The Military Commission

Case(s)
Source Type: Newspaper
Publisher: The Selma Times and Messenger
Place of publication: Selma, Alabama
Date of publication: May 5, 1868 11:50 pm
Source URL: View Source
Transcript:

– Second Day. of the Randolph Case. , Examination of Witnesses and Rulings of the Court. [The types -made us say yesterday morning, that the Court was “governed, not by the Statutes of Alabama, but by the general rules laid down in Wharton’s Digest.” It should have read, by the rules Taid down in the War Office Digest of [laws},for the government of Courts Martial and Military Commissions.] The examination of Balus Eddins was resumed. yesterday ,fmorning as follows – The difficulty occurred on Saturday; the witness has been in poor health over since ho suffers in head and back and side particularly; the pain is in the small of his baek directly behind the wound. [At the-instance-of the counsel for the defense, the Judge (Advocate was required to set forth in the recorded proceedings of the Court an] exact des scription of the}wound, which was exhibited.] W. T. Hamner, duly sworn and testified as-follows: Direct Examination.-Witness was present at the difficulty ; it began at an auction ; the auctioncer was selling an article, for which a negro had made a bid; Hollingsworth asked the auctioncer to hold on and let him see it ; the auctioneer told Hollingsworth to make him a liberal bid; fifteen cents had been offered; Hollingsworth said he would be and if lie would give that for it; Hollingsworth then turned to the crowd and said-“bid, up niggers, bid up :” he repeated this, and said, “why in the hell, niggers, don’t you bid up;” a negro named Brown asked why Hollingsworth didn’t bid himself; Hollingsworth grasped at the negro ; the negro solved Hollingsworth away; Hollingsworth drew a little pistol and snapped. it at the negro two or three times; the negro took the pistol away from Hollingsworth,] and threw it down; Hollingsworth throw a stool- at the negro or struck at him with a stool; the negro struck back with the stool ; somebody got the stool away. from the parties; Hollingsworth drew a pocket knife, and rumat the negro with the knife; the negro, threw Hollingsworth down ; Hollingsworth underneath, had the knife in his hand, over the negro’s head, cutting at him ; some one called to the negro to get tip ; the negro said he wouldn’t while Hollingsworth [had the knife; Hollingsworth broko the blado out of his, knife some way or other then the negro got up Hollingsworth” went into Kirkman & An- drew’s storo and camo out with a poker or piece of íron ; ho started to go to the nego; the Degro lind à big stick in his hand; Hollingsworth threw the piece of iron at the negro; the negro struck Hollingsworth once, may be twice, with the stick about this time Mr, Randolph came across the street ; witness walked off ton or twelve steps; Randolph didn’t make any hialt; he walked right up and fired his pistol the negro started to go into the store, but somebody told Ìim not to go in there, and ho then went towards Randolph; somebody said “catch him ;’, Hollingsworth then kuöcked the negro down with a brick-bat; somebody came up and asked what was the matter; the negro said lio land boen Atabbed ; lie was asked who did it.- [The answer to this question was objected to by the counsel for tho defonce, and the objection was sustained] Ran- standing in the stroet]with à knife in lifs linnd) witness was niteon or twonty stops from Randolph wit- ness thought the blado of the knife was seven Incles, long and th- four inchesilong: the negro that was stabbed and that Witness saw on the ground, was identified ns Balus Eddins; witness couldn’t remember when this occurred; it was en to Saturday) it occurred at Tuscaloosa the wounded negro was carried to a woodshop 1 the name was in a bad