The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-02
SELF-DEFENSE SUSTAINED
Great Applause When Verdict
 Was Announced.
Justice Screws Delivers Brief opin- ion and Defendant Leaves Court Room a Free Man-Wil1 Re
 sume oface Monday.

terday by Justice B. H. Screws from the charge of the murder of Patrofnan l.. c. Grifin. The announcement of Jus tice screws's decision was met by burst cf applause. Mrs. Taylor, who was nt- ting at her husbands side, threw her arns around his neck and many of the spectators crowded around him to offer congratulations.
 In announcing his decision, Justice Screws spoke slowly and deliberately. He summed up his decision as follows:
 ''The statements of MT. Grifan have great weight with me in this matter. Ac- cording to his own statement, he brought on the fight by crying out to Taylor to come back, and when Taylor answered the summons. by telling him that ne proposed to settle the differences between them then and there, all of which was palpable challenge to fight. Under sucn circumstances, 1t makes little or no dil- ference who struck the first blow, al- though Taylor denies having struck any blow at all. Anyhow. according to Gr1f- fms statement, he was getting much the better of the fight, having beaten Taylor down almost to the sidewalk, his weight exceeding Taylor's by forty or nrty pounds. Both men were armed and their pistols were in easy reach, Grimn's be- ing in his outside overcoat pocket. Wnetn-
  and his general attitude induced Taylor to believe that his life was in danger, l don't know; but there is no evidence tending to show that Taylor bore Grimm any malice, while the proof is abundant that Grimm greatly disliked Taylor. | am compelled to believe that this Is case of either premeditated murder or one of self-defense. cannot possfply believe the first, and I shall, therefore' discharge the defendant"
 Captain Taylor was the first witness put upon the stand when the preliminary hearing was resumed yesterday morning. He plainly showed the evidences of the trying nervous strains that he had been under for the past three weeks. His face was pale and thin, but he gave his tes- tinnony clearly and concisely. He spoke briefly and clearly, and there were no unnecessary words in his statement. His account of the difficulty had been made public by his friends and it contained no new statement, although it was the first public expression that he made concern ing the fatal affray since it occurred. He told of his reproof to Patrolman Griffin for his failure to make the men In the gallery of the Theatre preserve a proper decorum, and he said that he had walked out of the Theatre and down the street slightly in advance of the patrolmafi- Ar ter he had turned the corner Grimm call ed out to him to come back. Griffin walked toward him and told him that he had stood all that he was going to stand. You have been rubbing it in on me, and I am not going to stand it any longer" Captain Taylor said that Griffin then struck him. He said that he was hit over the head with some hard substance and then beaten to the sidewalk. Grif- fin had previously caught hold of Tay- lor's overcoat and had torn it in the fight. Taylor said that he did not strike Grif- fin, as he did not have an opportunity of doing so. When he was beaten to the sidewalk he saw Grimm make a motion to his side and then he pulled his own pis- tol and fired. To substantiate portion of his statement, the overcoat worn by Captain Taylor on the night of the shoot ing was exhibited. It had the lapel torn an inch or two.
 Witnesses who saw Peter Buyck on the night of the shooting testified that he was drinking and that he told them that he saw but little of the difficulty. This closed the evidence and the arguments of the attorneys were made.
 The speeches delivered by the Solicitor and the attorneys for the defense were remarkably strong. Better efforts have been rarely heard in the City Court room before any tribunal.
 The arguments were completed at l o'clock Justice Screws immediately an- nounced his decision and the demonstra- tion followed
 Captain Taylor remained for several minutes shaking hands with friends who had gathered about him.
 Captain w. H. Taylor will return to duty on the Montgomery Police force in the first part of next week.
 He would have assumed command of the night force last night, but Chief Ger ald advised him to go home and rest day or so. He may take up the duties of his office Monday night In the light of his exoneration from the charge of murder which grew out of the shooting of Patrolman Griffin, Chief Gerald holds that it is only justice to restore him to his place. If Captain Taylor had been held in bond, it is probable that he would rot be put back in charge of the night force until he had been acquitted. His release at the preliminary hearing, how ever. put an entirely different phase on the case.