robbery of his coat, on the night of Ballard's death, was not mentioned. In addition, there were other claims, made by Ballard's family and the police department, that were not questioned, explained or verified (i.e. how, or when, James, who had been in jail for over a month, prior to the night in question, and who had played piano most of that night, had procured the alleged murder weapon). Royall noted these questions in his review of the testimony: Royall stated that it was "impossible" for James to have committed the crime, and asked for the jury not to be swayed by "passion or prejudice, but upon the law and evidence." He pointed at a picture of Abraham Lincoln that hung in the room, and pleaded with the jury to "give this young colored boy just the same chance as they would a white boy." Despite such questions and pleas, in a courtroom "crowded to suffocation," the jury convicted James of the premeditated murder of Clergy Ballard. The jury reached its decision with greater "rapidity" than other such murder trials. The entire trial took three days. And despite being too young to receive the death penalty in Illinois, he was sentenced to hang. After the verdict was read, James, whose case was reported as being "hopeless from the start," said to the court: In the month leading up to his death, James maintained his silence. He read his Bible and refused to speak to reporters, only referring them to his prior statements. Hanging A week prior to James' hanging, his mother, Katherine "Katie" Roberts, wrote a letter to Sheriff Werner that she wanted to be there for her son's hanging, but was "too poor to make the trip." However, by the day before James' hanging, Katie was able to visit James' before his death, as numerous black women in her community donated money to her so that she could travel to see James before he died. Roberts was able to see her son twice when she arrived. During her first visit, James reportedly "never once looked into his mother's face, while she gazed with tear-dimmed eyes into his." Reportedly, the mother and son said few words, with James occasionally muttering, "Mother." During her last visit, he also reportedly told her that he was innocent of the crime, but not innocent of sin. They then gave each other a long hug,