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Another convict—I asked Courson, 'Ain't that chain too tight?' Higginbotham said, 'That chain ain't tight enough. He can still drink water.'
Another convict—There were, large bruises all over Jersey's legs, arms and back where they had whipped him.
Medical Examiner R. R. Killinger—Examination of the stomach and intestines showed there was no food present. I imagine he had nothing to eat for 24 hours or longer. There is practically no such thing as self-strangulation when able to aid one's self because the desire to breathe is too great.
When prisoners showed the jury how the Sunbeam neck chain and stocks were applied, Mrs. Julia Maillefert, the dead boy's mother, nearly fainted. Rallying, said she: "I am going to sit through the trial to see what kind of justice they mete out down here. I wish they'd just get one man from New Jersey on the jury."
Having listened to testimony for two the jury took less than three hours reaching a verdict: Captain Courson, guilty of manslaughter, which carries a sentence of from one to 20 years in prison; Solomon Higginbotham, not guilty.