The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-09
PITTS ON HIS SECOND TRIAL.
THoRNBURG's SLAYER APPEARS
BEFORE ANOTHER JURY.

Took a Long Time to Get n Jury.
Defendant Exhausted His Strikes
After Eight Jurors Had Been Sc
curcd-Judgc TwiEgs Associated i'm
the Cnsc-A Motion Made For Con-
tinunnce on the Ground of the Alb
sence of an Important Witness.
The Witness Sent FOr-NO New Fes-
timony Brought Ont Yet.
The second trial OF Aloazo L. Pitts.
charged with the murder of Adam \.
Thornburg, began In the superior court
yesterday. and so far as it proceeded,
there were no new developments, as COM
pared with the former trial except the
suggestion that there was a possibility Of
there being one or two more witnesses in
PRODUCED for the state and for the de-
Tense
Judge H. d. D. Twiggs has been asso-
ciated in the defense with Messrs. T. S.
Morgan, Jr. and +. NJ Oliver, and he
appeared with them at the trial. At the
outset. Mr. Morgan made motion for a
continuance for his client until the next
term of court. on the ground that Mrs.
Rosa Welch. one of his most important
witnesses, was not present.
In his motion for a continuance the de-
PENDANT stated she was a material witness.
and he expects to prove by her that she
was present at the time of the shooting,
that Pitts and Thornburg were engaged
in a dispute about some drinks, that a
man named Collini was present. that she
saw Thornburg take a pistol from shelf,
and when Colliui started toward the fold
ing doors of the place, Thornburg Crap
pied with him. 1t is said also she will
testify that she saw Pitts step in and
separate Colini and Thornburg, and as
he did so Thornburg drew a pistol. aim
ing it at Pitts, whereupon Pitts drew his
pistol and fred five shots, after which Col
iini and Pitts left the place. II rs also
expected to be proven by her that she
saw Henry Brown come into the place and
pick up the pistol and put 1t back on the
shelf, after which, 1t is stated, several
men came in and took drinks.
Judge faliigant ana not grant the con-
tinuance, but directed the sheriff to ar
rest the witness and bring her before
him TO show cause why she had failed
TO answer the subpoena. The deputy sher-
in who was sent out on the errand found
Mrs. Welch. but she was sick and was
not taken TO court she stated, now
ever that she would be present in court
to-day With that understanding the
trial proceeded.
Considerable difficulty was experienced
in getting jury. There was an un-
usually large number of jurors who went
off for cause, the number being about
half those who were presented in the iif-
ferent panels. The trouble with many Of
them was they were opposed TO capital
punishment, while others had formed an
opinion of the case from having heard
some of the testimony delivered under
oath on the occasion of the former trial
Out of seven panels of jurors called thir-
ty-six went of for cause, the state struck
only four. while the defense struck TWEEN
~, exhausting the number allowed. At 2
O'Clock only eight jurors had been Sc
cured, and the defense had only one strike
LETT. OF the next two jurors on the
list one was reported to have expressed
some opinion in the case adverse to the
defendant and the next was a colored
juror, The first went off for cause, ana
the defense struck the colored juror leav-
Ing the state the right to select the four
difficulty.
The Jury as finally made up, shortly
after O'Clock, is composed of Albert =.
James S. Cooper, George c. Shivers, Henry
Blun, Jr, Solomon ID. Horton, James l..
Morrison, Frank l. LaRoche, August /.
~ Iara IT, hlchard ). Anderson and William
Coroner Goette was the first witness
sworn in behalf of the state. He gave
some testimony with regard to the situa-
ton as he found it when he went to
Thornburg's bar to hold the inquest The
other witnesses who testified in the state $
behalf We're two or three negro girls, who
were in the bar at the time the diff
Guilty took place. While they all viewed
IL from dinefent StandDOints, they agreed
pretty well on the main facts testified to-
All of them said they saw Pitts with a
pistol about the time he entered the bar
and all of them testified as to the CONVEX
6ation that took place between Pitts and
ThornDurg, and Pitts threats as to what
he would do IL the drinks were not served
10 him. They stated also that the shots
We're fired about the time that Colini 9rd
Thornburg We're graphing with each other
al the entrance to the rear of the counter
The testimony did not vary in any i'm.
portant particulars from that ted
on the first trial. Attorney Morgan en-
ueavored to show in his
cross examination, that tht
states witnesses We're of bad char.
acter and reputation. One of the Ethio.
plan witnesses informed him in answer
10 some of these questions that she had
never been married, but that she was en-.
gagged and would be married as soor
as her fiance returned from over the sea
She insisted on repeating all of his ones.
tons after him much to the amusement
of the spectators.
The testimony for the state will be con.
cluded this morning, after which thai
Tor the defense will be presented. The
trial VIII no doubt occupy three DAYS
The interest i'm criminal trials keens
up well. The court room was crowded
with spectators as usual all daV AMI
even the dry details of selecting a inrV
seemed interesting to those present Near
the prisoner sat his wife and child and
other relatives.
RECEIVED HIS CONfNFTcSrnN