The Forrest City times., 1894-10-26
TRIED FOR ARSON
St. Francis County "White
 cappers" on Trial.
Csses Called In the Phillips Circuit Court some of tho Accused and Nearly an Hundred Friends In Camp. Two
 Unroc0ucilnbie Petitions.

The case of the State of Arkansas vs W. R. Moore, Lee Moore, Jett Kenne- dy and Robt. Hudspeth, jr., of St. Francis County, who, together with seven others, are indicted for arson was called in the Phillips Circuit Court "Wednesday, on change of venue. The others took severance and will be tried later.
 Prosecuting Attorney Roleson is be- jag assisted by Senator R. J. Williams, Hon. N. w. Norton and N. sB. Fizer. all of the Forrest City bar, while T. C.. TrimbIe, of Lonoke, and J. B. Coats, of Bolivar. Tenn. a half-brother of ex. county Judge w. H. Coffey, is conduct ing the defense.
 There are one hundred and two wit nesses in attendance, a large number of them having started Sunday from near Palestine on horseback and in wagons. The dispatches state that fif- teen wagon loads of men, women and children arrived in Helena Tuesday, and struck camp in the edge of the city. A large number went by rail. The Helena World says:
 "A World man visited the camp of St. Francis county farmers. who are comfortably located at the Emigrant'S Lodge. the suburban resort owned by Mir. B. E. Waddell.
 .At dusk last evening there was ,xH l.. ia. .l AOft tul a AhNnu hn camp that was quite fetching, and the air was laden With the aroma ot boiled coffee and broiled fish. A goOdly num- Der of children were in sight. while the women of the party were busying them selves with the preparations for supper, assisted by the men, who were cutting up meat, skinning fish and bringing water from the springs near by. The reporter had quite little chat with several of the men, who are not at all a bad looking set. comparing favorabiy with any similar number of farmers we have ever seen. One of them wanted to know where the World got the news that they (the whitecappersl wanted to compromise their cases. He WAS in- formed that the report came from For rest City to the Commercial Appeal and was copied by the World. The young man replied that there was not word of truth in the rumor that they wanted to or would compromise. On the con- trary they. would fight it out in. the courts until "the last armed fO6 ex- pires, i" or words to that effect.
 ''It appears that these compromise rumors are giving counsel on both sides of the case something to think about. Counsel for the defense deny that any proposition for compromise came from them; that petition was circulated in Forrest City and St. Francis County by Mr. o. B. Rollwage, of his own volition, and without consulting with them. looking to compromise of the whole matter bv hayiug the accused plead guilty to the crime of misdemeanOr {; and that as soon as this petition was known to be in existence, \ counter pe- titiOn WAS circulated in behalf of their clients, repudiating the inJimation that they would compromise. and suggest ing that the cases be nolle pressed in- stead The counsel for the prosecution, On the other hand, contend with con siderable vehemence. that the talk of compromise originated with counsel for defense, who consulted with Mir. Roll wage and suggested to him that snch a settlement of the matter as IS set forth Tn his petition would suit their clients, and that while Mir. ROllwage was xctu- ated by the best of motives, he was really an instrument in the hands of astute lawyers, who were seeking fa- vorable compromise of a very desper- ate cause. Of course the World has no means of getting at the exact truth. We do, however, give both petitions Tn full, and leave our readers to re- concile these conflicting statements, If they can. One thing is quite plaln. and that is. that both sides are maintaining a stiff upper lip and protesting the ut most confidence in favorable yer dict"
 PETITION NO. ].
 FORREST CITY. ARK, Oct. 1894. 10 the Hon. Grant Green, IT,, Judge o5
 the First Judicial Distrz of Arkan-