Robert Lumpkin and Booker T. Williams, negroes, on trial here charged with first degree murder growing out of the killing December 26 last of Chief of Police Boyd Rogers of Rowland, have little chance to escape the electric chair. At least his is the opinion of those who have followed the case closely and heard the testimonies of the two defendants Defendants on Stand
Lumpkin, better known throughout the trial, which began Friday morning, as “Slim,” took the stand Saturday in his own behalf, Booker T. consuming most of the morning session today with his story of the shooting. The trial will probably last through tomorrow.
Special Venire
A special venire of 100 men was summoned for the selection of a jury, and at the time court adjourned Friday noon a jury for the trial of the negroes had been impaneled. Hundreds of people from Rowland and vicinity have attended each session, and according to Booker T’s testimony this morning feeling had run high there against the negroes. He stated that he had heard someone say at the time he was arrested something about a rope.
The defense had gone to considerable trouble to get Ada Hamilton, negress, to testify, having an instant subpoena issued for her Saturday. Her testimony, instead of helping the defendants, had a tendency to be more helpful to the prosecution. It had been the contention of Lumpkin that he had given the girl a $1 bill to give Arch Bethea, but the girl denied having received it.
Booker T. Denies All
Booker T’s testimony began at 11:30 this morning and was on direct examination for nearly an hour, when attorney for the prosecution began one of the most grueling cross-examinations ever heard in the court room. The defendant’s lawyer had asked him if he realized what it would mean if he were convicted of the charge against him, mentioning the death penalty. The negro said he didn’t know what it meant. He denied having had anything to do with the shooting. His attorney asked, “Did you kill Mr. Rogers.” Such silence had not prevailed in the court room throughout the term of court. “Naw sir,” replied the witness.
Unable to Explain
It was the contention of the defendant that he had been gone from the scene of the shooting nearly an hour before he heard anything about someone being killed. He swore that he left there as soon as the first shooting began, and that he did not see “Slim” shoot at anyone. He denied all evidence regarding his firing into the back of Mr. Roger’s head a the request of “Slim.” “Slim” had stated on the stand that he asked Booker if he was going to stand there and let the man kill him. The defendant denied hiding the pistols under a hog pen and told on direct evidence that he had given is pistol to another negro, but admitted the pistols shown in the court room were the ones he had seen Rufus Ford, another negro, have. The prosecuting attorney asked him how he could explain Rufus having the pistol. This he could not explain, he said.
Dastardly Crime
Lumpkin is 26 years old and Williams 22. They were employed by a construction company building the highway between Lumberton and Rowland at the time of the shooting, which was one of the most dastardly crimes committee in the county in years. Officer Rogers had gone to a negro section of the town to quell a disturbance that had been reported to him. Upon reaching the scene, according to the evidence at the coroner’s inquest, Lumpkin opened fire on the officer, who fired back. The officer was mortally wounded and Lumpkin was injured to such an extent that for days he was considered a dying condition by physicians attending him at the county home, where he was brought after being arrested the night of the shooting.
Mrs. Rogers on Stand
The first witness for the State was Mrs. Boyd Rogers, widow of the slain officer. As soon as she took the stand an attorney for the private prosecution displayed clothing worn by the officer on the night of the killing. This was too much for the widow, and she burst into tears, but was quickly composed and answered the questions of Solicitor T.A. McNeill. There was no cross-examination.
Shot Seven Times
Mrs. Rogers went back to her seat beside her father and held her little 4-year-old child, who took her mother’s handkerchief and wiped tears from her mother’s eyes as Dr. N.H. Andrews of Rowland told on the stand of the condition of Mr. Rogers when he arrived on the scene. According to the testimony of the physician, the officer had been the victim of at least five pistol shots and two from a shotgun. Three of the pistol balls entered the back of the officer’s head and neck, and one gunshot wound was on his forehead.
