Wake County NcArchives News.....Not Guilty, Says Haywood March 30, 1903
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Linda Blum-Barton http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00003.html#0000645 March 25, 2006, 2:55 pm

The Weekly Constitution, Atlanta, Ga. March 30, 1903
When Arraigned on Charge of Murdering Skinner.
Raleigh, N. C., March 24. -- Ernest Haywood, under indictment for the murder of 
Ludlow Skinner, on the main street of this city, on February 21 last, will not 
be tried un the July term of court.

He was arraigned for trial here today, before Judge M. H. Justice and Walter 
Daniel was made solicitor in place of Armistead Jones, who retired because of 
relationship to the prisoner.  The state announced that it was ready for the 
trial, but James H. Pou , of the defense, made an exhaustive argument for a 
continuance, his points being covered by an affidavit later presented by 
Haywood.

He alleges that directly after the killing numerous and apparently serious 
threats of lynching were made by friends and sympathizers of the prosecution 
and that the sheriff arranged for one or two persons to sleep in the jail to 
give protection.  That the newspapers published the current report, the first 
of which were generally unfavorable; that few people saw any part of the 
difficulty until they heard the pistol shot and were slow to believe that there 
had been a difficulty till after the shooting; that one paper practically 
charged Haywood with assassinating Skinner by shooting him from behind.  
Haywood says he shot Skinner in the side after he had knocked Haywood almost 
down and was in the act of drawing his pistol.

Haywood further swears that his being a lawyer was used against him; that it 
has been charged that he was rich, but that he has never been worth over 
$25,000; that it has been further charged that he would use money and buy his 
way out of jail.  That it was alleged that the sheriff showed him great favors 
and had taken him out in the country, but that he had been treated only as any 
other prisoner and confined in an ordinary cell.

He says the charge has been made that he had retained lawyers before the 
difficulty; that he believes that there has been a deliberate purpose to arouse 
indignation against him in order that he might not have a fair trial; that at 
least one man has been employed by the private [*can't read next line] devoting 
a great deal of time to locate public sentiment against Haywood; that Robert N. 
Simms, a Raleigh lawyer, who said he saw Skinner strike Haywood and that the 
latter did not shoot until after he had been denounced as a liar and perjurer, 
who had been bought to make the statement; that a man publicly stated on the 
streets that if Simms said in his presence a blow was struck by Skinner he 
would strike Simms in the mouth; that men in sympathy of the prosecution 
threatened to leave a Sunday school if Simms was allowed to teach there.

Haywood says that Simms' statement was exactly the truth and corroborated the 
statement which Haywood made in the presence of his attorneys and others 
immediately after the killing, Haywood says when he so stated he did not know 
who saw the trouble.  Haywood says he believes the effort to create public 
sentiment against him will be only temporarily successful and by the next term 
he can obtain a fair trial here.

Fourth, Haywood says the prejudice aroused against him and the denunciation of 
Simms has deterred many other witnesses from giving evidence in his behalf; 
that one man said if he talked he would have to leave Raleigh, that another man 
said to be a witness had run away and concealed himself having been induced to 
do so by someone; that his attoneys have letters saying their witnesses whose 
testimony will corroborate that of Simms, but they have not yet been able to 
secure these witnesses.

Fifth, that Haywood is not ready for trial now becaue of the absence of 
material witnesses.

Sixth, that his attorneys advise him that while in their opinion he has a good 
defense, they have not been able yet to prepare that defense.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/wake/newspapers/notguilt16gnw.txt

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