The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1902-05-01
WiNiQ|l CQIIO, Cn0Tged win
FhIng The PuIN0In House,
Bound Over BY Justice
RONIOD.
Kisses FROM THE AUDIENCE GREET
THE DECISION. attorneys GET
BELuGERANT. DRAMATIC
81. CLIMAX.
The Case to Come Before Judge
Bullock Friday on Writ of
Hab3as Corpus.

The preliminary examination of
William Cato, charged with firing
the Putnam House on the Goth of
January last, came to an end with
the decision of Justice Rowton to
hold the defendant to the action of
the grand jury in the sum of $1,000.
The decision was rendered on Friday
morning at 10 O'Clock. The eXami-
nation of witnesses was concluded
Thursday afternoon, and the bal
ance of that day and into the night
was occupied by the attorneys in
summing up the case. The speeches
of the attorneys were all long, but
they were listened to with the closest
attention by an audience completely
filling the court room. 1t was after 10
o'clock Thursday night when the
speech making came to an end and
then Justice Rowton announced that
he would render his decision at 10
o'clock Friday morning, to which
hour the court adjourned.
Promptly at the hour of opening
Friday morning the court room was
packed with an audience composed
largely of the representative bust
ness men of the city, rs well as a
very large proportion of the ladies
prominent in society, all eager to
witness the last act in the three
day drama, upon the outcome of
which depended whether or not
there would be IL future engagement.
1t was to be but the finale in Il pre-
liminary examination held to deter
mine whether or not Mr.. Cato
should lie held for investigation by
the grand jury, and yet from the an
xiety manifested by the spectators
one not acquainted with the fact
would have supposed that on the de-
cisiom of the judge depended the life
or death of the defendant. 1t was a
moment of intense excitement.
When Justice Rowton raped for
order in the court it was plain to see
that he had been subjected TO ner-
vous strain and that he was not in
sensible to the responsibility of the
position in which he was placed.
When he unfolded a sheet of legal
cap and began to read the prelude to
his decision his hands fluttered as
the tremulous aspen. His decision
occupied page and half of closely
written manuscript, nine-tenths of
which consisted of preliminary
Jolly" concerning the high charac-
ter of the defendant and the reluc-
lance, ETC., and his painful duty etc,
the whole terminating with decis-
ion to hold the defendant to the ac-s
tion of the grand jury in the sum of
$1,000.
Then some faint Kisses came from
the benches, with whispers of disap-
proyal.
Major Alexander st. Clair-Abrams,
council for the defendent, was the
first to gather himself together, after
which he got to his feet and in a
highly dramatic flourish of the hand
toward the sheriff cried out ''She-r-
if, take your prisoner; lock him up
III your jail, we will not give bonds
Take him, Mr.. Sheriff"
Then there were some threatening
attitudes struck and hot words pass
ed between Attorneys Haskell and
st. Clair-Abrams, and the audience
looked expectantly for row, but
nothing was struck but the attitudes.
Mr.. Haskell rebuked the audience
for kissing and said some things
which he now states would better
have remained unsaid. Mr.. st.
Clair-Abrams quit the game with
the statement that he was not I'M
prepared for the decision, as he had
been told on the street that morning
what it would be, then waxing elo-
quently indignant and with -four
ish of the arm he characterized the
decision as "the most damnable out
rage ever perpetrated on a white
man in the state of Florida" at
which remark there was a burst of
applause from the audience and a
loud clapping of hands.
Mr.. Cato is now in the custody of
the sheriff, but is treated with every |
courtesy. He has a room in the resi-
dence of the jailer, which he has
furnished himself, and his meals are
sent to him from hotel. He has
lots of callers and has held several
levees. He could have furnished
bonds for fifty times the amount re-
quired in five minutes, but his attor-
ney has purpose in making him do
the martyr act.
The case has engendered much Bit
ter feeling in the city between repu-
table business men and in the ranks
of the fair sex. Why this should be
Il Is not easy to understand. Mr..
Catto's rights have not suffered by
This examination. The opinion Of
1ne, not infalIible Judge, who held
hat the evidence (all cireumstan- (
,lall was sufficient TO warrant hold {