Schley County GaArchives News.....Schley Farmers Are Sentenced For Killing Negro April 20, 1922
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Carla Miles http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002476 October 7, 2005, 10:58 pm

The Butler Herald April 20, 1922
The Butler Herald
Thursday, April 20, 1922
Page One

Schley Farmers Are Sentenced For Killing Negro

Attorneys For Three Defendants in Lynching Case File New Trial Motion

Americus, Ga., April 13 – Benny DeVane, Henry Harvey and Henry Lewis Fulford, of
Schley County, today were sentenced to serve one to four years each in the
Georgia chaingang for their part in the lynching of Will Jones, negro, near
Ellaville several weeks ago.  The men were convicted after a joint trial of
“shooting at another,” the jury recommending that misdemeanor punishment be
imposed.  This recommendation was disregarded by Judge Z.A. Littlejohn, before
when the trial was conducted.

Benny Devane and Henry Harvey, together with Tom Brown, George T. Phillips,
Clarence Robinson, John DeVane and Arthur DeVane, were accused by a coroner’s
jury, which investigated Jones’ death, of the negro’s murder.  The case
attracted state-wide attention at the time.

Fulford Arrested

Benny DeVane and Henry Harvey are the only ones among those named by the
coroner’s jury yet to be arrested, all the others having fled, leaving their
families and farms.

Fulford’s name was not connected publicly with the case until Monday when the
grand jury returned an indictment, charging that he had accompanied Benny
DeVane, Henry Harvey and others to the home of Will Jones on Sunday night before
the negro was finally killed.

(Beginning of sentence is blurred) both Benny DeVane and Henry Harvey were shot
by Jones, Harvey being seriously wounded.  Fulford was in the courtroom when the
grand jury returned the indictment against him and was immediately arrested by
Sheriff Battle on instructions from Solicitor-General Jule Felton.

Asks New Trial

The trial of the case consumed an entire day and the jury reached its verdict
after four hours deliberation.  In his charge Judge Littlejohn instructed the
jury that a verdict of not guilty or guilty of any degree of homicide, including
shooting at another, might be returned.

Zach Childers, of Americus, and John Chaney and E.J. Hart, of Ellaville,
represented defendants at the trial, and Solicitor-General Jule Felton conducted
the case for the state.

At the conclusion of the case Attorney Childers announced a motion for a new
trial would be made and asked that his clients be released on bail.  Bond was
fixed by Judge Littlejohn at $5,000 each, which was furnished immediately.


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