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Show Uk.ii w 1 N s k Li 9 ' . . i . -S . pry H rf wf1 r 6aA4 vJ Jvtd. -CAx- " f5 0 D J. O. RAWLINS AND PACSIMIXE OF PART OP HIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR OE THIS NEWSPAPER. g' ' -li:Kr Special to The Telegram.) ' VALDOSTA, Ga., June 7. Because of his desire to save the lives of his children, whom he declares Innocent Of the crime, and In order to avoid further fur-ther alleged suffering and persecution, J. Q. Rawlins, former clergyman and condemned and sentenced murderer, has sent the following letter to Gov. Terrell: , . "I respectfully urge your Excellency not to Interfere with the speedy execution of the death sentence. lam tired of the whole business, and I want to be hanged as soon as possible.'" Rawlins and his three sons, Leonard, Milton and Jesse, were convicted -for complicity in the murder of Willie and Carrie Carter, children of W. L. Carter, with whom Rawlina had had trouble for years. It is claimed that the actual shooting of the children was done by Alf Moore, a negro, who confessed that Rawlins had paid him to do it. At the trial Moore claimed that at the last minute his nerve had failed him and he maintained that Milton and Jesse' Rawlins had fired the shots that killed the Carter children. On the night of June 13. 1905, the Carter children were shot down In the yard of their father's home, about ten miles- north of Valdosta, ' and it la al-! al-! leged that an attempt was made to kill the rest of the Carter family. The girl was almost instantly killed and the boy died about sunrise the following morning. Moore was arrested at Staunton, thirty miles north of here two day later. Rawlins had been in Valdosta on the night of the crime, but he and hie eons were finally.arrested and convicted. Because of the negro'B confession a number of persons have attempted to have the sentences commuted to life Imprisonment, but Rawlins has resented these attempts and declares he wants to be hanged. (J. G Eawlins, former clergyman and convicted murderer, has written the following unique statement especially for THE TELEGRAM. Editor.) It a secret from them; but they were arrested and the trial was more like a legal mob, for the excitement ran high. Can you wonder that I want ti die, then I know that death will expose hat has been- done against my Innocent Inno-cent boys? I know, if they hang me they will hang the negro who did the crime, and reason teaches that the negro ne-gro will confess on the gallows, and then my boys will be free. After the trial my wife and two little girls were turned out of doors and we had to sell what we had to pay loans and the peace bond. I want to be hanged at once, for I am suffering and starving in Jail, and see no hope for scything else. I believe this is the only way to show that Alf Moore alone is guilty. I have very little hope in the world to come. I believe the malice I have against Carter and the officials who have done me and my family this terrible ter-rible wrong will carry me to hell. I have tried, but I cannot forgive them unless hey acknowledge the wrong, and the Bible says if we don't forgive men their trespasses, ours will not be forgiven. This last part is what I am dreading. I believe the Bible, and it condemns) me. I know I have got to meet it, and I know the ones who did this wrong have got to meet it. . We will all be tried before a Judge that Is just and a Jury that cannot be deceived with lies. I hope that all who read this will watch this case to the end and see if I have not told the truth. Very honestly and earnestly. VALDOSTA. Ga., June 7. Kind Editorc At- your request I will ; give my reason;" fer asking Gov. Ter-; Ter-; rell not to grant, another stay of execution, execu-tion, but to let it be over with me. But that those who read, this; may better understand,-1 will give a brief sketch of this trouble. - ' I met W. L. Carter twelve or fifteen years ago at Broxton, Ga., where he was pastor of the church. He got Into trouble . there, and the conference dropped him. Later he had some trouble trou-ble over some land records In Douglas, Ga., and finally when we bought ad-Joining ad-Joining farms here he claimed some of my land. I arranged matters so that Carter could not bother my land any more. Then he began persecutions of all kinds. Seeing that I was against him, he tried to get rid of me. He threatened threat-ened to make me leave here, and finally had. me put under a $1200 pac bond,' claiming that I had shot at him. That night I went home in the most trouble I had ever been in. Next day I was told that there was a plot to get me In trouble and collect the bond. On the night of June 12, when the negro came to me and offered to put Carter out of the way If I would give him $100, I made what now seems a very foolish trade, but. tortured as I was. I said, "Yes, get rid of him. but be careful not to hurt any of his family," and I will say right there that I am, as sorry those children were killed as is any man. As to Carter, I was too troubled trou-bled to realize anything. One thing I do know; my boys had nothing to do with the crime, for I kept |