The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-08-05
Confessional Watson
Admitted AS Evidence
ByJudgeJ. w. Holland
In FIRST TRIAL OF COL.
ORED NAVY COOK,
CONFESSION WAS NOT
ADMITTED

Federal Judge John w. Hol
land ruled today to admit as evi
dence the alleged confession
made by David Joseph Watson
ON trial here for his life for the
Staying OF a shipmate aboard the
USS Stribling on July rs, 1916
Over the strenuous objections
of John w. Sawyer, Key West
and A. c. Dressler, Miami, de.
tense attorneys, Judge Holland
ruled that this time he would
admit tho confession before the
jury which had been sent from
the room during arguments re.
lating TO it.
u. S. Attorney Herbert S. Phil
lips had urged the admission on
the ground that the confession
was made freely by Watson to
FBI agents and Navy intelli-
gence officer, after they had in
formed him of his rights to have
counsel.
Judge Holland, in ruling fol
the admission of the confession
said he had ruled against admit
ting il at the first trial of Wat
son, who is charged with. kill
ing a white enlisted man, Ben
jamin Leroy Hobbs, on two
grounds:
One: Watson had been re-
strained of his liberty during the
time the confession was made
and. two, that the giving of the
statement followed a conversa-
ton he had had with U. S. in
veStigators.
When Wallace b.. Ford, a for
mer FBI agent who investigated
Hobbs death here, took the stand
and u. S. Attorney Phillips ask
cd him to look at the document,
the confession signed by Watson,
Sawyer's demand that the jury
he taken from the courtroom
while the matter was being
argued by the attorneys was i'm
mediately granted by the court
The jury was led away to have
luncheon and was directed tc
be back in the courtroom at
p. m.
Ford then was called to the
stand and he testified that the
statement was taken from Wat
son, who at the time was brought
before him and other agents from
the Navy brig, or Jail, after the
man had been fully informed OF
his rights in the matter.
Ford said that he had taken
tho statement on typewriter as
Watson stated it in narrative
form. He said Watson had signed
the statement, had read it him
self and had noted two correc-
tons in il by initiating the nota-
tiOns.
The witness also testified that
Watson had threatened to end
his own life. He said that Wat
son had been searched and d
knife and a rope moose had been
taken from him.
"He was placed in the brig Tor
his own protection" Ford said.
Previously during the fore
noon shipmates of Hobbs and
Watson testified as to the find
ing of the body in the gun turret
Of the Stribling.
Watson. a negro, was a NeVy
cook on the Stribling. and the
testimony shows that he strang-
led Hobbs. a white man.
Attorney Phillips INDICATED
the governments case would be
concluded today. -,
Serving as jurors are Russell
G.. Waters. Miami: George Stew
enson. Miami; F. G. Hathaway
Goulds: (. A. Adams, Home
stead: Vale F. Boozer, West Palm
Beach: Coleman Judd. Fort Lau-
derdale: Andre Treyer, Holly
wood: Arthur Erickson. West
Palm Beach; Clyde Palmer. Hla-
leah: George 7. Menees, Holly
wood: J. Pitt Simpson. Fort Lau-
derdale: Julian J. Platz. West
Palm Beach.
Alternates are c. w, Hayes
Coulds. and George Cattleld'