The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-17
WEAVING THE WEB
STATE MAKING OUT ITS CASE
AGAINST THE POTTERs.
GRAND JURORS TESTIFY
TO CONFLICTING STATEMENTS
MADE BY FATHER AND son.

Court Room When Solicitor shook
His Finger in Face of witness and
Defed Him to Look Into His Eye,
and Make Statement-FOur Grand
Jurors SvvOre to Conflicting state
ments by Potter and His SOn-MO-
tive, Time and Circumstance
Brought Out by Evidence - Man
Who Loaded Shells for Potter on
the Night Before the Crime, Said
That Wnds and BuckshOts offered
in Evidence, and FOund on Scene
of Crime, Were Like the Ones
Loaded.
When the trial of w. J. Potter and
his son, Swayne Potter, charged with
the murder of Fred TAYLOR, the old
servant of Gugie Bourquin, began
in the Superior Court yesterday a
crowd almost packed the court room.
Throughout the day fully 300 people
stood in The room, and in
the galleries, and every avail
able seat was occupied. At the night
session over 400 People packed the
room.
The interest in the trial is intense.
Many who came in the morning stood
throughout the day. Those who OBJ
tanned seats,d id so only by claim
ing them some hours in advance of
the time set for the trial. The day
was productive of many interesting de-
tails in the trial, and those who stood
throughout the day were repaid for
their pains.
The state made out a strong case
against the Potters. The feature of
the proceedings was the testimony of
several of the grand jurors who re-
turned the bill against the Potters.
This showed the varying statements
made by father and son before the
grand jury, in accounting for their
whereabouts on the fatal Sunday
The gentlemen who testified were:
Messrs. C. F. Law, w. c. Neidlinger,
Charles G. Bell and James Barnard.
They We're positive and accurate In
their statements, and could not be
shaken by cross examination. These
gentlemen were called also for the
purpose of impeaching the testimony
of one John Rocca.
Four of them testified both as to the
testimony of Rocca before that body,
and two, as to the statements made by
the two PotteSs. The Potters were
brought before the grand jury sepa-
rately, and the testimony was given
out of the hearing of each other. The
grand jurors were placed on the stand
at the night session.
John Rocca's story.
days proceedings developed in the ex-
animation of John Rocca, on whose
testimony, to a great extent, the true
bills against the Potters We're found
by the grand jury. Rocca, who con-
ducts a general merchandise store on
West Broad and Jones streets, loaded
five cartridges with buck shot for the
elder Potter, at a late hour on the
night before the homicide. He explain
ed how he loaded the shells, saying
that he used black edge wads.
The solicitor here informed the court
that the witness had entrapped the
state and misled the grand jury, and
announced that he desired to ask him
leading questions for the purpose of
Impeachment. Then Mr.. Osborne walk
ed up to the witness stand, and stand
ing Immediately next to the witness
asked him, slowly and deliberately
did you not distinctly tell the
grand jury that you split a felt wad,
and put one in the shells2'
II will tell you that there are two
ways of loading"
Solicitor OsbOrne's Searching Cues
tiOns.
STOP" said the solicitor. Ibid you
not reply to a grand juror that that
was the way that you usually loaded
shells? Answer me that question:
Il say there is two ways" started
the witness, but he was stopped again
by the solicitor.
"Whos been talking to You since you
were before the grand jury?" the So
licitor asked, as he moved nearer the
witness, and stopped to look into his
face, The witness replied that no one
had talked with him about the crime
since its commission.
Then why is it that you make a
different statement now than what you
did them Tell me that" And he shook
his finger warningly in the witness
face. Did you not tell one of the
grand jurors that your way of load
ing with split wads was different from
any one else's?"
The witness cast his eyes upon the
floor. and turned his hat nervously in
his hand. Ee began again, evasively,
but the solicitor stopped him.
Did you tell the truth to the grand
jury?" he asked with emphasis, as he
raised his voice.
Yes sir"
Should you not have known a. month
ago, as well as you do now? Should
you not have known better, them" the
solicitor asked with much emphasis
The witness admitted that he should
Look me in the eye." said the So
licitor, imperatively. Mr.. Rocca, look
me in the eye. THE witness glanced
up. You won't swear-look me in the
eye, say" And as the witness look
ed again at the floor, the solicitor bent
low and. placing his face almost in that
of the witness: You can't look me
in the eye" He realized that the wit
Jected him to a most severe examina-
ton.
A Dramatic Scene.
The scene was a dramatic one. The
crowd in the court room was ST.
lent. Every eye was fixed on the wit
ness and the solicitor.
Now who has been talking to you
since?' the solicitor asked pointedly.
No one. so help me God" the wit
ness answered. In answer to questions
put by the solicitor. the witness ad-
United that IL was absolutely unex.
plainable why he should not be able
TO remember what he testified TO before
the grand jury.
on REORGANIZATION, he SAID
that he had never spoken to any
OF the gentlemen OF counsel for the de.
Tense since the crime. He testified "a
the various sizes OF shells wads and
buckshOt and said thai the ntnahet. "a