Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-01
A WAR OF WORDS.
A Spirited Discussion Over Elk
pert Witnesses.
The Prosecution Gains a Point In the
Avant Trial-pr. Rollow An
Expert.

There was a strong effort made
yesterday evening by Geo. Avant's
counsel to"knock out expert testi-
mony, so-called. 1t came about when
the prosecution began questioning
DR.. Rollow on the effects Of strych-
nine poison on the human system.
DR.. Rollow was well acquainted with
Mrs. Avant and was present at the
time the body was disinterred. No
objection, of course, was made to his
testimony until he was questioned as
above stated. Here, however, the
fight came.
The defense held that this expert
business had been carried to greater
extreme in Montgomery county than
in any other county in the State.
Every case that comes up, they
claimed, some little doctor is put on
the witness stand as an expert. Mar
rowing it down to a point, the defense
held that man must be experienced
to certain degree before he would be
considered, properly, an expert. The
mere knowledge he could get from
books on strychnine poisoning
would not make him an expert. He
must obtain experience in this par
ticular line, by coming in contact
with cases of strychnine poisoning,
before he could be put on the witness
stand as an expert. They also claimed
that the prosecution had no right to
make up its case and then put a doc
tor on the stand to say whether they
had convicted their man. They
thought this was taking the case out of
the hands of the jury. Speeches were
made along this line by Col. House,
Judge Quarles, Mr.. Daniel and Gen.
Quarles, attorneys for the defense.
They were met, however, by the
prosecution in an able manner. Mr..
Burney and Mr.. Savage argued the
case at some length, holding that a
doctor did not have to handle persons
who have been poisoned by the use
of strychniEe to tell what effect the
drug would have on the system.
They could lealn its effects by read
ing books, and that when a man was
well acquainted with any subject he
was what the law designated an eX-
pert.
This argument occupied nearly an
hour, and at times 1t became very in
teresting and heated. Judge Tyler
ruled in favor of the prosecution, adj
mitting DIR. Rollow as an expert wit
ness. The remainder Of the after
noon was then taken up in examin-
ing DR.. Rollow.
When court assembled this morn
ing Joseph Bats, of Lafayette, Kyp
was put on the stand. He testified
to meeting the prisoner in the road
the day before the death Of Mrs.
Avant. He had quite an extended
conversation with him, and in the
course of the same Avant said he
had been to a neighbours house to
give away his (Avant's) dogs. The
defendant then said to him that he
was very miserable man and did
not care much to live. The fact of
the business was, he rather wanted
to die. He also said that his wife
was in very wretched health and that
he expected her to die that night.
He said something further about her
property, and that he wanted her to
make a will, or he had been try
ing to get her to do so. The impress
sion made on the witness mind
when he heard next day that Mrs.
Avant was dead, was that Avant
talked too much about dying.
The next witness DIR. Wickham, of
Palmyra, was the expert wit
ness in the other trial. The drift OF
his testimony went to show TO the
jury the effects of strychnine, when
taken in large doses, on the human
system, in producing death. 1t will
be remembered that DR.. Wick ham
came into prominence, as an expert
witness here in the Finney Saunders
trial, case somewhat similar to the
one now going on in the Criminal
court. DR.. Wickham's familiarity
with this particular line OF medicine
has been the subject of.much coment,
and all hands agree that he has
wonderful knowledge of the same.
The prosecution will probably rest
its case this evening, and to morrow
witnesses for the defense will be in
troduced.