Referring to the preliminary trial of A.B. Medlin for the slaying of Mark Simpson in Union County, the Monroe Journal says:
“A number of people from Concord appeared at the trial as character witnesses for the defendant. These included Rev. Ebenezer Myers, L.A. Talbirt, chief of police of Concord, Sheriff Caldwell of Cabarrus County, J.L. Hartsell, manager of the Hartsell Mill, and a number of others, all of whom gave him a good character.
“The defendant himself was not put on the stand, but the version of the killing which he gave to the Sheriff when surrendering was not greatly changed by the State’s witnesses, all of whom were relatives of the dead man. These were Mrs. Britton Helms, a sister of the deceased, and her husband, J.C. Simpson, father, and Henry Helms, nephew of the deceased.
“The story of the State’s witnesses is similar to the statement made by Medlin to Union County officers with the exception as to the manner of approach made by Simpson, and the black-jack scuffle. Medlin said that Simpson approached in an angry manner and cursing, and that he grabbed the black-jack and was holding on to it when he fired is pistol. The State witnesses say that he did not appear mad on approach and that he only reached for the black-jack.
“Dr. Richardson was called to the stand and corroborated the testimony of the witnesses as to the effect of the bullets.
“The State witnesses were gain called to the stand and questioned as to the knife found under Simpson when his body was being removed. None of them knew about the knife except Simpson’s father, who said that he saw the knife and that it was the property of the dead man. The presence of the knife was corroborated by Dr. Richardson.”
From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Wednesday, March 31, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-03-31/ed-1/seq-1/
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