The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-12-12
TWENTY-ONE YEARS
FOR WILLIS MOUNT.
Verdict Returned Into Court
Sunday Afternoon.
Three Of the Jury for Death. Three
for Life Imprisonment and the
Others for Lighter.
A NEW TRIAL MAY BE ASKED

The jury In the Willis Mount MUIR
der case yesterday afternoon at 2
O'Clock returned verdict finding the
defendant guilty of manslaughter
and fixing his punishment at 81 years
in the penitentiary. Mount killed
Nutty ON Sunday and was convicted
on Sunday
The trial was an example of speedy
| justice. The case was called Thurs
day and change of venue argued
and overruled. The attorneys for
Mount filed an affidavit for continu-
ance which was also overruled and
Judge Reed Thursday afternoon or
dered a special venire of 100 men to
be summoned. Friday morning a
jury was secured at 1895. The tes-
timony was concluded Saturday
morning at $3.50 o'clock. Judge Reed
holding court Friday night. At $3.50
the attorneys began speaking and
were given three hours a side, finish
ing at 5 o'clock. The case was then
given the jury which reached a ver-
dict early yesterday afternoon.
Takes Verdict Calmly.
Mount. the defendant, heard the
verdict without any apparent emo
ton. He was brought into court by
Jailer Jones and sat down next to
Attorney Sam Grassland, one of his
counsel. He seemed little nervous,
but this was all. AS the Judge asked
for the verdict to be passed to the
clerk for reading. Mount drew his
hand across his eyes and heaved a
deep sigh. The verdict was read and
Mount looked up with an unmista-
ken expression of great relief. The
court was then adjourned and the
jurors dismissed.
Attorneys for Mount say they will
make a motion for a new trial and
in case it is denied. file an appeal.
The Jury.
The jury was made up OF repre-
sentative men. most of whom are
residents of the county and not gen.
orally known here. The members
were Messrs. William Pryor. l.. b.
Durrett, S. p. Gholson, S. A. Rogers.
c. S. Smith, E. T. Weatherington, w.
II. Yates, L. L. Simmons, II. Adams,
X. II. Dale, .. NJ. Shelton and J. w.
Jackson. After the verdict was read
the clerk polled the jury and each
man singly accepted the reading as
his verdict.
The verdict read:
eve, of the jury, find the defend
ant guilty of manslaughter, and fix
his punishment at 81 years in the
penitentiary. Signed;
"R. II. DALE, One of the Jury"
The jury did its work with re-
markable dispatch and stood as fol
lows: Three for hanging, three for
life Imprisonment and the remainder
for terms ranging from 81 years up.
There was not a juror who did not
think Mount guilty of unjustified
homicide and twenty-one years was
the lowest penalty voted for.
History of the Case.
On the night of October IS, about
IL O'Clock, willis Mount shot and in
stantly killed Willis Nutty. jockey.
who had gone over the Stag saloon
on North Fourth street, half square
off Broadway, to gamble. The room
was rented by VIII Bishop and used
for the purpose of gambling. Nutty
was considered out of his class and
not permitted to use the tables. He
got into a dispute with Al Phelps, a
bartender, and Mount arose from
bed where he was lying and asked
Nutty what he was going to do
about It," Nutty turned to Mount and
IL alleged to have said that he,
Mount, Looked like thirty cents to
him, whereupon Mount drew MS re-
volver and fired directly into Nutty's
mouth and as the wounded man was
falling pumped another ball into his
back.
The room was at once cleared, and
Mount after the killing, went down
stairs, secured a drink, put up his
pistol and said, NUNS the word. !
am gone" and disappeared. He was
later arrested held over after a pre-
liminary hearing in police court, and
in his first trial in circuit court got
hung jury. The next term the case
was Continued after being started be-