Many Cases Settled in Criminal and Mayor's Courts; Jane Smith Acquitted After Shooting Her Husband, Nov. 7, 1919

From the Rockingham Post-Dispatch, Friday afternoon, Nov. 7, 1919

Court Adjourns. . . Busy Three-Day Session of Criminal Court Adjourned Wednesday Afternoon. Jane Smith Acquitted in Homicide Case.

The November term court for criminal cases was convened Monday with Judge Henry P. Lane of Reidsville presiding.

The following were empaneled as the Grand Jury, with B.S. Ledbetter as foreman; J.E. Maner was officer of Grand Jury:

C.W. Wentz

P.A. Parsons

J.R. Diggs

Ralph Benoy

J.S. Matheson

Leo Warburton

W.E. Thomas

S.W. Watkings

W.P. Harris

M.H. Fowlkes

J.A. Bryant

Will O. Ellerbe

Claude Polk

J. Gus Covington

W.G. Lowry

G.H. Cockman

M.W. McRae

B.S. Ledbetter

After the Judge’s charge, Solicitor Brock entered upon the docket.

Clifford Smith, who was convicted in September, 1918, of the larceny of suit of clothes from John W. Cole at the Rockingham hotel, and sentenced to 8 months on the roads and who appealed, was found to have not perfected said appeal, and the Court ordered him into custody to begin his road sentence.

The following were called and failed and judgment ni sci fa and capias instanter sci fa and capias and motion for condemnation of the following cash bonds: Jake Fletcher, $50 bond; John Wm. Walters, $200 bond; Spurgeon Wilson, $50 bond; Will Ferguson and Clay Townsend, cash bonds. A.J. Childerns, C.N. Dunn were called and failed no sci fa and capias.

Graham Robinson waves bill and pleads guilty to c.c.w.

State vs Settle LeGrand; enters pleas of nolo contenders; charged with assaulting his father-in-law in his own home; sent to the roads for 30 days and fined $25 and costs, but road sentence was later removed.

State vs. Riley Jones; a.d.w., submits and is fined $25 and costs.

State vs. Henry Cole; c.c.w. submits; fined $25 and costs.

State vs Rosa Smith; a.d.w. submits; fined $25 and costs.

State vs. George McRae; a.d.w. submits; fined $5 and costs.

State vs. Fletcher LeGrand and John Ridenhour; plead guilty to enticing labor; judgement suspended on payment of costs.

State vs. Pierce Harrington; bigamy; sentenced to roads for 18 months.

State vs. Dan Gordon; forgery; jury finds him guilty; to roads for six months.

State vs. Dan Gordon and Richard Davis; two cases; larceny and felonious breaking. Gordon sentenced to six months in each case and Davis six months in each case. This makes a total of 18 months for Gordon and 12 for Davis.

State vs. Clyde Parsons; enters plea of nolo contenders; compromise accepted of $200 which Parsons pays prosecuting witness, and the costs.

State vs. A. Floyd, Aaron Johnson and Gus Dutton; gambling; Dutton fined $25 and costs. Floyd and Johnson suspended judgment on payment of costs.

All in all, the chain gang received by this week’s court four prisoners; two for 18 months each, one for six and one for eight.

On Tuesday afternoon the homicide case of the State vs. Jane Smith was tried. Jane shot her aged husband, Pink Smith, through the door. She claimed she thought he was a burglar trying to break in. The load of shot entered his stomach, he dying in a few hours. The State did not ask for first degree, but for second degree. W.R. Jones and H.F. Seawell defended her. The case was quickly tried. The jury acquitted her after a brief deliberation. The parties are colored, living just outside of Hamlet.

A special venire of 12 men was summoned for Tuesday afternoon to try the capital case against Elmore Dockery, but before the jury was empaneled, the defendant offered to submit to felonious breaking and this the State accepted. It seems that Dockery, who is colored, several weeks ago entered the home of Ellerbe while dead drunk. It was felt that he did not know what he was doing and that he was not attempting a capital crime and so the lesser plea was accepted. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, with leave for the Commissioners to hire him out. He is now under bond to report here Dec. 1^st, at which time the Commissioners will hire him out for the 18 months’ period.

Court practically adjourned Wednesday afternoon, though the judge did not leave Rockingham until Friday night. He heard a number of motions in the interval.

Judge Lane is a good presiding officer, and a great Fox hunter. He had his pack of fox dogs sent down from Reidsville last week, and several mornings of his stay down here he was out with a party, and each morning bagged a fox. Mr. Shankle kept the pack for him.

Before the Mayor

Sandy Nichols, colored, several weeks disturbing the peace; judgment suspended on payment of costs, $2.30.

Oct. 22—J.B. Stubbs; no license on car; costs of $2.30

Oct. 25—Boyd Wallace; reckless driving; fined $5 and costs of $2.30.

Oct. 30^th—H.H. McKoy; no number on car; costs of $2.30.

Nov. 4^th—F.M. Townsend; no number on car; costs of $2.30.

Nov. 6^th—Sidney Gibson; no number on car; costs of $2.30.