Davis Held for Manslaughter
CORONER’S JURY RECOMMENDS HOLDING THE YOUNG MAN CHARGED WITH THE DEATH OF DOROTHY JONES.
Complying with the request of the coroner’s jury, a grand jury has been summoned, to meet on Thursday morning to investigate matters in connections with the death of Dorothy Jones. Should the grand jury bring an indictment, one of three procedures will be followed: If it seems likely that the trial of Davis could be concluded by Saturday, statutory date of adjournment of the present court term, the case might be tried this week; if deemed advisable by Judge Campbell, a special term might be held to try the case, or, in the event that neither of these lines were followed, the case would go over until the regular January term.
As an aftermath of the death of Dorothy Jones, 14 years old, who was shot on the porch of the DeFuniak hotel on the afternoon of Monday, September 9, Jeff Davis, Jr., 17, is released under a $1,500 bond, fixed by County Judge Lewis Brannon and signed by the boy’s father, Jeff Davis, and County Collector Will T. Ray.
The coroner’s jury, composed of J. S. Gaston, Charles Cawthon, R. W. Storrs, H. L. Prescott, Riley Robinson and L. E. Gill, which, as told in last week’s Breeze, considered the situation Tuesday morning, and in adjourned session that afternoon, met again at nine o’clock Friday morning to future consider the matter, at which time several additional witnesses were examined, but nothing pertinent to the situation was disclosed. The jury discussed the matter for several hours, bringing in their verdict about twelve-thirty that afternoon, the verdict saying (the jurors) ” * * * on their oaths, say that the said Jeff Davis did make an assault on the said Dorothy Jones, and did inflict a mortal wound from which the said Dorothy Jones did die * * * and the said Jeff Davis did the said Dorothy Davis kill and murder. We, the jury, further request that Jeff Davis., Jr., be held for the grand fury, charged with manslaughter, and that the grand jury be immediately empaneled for this investigation.”
The verdict of the coroner’s jury was in the nature of a compromise one, it being understood that two members of the six held out for a first degree murder charge, two favored the manslaughter charge (which was the finding of the jury) one thought that Davis should not be held on any charge, and the sixth member of the half-dozen which considered the matter being rather non-committal as to his conclusions.
Readers of the Breeze are familiar with details of the unfortunate affair which led to the death of Dorothy Jones of Pensacola, a daughter of Robert Jones, head of the DeFuniak Springs branch of the Credit Production Association, whose home is at the DeFuniak hotel, and from where Miss Jones, who had been visiting with her father, intended to return to Pensacola the following day, in anticipation of the opening of the Pensacola schools, which she would have entered Monday of this week, save for the unfortunate occurrence which cost her life.
Young Davis, who had been rather attentive to the girl at the time of [her] present and former visits here, had called upon her at the hotel, and the two were seated on a porch swing at the front of the building. Davis, who had previously during the afternoon shown the .38 Smith & Wesson revolver with which the killing was done, to some boy friends, and taken the weapon from the front of his shirt, where he carried it, and he and the girl, according to his statement to the coroner’s jury and which he also made to some of those who were at the scene immediately after the shooting, had been handling the weapon, and which in some way was discharged, the ball striking the girl’s left breast, ranged on about a level line through the body, making its exit under the right shoulder blade. Death was not instantaneous, but practically so.