Archie Bethea, colored, of Hamer, who proved a good character, told of taking the defendants in his car from Rowland to the home of Lumpkin’s mother-in-law. Lumpkin told him that he had some liquor there, but the witness swore he did not drink any. Williams was in the car but did not say anything. When the defendants were let out of the car about a half mile from Roland, the witness said Lumpkin said, “Mr. Rogers has searched me 95 times and never found a gun on me, but he’ll find one this time.” Lumpkin had gotten a shotgun and a pistol from the house and Williams had gotten a pistol from another house.
“Going to Raise Hell”
Woodie Meares, colored, who testified at the coroner’s inquest, told of the defendants coming into a hardware store in Rowland and “Slim” telling him, “Woodie, you have been a good old darkey, but I’m going to raise hell tonight.” Evidence that the defendants brought gun shell and cartridges at the store was corroborated by Mr. D.A. Cox, proprietor of the store. They wanted the largest size shot they could get.
Boy Tells of Shooting
The first witness to tell of the actual shooting was James McCallum, 14-year-old colored boy, who was in a store near where the shooting took place. He said that Lumpkin sent him up down for shells and after hearing a gun fire a few times heard “Slim” tell somebody, “Shoot him, shoot him B.T., shoot him.” He also testified that he saw the two defendants a short while afterwards behind a barn near his home. After he heard “Slim” tell B.T. to shoot him, several more shots were fired, he said.
This testimony was practically corroborated by Esau Monroe and James Foxworth, both colored, who swore they saw and heard the shooting. Monroe testified that he heard “Slim” tell Booker T. to shoot him, and after a few shots had been fired down at the officer, say “Look out, you got me one that time,” meaning that Booker T., while firing into the back of the officer’s head, had also shot “Slim.”
On cross-examination the defense tried to show that the officer was on top of “Slim” at the time of the shooting, but this was not very effective. It was in evidence that the officer was on his knees, and the defense tried to prove that he was hitting “Slim” over the head. One of the State’s witnesses swore that the officer was lying on the ground and “Slim” lying a few feet away.
Bessie Lee, negress, swore that Booker T. came to a house where she was and wanted to lie down, stating that he had killed a man. This was a few minutes after the shooting occurred, about a quarter of a mile away.
John F. Page, negro boy, testified that Booker T. had asked him where was the hog pen and went with him where Booker T. hid two pistols. The boy said he took Rural Policeman J.H. Carper to the hog pen and found he pistols for the officer. The boy also corroborated Bessie Lee.
Will Eichenberger, negro, swore that “Slim” came to where he was shortly after the shooting and asked him to hide his pistol, which he said he did as he went for “Slim’s” wife at the request of “Slim.”
He State rested with evidence of the arrest given by Officer Carper who related the incidents leading to the arrest and corroborated several of the other witnesses.
Attorneys for the defense held a long conference before reaching the decision to put the defendants on the stand. Robert lumpkin (“Slim”) was the first to take the stand and give his story of the shooting as follows:
Slim Lumpkin’s Story
He admitted buying shells from the hardware store and admitted riding in a car to his mother-in-law’s home and getting gun and pistols. He said it was Christmas time and he just anted to shoot some, as everybody else was shooting, but later admitted he did not see anyone else shooting guns or pistols. He claimed he had been shooting up into some trees, and when the officer came up he was standing near the barber shop, leaning against the building. Not seeing the officer, he claimed, he raised his gun to shoot up into the tree again. At this the officer fired, striking him in the arm which caused his gun to drop and fire as it was dropping.
The officer continued to advance to him and continued to fire, and they clinched and fell in front of the barber shop, as had been stated, but “Slim” claimed he did not tell Booker T. to shoot him, but merely asked him if he was going to stand there and let the officer kill him. The defense fell short in trying to prove by the witness that Rufus Ford, negro, had anything to do with the shooting. The witness stated that Rufus had his shot gun when the shooting was over and give it to him to pull up from the ground.
From the front page of The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C., Monday, Feb. 1, 1926
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