The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-14
BROWN AND THE BOGUS BILL.
THE CASE GOES TO THE JURY
AFTER A STUBBORN FIGHT.

The Accused Enrolling Clerk Denies
Ever Having Seen the Original Ac6
or Enrolled BiII-He Also Denies
Having Read the Bill over WitIs
Miss BransOn, as She swOre He Had
Done.
Raleigh, y. C., Jan. BIN the superior
court here to-day the entire session was
devoted to the sensational trial Of En-
rolling Clerk j. W. Brown Of the legisla-
ture on the charge OF permitting or caus-
ing TO be enrolled the assignment act"
which never passed the last legislature.
Brown was the first witness in his own
defense. He denied ever having seen the
original act or enrolled bill, and swora
he never read the bill over with Miss
Daisy Branson, who copied IL, as she had
sworn. He was closely cross examined.
He swore the bill was never in his office.
that he never knew of II till the greaa
sensation about the act began. and Ia
read the newspaper accounts; that T. r.
Purnell told him the number of the bill
after he arrived here to join the search
FOR It, He said he believed Miss Bran-
son was honestly mistaken I'm her testi-
mony.
lie was asked why he had not brouebs
here his receipt book in which the en-
tries were made of the bills given out To
be copied for enrolment and replied thas
his attorney had told him there was mo-
1ysartio lSSn 70 40 H9 50 ana that the book was at
Solicitor Pou said he would argue thas
ttmS plll was receipted for in the book
nut Judge Mclver said in such case no
would charge the jury to find that Ii was
not recelpted for, as there was no evf-
RSilc RRSEinee u 70 snow II was The solicitor said
Miss Branson last Thursday asked Browr
20 produce this book and that he refus-
J. W. Lassiter, Browns assistant clerk.
was tne next witness and the defense
Ihrough him tried to disproVe Miss Bran-
son - testimony. He gave out bills for
copying, but sworo he had never seet,
this original bill. and that Miss Branson
did not read II over with Brown
Inc solicitor sprung a big surprise ON
been charged with crime. I,assiter re-.
Lused TO answer first, but the fudge or
uereu MN 10 do so, and he said he had
ted. "'N "0quit-
Miss Branson was recalled, and swore
she peVer took away a bill unless she re-
ceipIea ior II, or having some one In the
enrolling clerks office make a memoran-
uuh. twenty prominent witnesses swore
TO her high character.
Counsel for Brown urged the iudae IN
quash the bill OF Indictment on the ground
tnat Brown was not a state official and
h9t nabie. The judge refused to quash
argued for the defense Solicitor Poil
closed for the state. He said sugRestions
We're being made that very prominenf
people were connected with this great and
unparelled crime, that If any body placed
MIN in possession OF facts which would
tend TO show the guilt of any other person
no matter what was the latter's position
MS reputation or his politics he was
ready to send a bill to the grand sury and
to press the case against him as vigorous-
ly as he had pressed the cases against
Clerks Satterfield and Brown. The solic-
itor made the points, first that Miss
Branson's evidence was inconsistent with
Browns innocence; second, that Browns
receipt book would either show Miss Bran
sons receipt for the bill or the signature
of some person who had signed for her.
third, that the character Of the evidence
for the defense was not OF a character to
aid in casting doubt on Miss Branson's
testimony, who had no interest in the
matter
The jury was given the case this even-
Ing
Clerk satterfield OF the lower house. who
was convicted Saturday will be sentenced
tomorrow. The extreme penalty Il
stated to be $1,000 fine, or imprisonment:
Some leading populists are asserting
that the courts cannot get at the exace
facts regarding the monumental fraud in
signing the ratification of this act, and
that only a non-partisan legislative con-
mittee can get at the truth.