Perry & William Melton, Convicted for Murder of John W. Cherry of Spearsville, Union Parish Louisiana Submitted by: Shawn Martin Date of Submission: 12/2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.org/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Perry & William Melton, Convicted for Murder of John W. Cherry of Spearsville, Union Parish Louisiana From the "Times Picayune", a newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana Issues of March 24 and April 10, 1885 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 24 March 1885 issue of the New Orleans "Times Picayune" and the 25 March 1885 issue of the "Shreveport Daily Times" ================================================================================== ================================================================================== NOTE: The article below appeared in both papers. The only differences between the Picayune article (transcribed below) and the Shreveport article are: 1) The Shreveport article had the statement "Special to the Shreveport Times" instead of the one given below 2) The Shreveport article was written as one paragraph as opposed to the four paragraph format of the New Orleans article, and 3) Instead of the sentence in the third paragraph ending with the word "life" as it does in the New Orleans article below, the Shreveport article continues: "...asking a commutation of his sentence of imprisonment for life and it will receive the hearty support of nearly every citizen in the parish." FARMERVILLE Condemned Murderers Baptized into the Baptist Church – Sympathy for One of the Condemned. [Special to the Picayune] Farmerville, March 24 – William Melton, under sentence of death and to be hung here on April 10 with his father Perry Melton, for participating in the murder of John W. Cherry last spring, was baptized today in the parish prison by Elder S. C. Lee, of the Baptist church. Sympathy is felt for young Melton because of the popular belief that the verdict against him should not have been for more than manslaughter. His conduct since imprisonment has been very quiet and good. He cried bitterly at times and say that when finally drawn into the difficulty by seeing his father shot, he acted only in defense of himself and father, and declares that the testimony of some of the witnesses is wholly untrue and a great injustice. A petition is being actively circulated, asking a commutation of his sentence of imprisonment for life. The elder Melton in the meantime awaits his doom without visible fear and without a murmur. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 10 April 1885 issue of the New Orleans "Times Picayune" ================================================================================== ================================================================================== FARMERVILLE The Respite of Perry and Wm. Melton [Special to the Picayune] Farmerville, April 10 – Perry and Wm. Melton, who were to have been hung in the parish jail at this place on Friday, April 10, have been granted a respite by the Governor. A very decided expression of opinion is made by prominent citizens that William Melton ought not to hang. ############################################################# File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/newspapers/articles/1885melton.txt