The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-03
IT WAS QUICK VERDICT
Jurors Did Not Deliberate
 But 25 minutes.
Friends crowed About slayer cf C. -les E. Taylor and Con graduated Him on Re-
 suit of the Trial.


 Not Guilty"
 This was the verdict read in, the crtmi- nal division of the City Court of Mont gomery last night at o'clock in the case of Byron TrammelL office deputy to United States Marsai l.. J. Bryan, wno was charged with the malicious killing oi Charles E. Taylor of Roanoke In front oI the Exchange Hotel on the night or !une @, 1903. It took four whole days and part oI 0 fifth day for the jury to hear the eVi- dence in the case. It took the jury about twenty-five minutes to arrive at a verdict of not guilty. The jury retired to consider the verdict at 7:10 o'clock last night. At 7:5S o'cioch rap sounded on the door. The pain,, hurried to the door. He expected a. cail for water or coal or something for the comfort of the jurors, but to his enauHy' "what is it, gentlemen?" he received the answer We have agreed"
 The Vedrict Received.
 Judge w. H. Thomas was hurriedly summoned. He arrived in ten minutes. The jury was admitted to the court room Gentlemen. have you agreed on a yer dict?" asked the court.
 ~we have" responded Henry M. Hob bic, foreman of the jury. Read the verdict Mir. Gle k," were the instructions of Judge Thomas.
 we the jury find the defendant not guilty announced Deputy Clerk H. N. Hughes.
 The reading of the verdict caused no ap- I preciable excitement. Few people were 4 in the court room, as nearly every one present expected long debate In the jury room. The defendant received the verdict with \ out surprise. but with evident gratitude 4 He was kept busy for several minutes f shaking hands with his friends, who wers 4 present. Trammeu immediately left the court \ house, of which he hes beeu an almost continual oecupsnt tor neergy Ssx days In company with his friends he hurried home to advise his wife 4nd little boy He said last night that the verdict wa. ! exactly what he had expected all of ths 4 lime. He said he was never for a mo- . ment worried over the outcome of the \ case.
 How the Jury Agreed. :
 A member of the jury said last night that as soon as the twelve xnen entered the fury box. H. M. Hobbie, foreman said "AII who favor acduittal step on this side of the room." Eleven man crossed the room and stood facing Mir. Hobbie The foreman walked up to them. shook them each by the hand and took his place on the end of the line.
 The fury waited several minutes before they knocked on the door.
 When the jurors came out of the court Trammeli shook them each by the hand He also shook hands with Judge Thomas saving that he hoped the court shared the feelings of the jury in the case.
 The case has been a remarkable one. II M nr6o vyaak al when after a bitter fight 1t was passed over until the next day. Thurday began the examination of witnesses. Over 10C men from all over Alabama were sum rnoued to testify in the case. Fully 10I 1,ersons testified. There were startling x charges of a deep conspiracy, made by the attorneys for the State and legal battles over the admission of evidence tending tc prove this conspiracy were long and ire quent.
 Col. Wiley Closed Argument.
 Court convened at 9:3O o'clock yester. N day morning. The room was packed witt spectators.
 Colonel A. A. Wiley began the closing argument for the defendant immediately on the call to order. With eloQuence Colo uel Wiley declared that the State had siRnaIly failed to make out a case oi premeditated murder. The defence hat proved by a number of witnesses that tht life of Trammell had been threatened by Taylor, who. he said, the undisputed evi dence of half a hundred witnesses proved to be a bad man: Taylor had struck thu defendant, applied an opprobrious epithe to him, and had made an overt act which the Supreme Court has repeatedly held is cause sufficient for a reasonable man to consider that he is in danger o losing his life or Is in great bodily harm
 Colonel Wiley took up each witness fol the State and the defence and discussed at length their respective credibility. H. addressed the jury over two hours and ( half, concluding in an eloquent plea fol Justice to the defendant, which he helC meant his acquittal
 The court then, at 12:3o o'clock recessed < until o'clock.
 Solicitor Dent Speaks.
 When the court reconvened, Solicitor s. Hugh Dent began his argument. Int speech of the young solicitor was de livered in almost breatless quiet. Up tt that point that had been a continued mur mur through the court room and Judg, Thomas had frequently admonIshed tn, crowd to silence. The spectators, of hcials and counsel. however, seemed t' recognize when MT. Dent began hi speech that the continuation of the tria had been reached and he received tn, closest attention of all in the court room
 The Solicitor plunged straightway int the evidence, throwing together each lit tie piece in order to connect the chain O the alleged conspiracy to deprive Charl E.. Taylor of his life.
 He admitted freely that Taylor was lighting man, but he declared that thi fact went to prove nothing except tha Taylor. the fighting man, had no chance to defend hin 0ah on the night of June 9 He argued that a powerful man like Fay Tor. a crack pistol shot like Taylor, fearless fighter like Taylor, could be kill ed and found lying dead with his pisto undrawn only by being shot unawares.
 MT. Dent carefully discussed the testi mony of every witness for the State ant the defence and weighed the credibllit! of the one against the other carefully.
 Tn closing Mr. Dent laid stress on tn cheapness of human life in Alabama, hov juries could rarely be found who woul' annvi0t white man. as long as any maj