The Indianapolis journal., 1891-04-13
A ROMAN TRIAL.
Eloquent Defense of Beautiful Woman by
Col. Fry and the Trouble It has Made Him.

Wulcu ioCdhs Fifluiy some Oh tuo ihoob
characteristic scenes of the old ante -bellum
South. as it was known to the generation
now leaving the stage. To make long
story short, Mrs. w. A. Wimpee died sud-
denly. and an autopsy showed she died
of poison. Her friend, Mrs. Ora Mckee,
was accused by another friend,
Mrs. Deitz, of having administered
the poison IN egg-nogg and other
seductive compounds, and of having con-
fessed the same to her, Mrs. Deitz. where
upon Mrs. Ora fed, with detective on her
path. He finally caught her at Smyrna,
Fla. The alleged motive of the murder was
to get rid of debt due by Mrs. Ora Mckee
to hrs. Wimpee of $500, b borrowed to pay a
dress-maker's bill, which she was afraid to
reveal to her husband on ao count of previ-
Gus extravaganza. Mrs. Wimpee lent her
the money. taking her note therefor. but
Mrs. Wimpee. In her turn. borrowed IL from
Dir. Mckee, the husband. When the note
fell due Mrs. Ora was unable to meet it.
and then, according to the theory. of the
prosecution, determined to get rid of her
creditor by poison, and, having done 1t,
made Mrs. Deitz her confdante.
The day of the trial was a great day for
Rome, Ga. The defendant was beauti-
full, and so was the chief witness. and the
COURTROOM was crowded with Roman
bellies, as well as Cracker girls from the
surrounding country. The chief counsel
for the defense was Colonel Fry. band
some man of commanding presence. who
had known Ora from her childhood. and
had been summoned to act for her from
Tennessee. A crowd Of Mrs. Deitz's gentle
men friends was present. prepared for any
"trouble" which might arise IN the course
an se q
men friends were there to exert cOun-
terbalancing influence onfs the morale
of the courtroom. Colonel Fry's son. hear
ing his father was in danger, had hurried
to lend him professional and other assist
ance. The evidence was almost exclusive
ly a conflict of veracity between the beau
tiful Mrs. Deitz and the beau tiful Mrs.
Mckee, the prisOne:. There were six al
dresses to the jury in all, but OF course the
chief one was that of Colonel Fry, and the
way he went for hrs. Deitz. was, we be-
lieve, unparalleled in judicial annals since
Sir George MckenZie's celebrated denun-
ciation of the ScOtchwOmah who murdered
her own child. There was one other lady
witness. also very beautiful, Mrs. Thomp-
son, on whom he was very easy. but Mrs.
Deitz he literally handled without gloves"
Did you see her: gentlemenl" ne exclaimed,
looking towards Mrs; Deitz, upon whom all
eyes were turned. did you see her as she
sat upon the >witness-standl Did you notice
how tiippantly she testifiedi Did you notice
how she ungloved her hand, and how she put
that ungloved, jeweled hand up to her face
TO display her charming bare hand and wrist
to you and to the audiencei Did you see herl L
tell you, the immodest can-can dancer. the i'm
modest ballet-girl, with all her disgusting nude
ess, was not SO bad as that woman when she sat
there with her unglOved hand TO her face dis
playing her bare flesh to you, gentlemen. And
while she sat there with her ungloved charms
before your eyes she tried to swear away her
sisters life. Oh, what game 1t was! And, gem
tlemen, TO show the venom in her soul against
my client, do you not remember the yenomous
Hash that shone from her eyes when Dean cross
questioned her about the traps she had laid for
the unsuspecting OraP
Then, turning to the audience, he uttered
the following Ciceronian apostrophe:
Was there not revenge in that eye of Mrs. Deitzl
Yes; revenge was on her face as plain as the
stars that stud the armament by night. Oh,
mothers OF Rome. Oh, sisters of Rome oh,
daughters OF Rome, think Of this witness, this
woman, as she tounced herself about and tried
to swear away the life of an innocent woman.
On, what spectaclel Mrs. DeitZ bounding down
this innocent woman. and Fate. like an internal
fury, furnishing her the means To get even with
Mrs. Mckee for charging that she had been un-
faithful to her husband!
He then read the pItiful story of beau
tiful young woman named Eyeline, who
was executed unjustly in England in the
last century. for murder, on circumstantial
evidence:
Eveline was in the dock! Ora is in the dock to-
day. Eyeline was tall. SO is Ora. Eveline was
graceful. Ora is graceful. although she may be
a little too fat. Eveline was beautiful, and l
don't think there is a man ON that jury who will
dare to say that Ora is not beautiful she had
dark eyes. and she was pale. Look into those
soft dark eyes OF Ora; look into that pale. sweet
face, and then. gentlemen, remember the unjust
sentence passed upon the fair Eveline, and do
not be tempted to pass an unjust sentence upon
Ora.
He closed this list of analogies by insln-
uating that 1T was probably Mrs. DeitZ,
after all. who committed the murder.
Now, the effect of this on the jury and on
ho 4fh C,a nxx1 Aa,x =
was doubtless overwhelming, but the effect
on Mr.. Deitz and on the Waters brothers
has also to be considered. The Colonel
moved them, too. but not pleasantly. They
determined, in short. to punish him with
Deitz waited on the Colonel at his hotel to
ask for satisfaction, but the Colonel de-
clined to consider that aspect of the case
at that stage In the proceedings. The ru-
NOR that the trouble was going to begin of
course got round the town, and reached the
ears of Judge Maddox. who, In opening
court. mado the following appropriate re-
marks, which naturally wrought the
Romans up to the highest pitch of excite
ment
If can find that any one in this courtroom
has weapon upon him, whether concealed or
not, I shall assess a fine of 800 and twelve
mo nths on the chain-gang, with six months in
this case right here to attend to him; Oh if any
one will make an affidavit that any one else here
Is armed, shall treat the armed man likewise,
and shall pause now to give an opportunity for
such step. =
There was no further disturbance in the
courtroom. and Mrs. Ora Mckee was ae-
quilted. The case. however is not over,
for Colonel Fry has still to settle what
may, be called the Supplemental proceed
ings" with Mrs. Deltz and the Waters
brothers. He will probably, we venture to
predict. decline to fight duels with any of
them. on the ground that he is not ac-
countable TO any one for words spoken
at the bar which the court did not
rebuke, and they will then advise
him to "go armed" and armed he will 20.
Some fine day in some street of some city
they will see him coming and he will see
them coming, and they will all draw and be-
gin blazing away, and there will be one or
two funerals and intense excitement"
among the citizens, and doleful articles in
the local papers over the sad tragedy, and
much lamentation that the sentiment of
honor current among our people should
call for the violent death of so many esti-
mable members of the community. Our
advice, therefore, to Colonel Fry is TO move
TO the North and practice at some OF the
bars In this region. He will not find half
so many beautiful mothers and sisters, and
daughters In the cOurt-rooms. and he will
find two-thirds of his eloquence useless
lumber. but, oh, how much safer be will
feel! How much easier in their minds his
family will bo when he goes to court!
~>S