Extracted from The News-Star (Monroe, LA)
Monday, February 2, 1920

CARPENTER IS RELEASED FOR MUR[D]ER CHARGE

JURY RETURNS VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY IN NOTED CALDWELL MURDER CASE.

(Special to Monroe News-Star)

Columbia, Feb. 2. -- A regular criminal term of the district court for Caldwell parish closed here late Saturday afternoon. The entire session of the court was taken up with trial of two murder cases. Dave Carpenter, charged with the murder of John Benson, on February 23, was put on trial at the beginning of the term, and the case was given to the jury in the afternoon of Wednesday and a verdict of not guilty was brought in about 9 o'clock at night. The dead man was a notorious character who hung around a lumber camp of the Louisiana Central Company and by-ways. On the day of the killing, Big John, as he was commonly known, got hold of some wildcat whisky, it is alleged, and went on a spree. Dave Carpenter, it is alleged was terrorized and threatened, and meeting some resistance at the hands of this individual, he sought to borrow a gun with which to kill him, but failing in this, he was in the act of forcibly wresting a shot gun from the hands of another when he was fired on by Carpenter and killed. Carpenter pleaded self defense and the jury by its verdict maintained that plea. The defense was represented by H. T. Hair, G. T. McSween and Thornhill & Thornhill, of the local bar, and the State was represented by C. W. Flowers, district attorney for Jena.

The case of the State vs. S. S. Gregory, charged with the murder of Aaron Manley in October, 1917, was taken up Thursday morning and was given to the jury at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon and a verdict of not guilty was returned about seven o'clock. Strenuous efforts were made at every session of the grand jury to have Gregory indicted, but success did not crown these efforts until the session of the grand jury which convened here on the first Monday of last month. There is an interesting story behind this case, and feeling has been very strong from the beginning. Aaron Manley and a son of Gregory were young men who became deadly enemies it is alleged, for reasons which have never been very definitely explained, some charging it to one thing and some to another. In the month of September, 1916, the two young men came in contact with each other and an altercation arose, and Manley finding himself at a disadvantage, retreated to a house near by where he had left a gun, Gregory pursuing him in the meantime, but when he saw Manley bring out his gun, he turned and fled, at the same time shouting to Manley not to shoo[t], but the latter fired any how and killed young Gregory on the spot. Manley was promptly indicted by the first grand jury that convened after the killing and was put on trial in July following and was acquitted at the hands of a jury after a prolonged trial and a stubborn fight on the part of both the state and the accused.

C. W. Flowers, district attorney who prosecuted the case was assisted by George Wear, of Jena, and the defendant was represented by H. T. Hair, of the local bar, and Allan Sholars of Monroe. The Gregory family was very much outraged at the verdict of not guilty, and friends of Manley tried to prevail upon him to leave the country but he declined, and he went about his business as usual, but finally Manley and the father of his victim met by chance on the street of Columbia and was killed as he fled, five shots fired into his body. On the trial of Gregory he testified that on meeting Manley on the streets, the latter said to him:

“I got your son and now I am going to get you,” at the same time throwing his hand to his hip pocket as if to draw a weapon. This statement, however, was contradicted by a number of witnesses who saw the parties when they came in contact with each other, all of whom testified that on seeing Gregory near him, Manley took to his heels while Gregory pursued him, firing as he ran, and after Manley had fallen dead, Gregory approached the body, put his pistol to the back of his head and sent a bullet crashing through his brain. It is freely predicted because of the failure of the jury to convict Gregory that there will be more trouble between members of the two families. Gregory is a man, now about sixty years old, a native of Caldwell parish and a son of one of the pioneers of North Louisiana. His father came to Louisiana in the years before the Civil War and settled in Caldwell parish -- he was a slave holder, a successful farmer, and was in that day and time known as a “Homemade Doctor” and in that capacity rendered valuable service to many of his neighbors wwhen [sic] physicians were scarce, far away and hard to reach.

Aaron Manley was also a descendant of one of North Louisiana's pioneers, John Dunn, his grand father settled Caldwell parish when Columbia was a mere steamboat landing on the Ouachita river, and he immediately embarked on the business of raising and mark [missing text] fine saddle horses, which until his [missing text] vent here, were as scarce as “hens teeth,” and were as sought after as a princely possession, as automobiles and air ships are now.