Wilson.E.K.1899.Laurel.COURT

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                        People vs E.K. Wilson
                                1899

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Reprinted with permission  of the Laurel County Historical Society 
from their book "Excerpts from the Mountain Echo 1899" Copyright 1996
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                        THE EXAMINING TRIAL

The defendant, being represented by attorneys R. L. Ewell. D. K.
Rawlinys
and R. L. Reid, entered a motion before County Judge Stanberry Tuesday 
morning for bail, and at one o'clock Tuesday afternoon the examining 
trial began, the Commonwealth being represented by County Attorney
Sparks,
Senator Parker, Hon. W. H. Ramsey, H.C. Hazelwood, C.R. Brock, and 
J. Walker Moren. The hearing of testimony was not closed until noon 
Wednesday, the defense offering not one word of testimony in rebutttal
to
that of the Commanwealth.  After argument by the counsel, Sparks, and 
Ramsey for the Commonwealth and Ewell and Rawlings for the defense, 
the motion of the defendant for bail was overruled and the prisoner 
was remanded to jail without bail.

The prisoner was ordered to be taken to Richmond jail for safe keeping.

		              TRIAL NOTES

The hearing throughout was a recital of one of the most sickening and 
shocking crimes ever committed in the county. The trial was witnessed 
by a large crowd with almost breathless silence, every neck being craned 
to its full tension that the auditor might hear and catch the full force 
of every word that fell from the witness lips of the prisoners guilt. 
Dr. A. C. Foster swears that some three or four weeks since Mr. Wilson 
came to him and told him that he believed that he had Miss Cloyd
pregnant  and wanted to know if certain drugs and certain instruments would
produce  an abortion; if cotton-root pills would, if ergot would, or if a
catheter inserted into the uterus would. To all of which Dr. Foster 
answered in the  affirmative. He then asked the doctor to write a 
prescription. The doctor refused. He then asked the doctor to go with him 
and use the catheter; to which request the doctor's reply was: "Do you 
take me to be a d-m fool? I will not do it." He then asked the doctor to 
loan him his catheter, which request was also refused, but was told that 
he could buy one at the drug store, that there was no law prohibiting the 
sale of them, but was told that if he used it in the way indicated, it 
would kill the giri. Wilson afterward met Dr. Foster and told him that he 
had used the instrument and that he, Wilson, believed it "had done the 
work." After the condition of the girl became known, Wilson was called 
into the girl's sick room, and appealed to by both Mr. and Mrs. McLear, 
that, for the sake of his honor,  the honor of the girl, and the 
reputation of the house he ought to marry the girl there and then. He 
declined, but said that he intended and would marry the girl as soon as 
she was able. He was then appealed to by the ruined girl, to redeem the 
promise by which he had ruined her, and save her further disgrace. Still 
he refused. Then when accosted by the girl he acknowledged that he had 
accomplished her ruin under promise of marriage.



Submitted by: Rita Stanifer Maggard <rmaggard@skn.net>
Date: Thu, 22 May 1997