Butts County GaArchives News.....MURDER May 25, 1898
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Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 November 6, 2006, 8:47 pm

Jackson Argus – Butts County May 25, 1898
That was the Results of the Preliminary Trial Given Mattie King

Justice Robison held a session of his court in the old Presbyterian Church on 
Saturday last for the purpose of hearing the evidence in the case of the State 
vs. Mattie King, charged with the murder of young Laborn Washington at 
Worthville, in this county on Thursday of last week.  After appointing J. G. 
McDonald to take down the evidence in the case, Justice Robinson inquired as to 
whether or not the defense was ready for trial and upon receiving an 
affirmative answer form Col. J. D. Watkins, who represented the defendant, the 
witness in the case were sworn by Col. L. L. Ray who appeared for the state in 
the prosecution of the case.

The first witness called was Mrs. G. L. Washington, mother of the murdered 
child, who related the incidents of the murder in a straightforward and 
pathetic manner.  Mrs. Washington stated that on last Thursday near noon she 
was at her home at Worthville, in this county, attending the duties of her 
household, when she was informed that Jim King, a negro farm hand employed by 
her husband was down the road near her home cursing and abusing Laborn 
Washington, her little 13 year old son. Knowing that her husband had been 
having considerable trouble with the Negro Jim King on account of his 
limitations of the duties assigned and that said trouble had engendered a 
bitter feeling of animosity and hatred by the negro and his wife against Mr. 
Washington’s whole family, she determined to go prepared to defend herself, and 
picking up Mr. Washington’s gun, she walked down the road toward where Jim King 
and her son were.  When near the scene she saw Paul Gunn, a young white man of 
the neighborhood, was there with them, and thinking he would not let her son be 
imposed upon, she turned and started back toward her home, some two hundred 
yards distance.  She had not gone very far before she met Mattie King, wife of 
the negro Jim King, coming down the road toward her with a knife in her hand.  
She at once began using abusive language to Mrs. Washington and stated that she 
intended cutting her d’- - n heart out.  The Negro woman then made a grab for 
the gun and a scuffle ensued for its possession.  In the meantime Mrs. 
Washington got the negro woman down and was holding her, the gun having falling 
under them on the ground when Paul Gunn and Laborn Washington saw the 
difficulty and ran up the road toward them.  Mrs. Washington saw them coming, 
and knowing that the gun was cocked and that Mattie King had her hands on the 
weapon, she hollowed for her son to get from front of the gun.  Just at this 
time Mattie King got possession of the weapon as she was down upon her knees, 
Mrs. Washington on top of her and leveling the gun at Laborn, she pulled the 
trigger, empting the contents of one barrel into the body of the little child 
killing him instantly.

Mrs. Washington who was then in a frenzy of excitement got possession of the 
gun and shot at the Negro woman but missed her.  Jim King came upon the scene 
at this time and pulling out a pistol he commanded his wife to follow him and 
they walked off down the road together.

The evidence of Paul Gunn, the second witness in the case was virtually the 
same as that of Mrs. Washington, in so far as regards the shooting, he not 
having been present at the beginning of he difficulty.

Mr. G. L. Washington then took the stand in verification of he fact that he and 
his family had been having considerable trouble with the Negroes lately and 
that they lived in constant fear of bodily hard from one or the other of them.

Messrs. D. L. Caston and N. J. Harmon were called a witnesses to reiterate a 
statement made by the negro woman when she was brought to Jackson Thursday 
evening an while waiting to be placed in jail.  They both stated that they 
heard her say that “She never killed the woman but she got her boy.”

The only evidence presented by the defense was a statement from the defendant 
who said that on Thursday last she was at her home near Mr. Washington’s at 
Worthville, when another negro woman came along and gave her a piece of bread 
and some meat skin.  She took a pocket knife which she used in cutting the 
bread and meat and started down the road by Mrs. Washington’s for when her 
husband Jim King was to see him about moving as they had decided to go over and 
locate in another county.  She had not gone far when she met Mrs. Washington 
coming up the road with the gun in her hand.  She stated that Mrs. Washington 
threatened to shoot her, and she made a grab for the gun and tried to get 
possession of it.  While they were scuffling Laborn came running up the road 
and just as he had gotten within ten or twelve yards of them the gun went off 
and killed him.  She claimed that Mrs. Washington had hold of the gun at the 
time and that it was purely accidental.

After the difficulty Paul Gunn found the knife the negro had in her hand lying 
near where the murdered boy lay and it was placed in evidence at the trial.  
After hearing the testimony in the case Justice Robinson remanded the prisoner 
to jail on the charge of murder, and she will be given a hearing at the next 
term of the Superior court, which will be held on the 30th inst.

The case of Jim King, the negro woman’s husband, who is held on the charge of 
carrying concealed weapons, was then called, and he waived preliminary trial 
and demanded an indictment before the grand jury.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/butts/newspapers/murder1947gnw.txt

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