The hearing of Wells Green, Charles Kendrick, Otis Jolley [Jolly?] and Roy Hill, of Gaffney, S.C., alleged murders of Frank Butler who was killed at his home about 15 miles south of Morganton on the Shelby road on the night of January 29th, was held in the courthouse at Morganton before Magistrate George H. Battle.
Captain J.B. Bell of Gaffney appeared for Otis Jolley and Roy Hill, and Ervin & Ervin of Morganton, and Gardner & Burris of Shelby appeared for Wells Green and Charles Kendrick. Mrs. Fannie Butler, wife of the slain man, was the first witness to take the stand for the State. She stated that she was 24 years of age and was a daughter of Pink Cook, of this county. She pointed out Wells Green and Roy Hill as the two men who came into their room on the night of the murder.
Roy Hill, who with Otis Jolly, was the State’s chief witness, was the next to take the stand. He said that he was 19 years old and that he came with Otis Jolly, Wells Green and Charles Kendrick to the home of Frank Butler after liquor on the night of the alleged murder. Asking for liquor, Frank Butler told them he only had 10 gallons. They had containers for only nine gallons and when they returned from a trip of two or three hundred yards up the road where they got the liquor, Frank Butler said he would go into the house to get two fruit jars for the remaining gallon in the deminjohn [demijohn?]. Continuing the story he said that when Butler started toward the house, “Slim” Jolly stepped on the starter. When he did that Frank Butler jumped up on the fender and said, “What does this mean, boys?” and reached over to cut off the engine, but the switch was not on. Charles Kendrick shot through the top of the car to scare him and “Crip” Green fired three shots. On the way back to Gaffney “Crip” said, “I believe I hit that man.” He stated that they did not know if they had killed him, as Frank Butler had picked up the demijohn with the other gallon of liquor and had started toward the house.
On examination he admitted that he had been on the chaingang three times for violating the prohibition law and had taken as high as 40 or 50 gallons of liquor at the time out of the South mountains.
Otis Jolly told very much the same story as Hill on the stand.
On examination he also admitted that he had served two sentences on the chaingang on whiskey charges, and had been indicted seven or eight times, one for larceny of a car.
Wells Green and Charles Kendrick were bound over to the March term of court without bond and Otis Jolly and Roy Hill were allowed to give $1,000 bond each for their appearance at the March term of court.
From the front page of the Mooresville Enterprise, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1926
A demijohn is a large, narrow-necked bottle traditionally used to store and transport liquids, such as wine, olive oil, cider and vinegar.
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064798/1926-02-25/ed-1/seq-1/
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