"Augusta Chronicle" Wednesday, 26 February 1913, page 7
MRS. RENNIE BENSON KILLED PHILLIPS
David Phillips, of "Panhandle" Section of Warren County, Had Assumed Position of Peacemaker in a Quarrel
INQUEST MONDAY NIGHT
Coroner's Jury, in Verdict, Expressed opinion That It Was "Murder in the First Degree."
Mrs. Benson Is In Jail in Warrenton.
Information was brought to Augusta yesterday morning by passengers on the Georgia train from that section of the killing Sunday night of Mr. David Phillips by Mrs. Rennie Pippins Benson, near Hobbs Mill in Warren County. The coroner's jury, night before last, returned a verdict expressing the opinion that the killing was murder and Mrs. Benson is in the Warren County jail.
The information obtainable is that Mrs. Benson, who lives on the Hobbs place in the "Panhandle" district of Warren County, had engaged in a quarrall with a man by the name of William Tudor. David Phillips*, a man well known in that section, and who was crippled from an injury to his hip years ago, came upon the scene and undertook to become a peacemaker.
According to the testimony given at the inquest, Phillips walked up to Mrs. Benson, put his left hand on her shoulder and stood with his right hand on his right hip, which is said to have been an ordinary position for him to assume. Mrs. Benson, it was said, told Phillips to take his hand off his pistol and he replied that he didn't have a pistol. Mrs. Benson insisted that he did, drew a pistol and fired one shot at Phillips, the ball entering just below the heart. Phillips lived about twenty-five minutes.
Dr. Pennington, who testified that he arrived on the scene in a few minutes after the man was shot, testified that Phillips had no pistol when he examined the wound, nor was there a pistol lying near or about the body. About half an hour, or such a matter of time later, a pistol was found under Phillips' body, and it was stated, the state took the position at the inquest that it had been placed under Phillips' body after he was shot and had fallen.
The jury returned a verdict finding, from its investigation, that "the deceased came to his death from a pistol wound, the pistol in the hands of Mrs. Rennie Benson; which, in our opinion, was murder in the first degree."
Mrs. Benson, it is stated, was taken to Warrenton and is there now, confined in jail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*[This researcher believes that the writer of this article got two different David Phillips confused in this narrative....there was another, older David Phillips, a Confederate Veteran, who lived in the Panhandle district of Warren County; the David Phillips, who died, actually lived in McDuffie County. The two men were first cousins, their fathers being brothers. JNT]
No other article could be found by this researcher, explaining why Mrs. Rennie Benson's name was never again associated with this case, as seen in the following articles:
"Augusta Chronicle" Sunday, 9 March 1913
ACCESSORY BEFORE THE FACT CHARGED
Young Boy, Walter Hood, Is Arrested and Charged With Accessory Before and After the Fact - Woman Killed Man.
Walter Hood, a young white boy hardly out of his teens, has been arrested and charged with accessory before and after the fact to murder. He is wanted by the Warren County authorities, and was arrested in this city yesterday by Detective Redd. He has been employed in one of the cotton mills.
It is alleged he was an accessory to the killing of Dave Phillips, who was shot and killed, it is alleged, by Catherine Hobbs near Spread, Georgia, about two weeks ago.
Hood says the killing occurred on the road, when he, Catherine Hobbs, Dona May Benson, Dave Phillips, and another boy of about Hood's age, named William Tudor, were enroute to his (Hood's) home, where his mother was said to be dying.
He says he was standing behind the buggy and that Phillips was in front of the buggy, when Catherine Hobbs shot Phillips. He said he could not recall what words were passed, and that he doubted if there were any. It is alleged that the shooting was done with a gun belonging to Hood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Augusta Chronicle" Monday, 14 April 1913, page 3
VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY
Special to the "Chronicle."
Warrenton, Georgia, April 13. - In the case of Mrs. Catherine Hobbs, tried here in the superior court for killing of Mr. David Phillips, of McDuffie County, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Mrs. Hobbs pleaded self-defense, and her lawyers, Colonel M. L. Felts and Colonel M. R. Lufburroe, made strong speeches in her defense.
