The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-13
How Mir. Adams Told of
 the Sale of the Whiskey

Tn the sweet long ago. Hon. John Gill
 Shorter afterwards Governor of the State
 of Alabama, and in every respect a model
 man. was Judge of the Circuit Court, em-
 bracing Montgomery, Pike. Barbour, Hen
 ry, Dale and Coffee counties
 In those good old days many incidents and court scenes occurred which if print
 ed. would be interesting to the people of
 today. In view of that assumption, beg to give you a slight insight into a trial
 which occurred in those days in Clayton, Barbour County.
 The late Hon. M. A. Baldwin was as that time Attorney General for the State. and by law solicitor for the circuit em- bracing the Capital City. He was sick at the time mentioned, and the late Hon. Frank Jackson was representing him as solicitor.
 The late Moorman Lampley was a mer- chant at Louisville Barbour County, do- ing an extensive business. In those days
 a man doing a large general mercantile business. usually kept on hand barrel
 of whiskey, which he was accustomed to
 give away to his customers. Somehow or
 other, Colonel Lampley was indicted for selling less than a quart of whiskey at
 a time.
 There lived in the vicinity of Louisville the late Harmon Adams, a rough good utleuucdtSd, DuL SHIC"o man. of whom one of his friends once
 said The was never at loss for an inn proper word" He was a witness for the State, so Colonel Jackson thought, in the case against Colonel Lampley. Now I was very small boy at that time, and only have the story which I shall tell from some one of the good story tellers Of l Barbour County General Baker. Colonel | Seals or Colonel Bullock not being pres ent at the time of the trial.
 Judge Shorter. one of the most polished and elegant judges I ever saw, was on the bench, and called the case of the
 State against Moorman Lampley. Colo nel Jackson inquired of the Sheriff If the States witnesses were present. The Sher- fir answered that they were. and there upon Colonel Jackson announced that the State was ready. The defendants coun- sel also announced ready. The jury was selected, the solicitor read the indictment and the defendant pleaded not guilty. Mir Adams was a stalwart man, and
 one of rather marked appearance. The
 witnesses were sworn. and Colonel Jack
 son, called Mir. Adams to the stand. Coi-
 onel Jackson asked the witness two or
 three preliminary questions easily answer ed by the witness, without committing
 himself to anything like knowledge of
 the defendants guilt. Colonel Jackson
 then came down to the main question.
 which was whether the witness knew
 anything of the defendants letting any
 one have less quantity of whiskey than
 one quart? The witness began his answer
 as follows:
 Well Colonel Jackson, I live three or
 four miles below Louisville. and have long had an idea of gwine to Texas to see if
 I couldn't find a better country than old
 Barbour. I told my old lady what I had
 in my head, and told her that l wanted to start on tomorrow mornin', so the old
 lady she had the cook up about o'clock next mornin', and she had already fixed a whole lot of things for me to carry in
 my saddlebags on my way to Texas, and
 by the time 1t was daylight, we had eaten breakfast. The horses were hitched up and John and me started for Flu faula, where l expected to take the stage for Silver Run, in Russell County, so we logged along at a pretty good gait, and after awhile we got to Louisville, and saw several of the boys. and l spoke to them, as I always do, and they were all glad to see me, and wished me good luck
 on my trip to Texas. So after wetting
 my whistle a time or two, I got in the | buggy and told John to drive on." Colonel Jackson had been observing the witness. and his mannerism up to this | time. but after he passed by the place l where the alleged selling of liquor took place. he could not stand it longer. so he | said: ''Oh MT. Adams, I don't want that. l I don't want all this that you are stat ing. Now please tell the jury if you know anything of the defendants hay ing sold any liquor less than a quart, | within the last twelve months"
 The witness replied: Well. now. Col
 onel Jackson. as I was a saying, I had long had 1t in my mind to take trip | out to Texas. and told my old lady l about it. and that I wanted her to get | ready for me to go
 Colonel Jackson interposed: of your honor please. I object to the manner in
 which the witness is testifyng."
 Some kindly disposed lawyer, at this
 point, friendly to the solicitor, and not
 unfriendly to Mir. Lampley suggested ! that Mir. Adams was a peculiar man. and
 that the solicitor might get along with
 him much more rapidly by letting him
 make the statement in his own way. The
 solicitor then said, Well. Mir Adams. go on and make the statement In your own way"
 The witness began again. Well. now Colonel Jackson. as I was telling you
 awhile ago. I had been a gwine to go
 to Texas to see the country for long
 time, and I told my old oman. that
 was gwine to start tomorrow mornin'
 and for her to get everything ready for
 me to get off early so she fixed up two
 or three chickens and ham, and one
 thing or another to put in my saddle
 bags. to do me at least as far as New
 Orleans, and the next mornin she had
 the cook up about o'clock, and we had
 breakfast before daylight, and John, he had the horses hitched up, and We were
 ready to go, so l kissed the old oman.
 and told her to be good gal while I
 was gone, and that I would behave myself as well as the case would admit
 of while absent, and would be back in some six or seven weeks, so me an
 John. we started. and we logged along
 at pretty fair gait until We got up to
 Louisville. where I saw several of the
 boys and exchanged a few jokes with
 them as I always do, wet my whistle
 time or two, and struck out for Flu
 faula. It was getting late in the season,
 and I was much taken with the beauties
 of nature as I passed along viewing the
 sere and yellow leaves of the forest, as
 the poet says. Bye and bye, we got to Eufaula. and there I met up with those whole soul men, Jim Pugh. Lou Cato Ed Bullock, John Cochran, Alpheus Ba- ker. Jim BudfOrd and the balance of
 'em, and had mighty good time with them up to about 10 o'clock that night The truth Is, Eufaula Is a glorious
 place to visit. Sich men as them which
 l mentor Is mighty hard to find any
 where in these United States. Now, what
 John Cochran don't know an't worth knowing. and Ed Bullock and Alpheus Baker. they can make a man laugh when he don't want to. and Him Puph