored, of Ocean |
City, with whom Lee boarded testi-
fled that Lee left her house on Oc-
tOber 10 and did not return until
October 12. Early on that morning,
she said, she discovered him sitting
on the front porch, with a packed S
and shotgun across his q
knees.
Mrs. Miller said she gave Lee his e
breakfast, and after eating he went a
out to a garage, where he procured
kerosene and cleaned the gun. When L
that was done, she said, he took the
weapon to his room on the second Il
floor.
She said he had on a clean shirt,
which she had never seen before, "a u
beautiful pin" was stuck in his coat D
and he had a watch, which he kept D
.aking out of his pocket, looking at 81
t. :,
Later in the day, when policemen, D
led by Chief Robert Allen, of Ocean IL
City, arrived at her home and told
Ter they wanted Lee, Mrs. Miller IL IL
ook them to the mans room. D
His suitcase, she said, was open,
md articles of women's clothing, ~