The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-15
JOHN T. SHUG1BT
 IS BOUND OVER Grand Jury to Investigate the
 Bribery Charges BAIL WAS FIXED AT $500 Judge !. H. 5enners Binds Defendant Over on Charge of Attempting
 to Rribe Juror J. s.
 Armstrong.
BAIL WAS FIXED AT $500

mediately
 The arrest of Attorney Shugart was made during the recent trial of his son, Roland T. Shugart, in the first division of the criminal court, charged with mur- der. A warrant was sworn out by J. g. Armstrong before Judge Benners, at the instance of Solicitor Harrington P. Hefin, charging that MT Shugart offer ed Armstrong a certainssum-$5 pro- vided that he was selected as one of the jurors to try his son, and that the yer dict of the jury was favorable to the defendant.
 Only t@o witnesses were introduced at the hearing yesterday which was conduct ed in the first division of the criminal court They were J. s. Armstrong for the state and Curtis Shugart, a son of the defendant, for the defense. Judge zell Gaston represented the defendant, while solicitor Heflin was assisted in the prose- oution by Assistant Solicitor Edward W. Winston. About two hours time was con- sumed in the hearing.
 Armstrong Testifies.
 Armstrong testified on the stand that he lived in Shades Valley, about seven miles from Birmingham that he farmed and hauled charcoal for a living. The witness said that he was sumomned to appear as a juror in the criminal court during the week commencing June 20, and that some time on that day he saw MT. Shugart, the defendant, at the court house. MT. Shugart said something about going down stairs" testified the defendant. Cannot say whether or not had then been excused as a juror. Mir. Shugart said to me r rather or I'd give s5o if you had been on the jury It was something like that, but canont repeat exactly word for word. There was no one else present at the time, and don't bered having talked to Solicitor Hehin about the conversation with MT. Shugart, but don't know exactly what I told him. know there was $50 mentioned some way. I cannot say that Mr., Shungart offered me $50. but there was $50 in 1t some way. If his son was cleared there was $50 in it for somebody. Don't know that MT. John T. Hfll asked me anything about 1t, but think that I told him about 1t.
 MT. shugart said something to me about in case was on the jury he would give 50 for an acquittal or mistrial, or something like that. drink whisky to relieve a suffering from rheumatism, and I was drinking considerably that day. I told MT. Shugart that I knew I could not serve on that jury, as had served on the jury in that court within the past twelve months. He then asked me if I knew any of the men on the jury. He then told me that he wanted to see me down stairs, and when we got down there, he said, rather than $gT or would give $50 ifAI had not been excused.
 cross-Examnation.
 On cross examination the witness testi- fled that MT. Shugart said to him that he was sorry he had been excused. Con tinuing he testified: MT. Shugart said that he knew I could not serve, as he had tried case before the jury I was on, this year. As I stated before, I had been drinking that day. MT. Shugart did not offer me any money. I only had one conversation with him. I cannot say whether or not it was before or after I had been excused by the court that had the conversation with John.''
 Curtis Shugart testified that he remem- bered the time Armstrong was excused as a juror by the court He left the court room and I followed shortly. AS he pasesd out into the corridor of the court house. saw father talking to Arm strong. He had then been excused"
 The Arguments.
 The arguments were opened by Assist ant Solicitor Winston. He spoke briefly, saying that the case on trial was most important one to the state of Alabama. He said that the evidence went to show that an attempt had been made by the defendant to influence a juror who was summoned to try an important case fairly by offering a certain amount.
 Judge Gaston then followed for the defense The speaker said that before the court can bind over that he must be first satisfied that crime had been committed and then probable cause to believe the defendant is guilty. The attorney argued that if the defendant was on trial before a jury and that after hearing the evil not charge the jury that the evidencerd not charge the jury that the defendant was guilty as charged in the warrant.
 Judge Gaston declared that MT. Shu- gart's whole soul was wrapped up in the final outcome of the trial of his son, and that it was perfectly natural that he should make an effort to obtain all of the information possible concerning the mem- bers of the jury to try the case. He said there was a great cry in the community inst now relative to justice being given in the courts, but said that man could not be convicted without sufficient testi- mony.
 Solicitor Hefiin in his argument in prosecuting Mir. Shugart remarked that if the court was satisfied the defendant had attempted to bribe one juror it did not know but what he had tried to bribe all of them. The solicitor said:
 Your honor knows that it is hard thing to convict a white man in the courts of Jefferson county. Whether or not J. S Armstrong had been excused from serv- ing as a juror in the Roland Shugart case, it makes not the least difference The evidence in the case shows that an effort was made to bribe the juror before he was excused. It is not common sense that the defendant before you -A>aia annroanh. juror with nannAu