Ninety-nine Years

The trial of John and William Willinms, two brothers, f r murder in the fïrfat degree, -was ooncluded in the Criminal Court yesterday morning. ïhis case was brought here for trial on a change of venue from Millcr oounty. They were charged with the killing, on the 28th of last March, a man named L. Corbin, who was shot through the head by a pistol in the hands of John Williams, the younger brother. The case went to the jury on Friday night, at 8 o'clock. At 10 o'clock the jury were allowed to separate and return to their homes. Yesterday morning they reassembled, and about 11 o'clock agreed upon a verdict of murder in the second degree, as follows : "We, the jury, find the defendant, John Williams, guilty in manner and form as charged in the within indictment for murder in the second degree, and assess his punishment as imprisonment in the penitentiary for the period of ninetv-nine years. "We, the jurj, find the defendant, William Williams, guilty in manner and form as charged in the within indictment for murder in the second degree, and assess his punishment at imprisoament in the penitentiary for the period of ten years." There were present the father, two sisters, a nieoe and a female relative of the boys. When Deputy Clerk Stewart arose to read the indictment, the most intenso eagcrness was depicted upon the c untenances of tüe females, but the father's face wore a look of despair, as if hehad forebodings of the f ate thatwas iu store for his sons. The spectators, with whom the room was crowded, manil'ested deep interest, while the accused seenied the most indifferent of all. As the Clerk reached that portion of the verdict which assessed the punishment of John Williams at ninety-nine years, the sisters and niece broke into loud exclamations of anguish, accompanied with violent demonstrations of grief. They begged the Clerk to stop, and the niece exclaimed, ' ' Oh, what will become of poor old grandmothcr ? " " öh, those hard-hearted jurors ! How couldthey be so cruel ? " wailed a sister. The poor old heait-broken father was less demonstrative, but the téars which streamed down his furrowed cheeks showed how deep was the anguish that filled his heart. The Clerk was visibly affected, but proceeded with his disagreeable duty as best he could, while the bystanders also exhibited the emotion which the scène was naturally calculated to callforth. The girls - for they were all young - threw their arms around the prisoners' necks, kissing them again and again, making the building resound with their cries, lamentations acd exclamations, such as : ' ' Oh, Lord, what shall become of me !" "Oh, John! John! Oh, brother! ?ox you to go to that horrid place !" "Justthiik of it! For ninety-nine yeara ! Oh, I cannot stand it !" It was a sad scène, and the grief and motion exhibited by the relatives flnaly brought the tears to the eyes of the jrisoners themselves. When the sentence of ninety-nine 'ears' imprisonmcnt was announced for "ohn Williams, his brother heartlessly emarked : " Well, John will lose his ,eeth by that time !" Then, suddenly hanging, he exclaimed: "It's a d - d hame !" and his eyes malignantly flashed with fury. When the Sheriff ordered the prisonrs to be removed to jail, tüe girls clung o them with despair, and renewed their ries and entreaties, going with them hrough the strects, which echoed -with ,heir cries.