Flossie Gurley Is in Bad State, but Jury Says George Grantham Didn't Assault Her, Aug. 24, 1924

George Grantham Acquitted of Charge of Criminal Assault. . . Sensational Trial Comes to Finish with Exoneration. . . After Deliberating Less Than Two Hours Jury in the Case of State vs. George Grantham Charged with Having Made Criminal Assault Upon Flossie Gurley, Returns a Verdict of Not Guilty

After deliberating for less than two hours, the jury in the case of the State vs George Grantham, 35-year-old white man, who resides about seven miles from Goldsboro, and who was charge with having committed a criminal assault upon Flossie Gurley, 21-year-old white woman, daughter of tenant on the Grantham place, shortly before 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon, returned a verdict of not guilty, and the defendant was discharged from custody.

This case was one of the hardest fought that has been tried in recent years in Wayne county. Young Grantham stoutly denied his innocence from the day of his arrest up to and through the trial. [Wouldn’t he have been denying his guilt rather than his innocence?] The plaintiff based its contention for a conviction upon the statement of the girl, who is mentally deficient, that he was responsible for her condition at the present time.

The case was taken up late Thursday afternoon. Scores of witnesses were heard, and counsel for both sides put up strong arguments backing their contentions.

The verdict did not come as a surprise, as many of those who heard the evidence predicted that an acquittal would be the result of the trial.

From the front page of the Goldsboro News, Aug. 24, 1924

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064755/1924-08-24/ed-1/seq-1/