The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-12
SPECIAL CONSTABLES SENT
 TO JAIL WITHOUT BAIL

Witness said ne was not sure which of defends0ts had made individual | Justice Hunter Tcstifes. | Samuel J. Hunter, who was q wit !ness under subpoena from each side, was the next witness. He was a Jus tice of the peace al Berlin. he said, and
 had sat as associate justice with Jus tice Stanfl in the trial of Bell The
 trial was completed shortly after 1 o'clock in the afternoon and Mir Hun
 ter at once left Sardis for his home in
 Berlin. There had been many negroes at the trial. more than he had seen at tany other trial. He had heard no
 threats against Bell had seen no In-
 imical demonstration against him. He
 had seen no weapons displayed The negroes present were except for a few
 known to him. When he left Sardis
 Bell was in Stanfil's store with officers. witness said he knew Stanfil, the
 defendant. and Cherry. Their reputa-
 tons. their general characters as
 peaceable and ordely citizens, were
 good, He had not known Ransom un-
 til the day of the trial
 Did you ever hear of MT. Cher rvs assisting in holding up a man Tn the public road?' asked Solicitor 1 Quarles, and counsul for defense ob- 1ected on the ground that the question called for an indivual act and not for | general character. The court sus- 1 tained the objection.
 MT. Hunter said he nad not sold any ! grass rope on the day of or the day preceding the lynching. He did not remember having sold any rope of any kind on those days.
 Found the Ropes. After the convention of the court at 3:30 Deputy Sheriff Townsend was again piared in the box. He had found the two ropes the disappearance of which had created such sensation in the forenoon session. The ropes were displayed as evidence. MT. Town send had found them at the foot of the tree from which Bell was hanged Sheriff F. M. Blackwell was the | next witness. He related much the same accounts given by Mir. Town send, save that his evidence was nat so full. He had upon notification of the, murder of Bell immediately made preparations to go to Sardis. and had requested the coroner to accompany him. but the coroner failed to come. He was closely questioned upon the | topography in the wood in which Bell was killed.
 J. B. Evans clerk of the court, took the stand. He had visited the place in which Bell was killed and descrih- ed It.
 The next witness for the State was H. A. Huffman. who Is employed in the store of Justice of the Peace N A Stanfil of Sardis. the committing | magistrate who remanded Bell to jail after his preliminary trial. MT. Huff man was asked if he had heard any in- timations that Bell would be hurt af- ter the trial. if any threats or un- | friendly demonstrations were made | against him. TO this Mir. Huffman | replied negatively.
 There were many strange negroes l in Sardis on the day of Bells trial. | he said and some of them were armed. l Many of them went away after the trial. He did not see them depart, but l noticed the dlminution of the number of visitors. He did not know a large number of the negroes. Bell was in the custody of Ransom. and Stanfil | and Cherry were with him. Smith Heard Shot. The State closed with the examina- | ton of John Smith. Mir Smith testi- | fled that he kept a store about mile | from the spot where Bell was lynched. He heard shots fired Saturday after | noon At first there were only a few | beginning with one. then two and af- 1 ter a pause half a dozen. Then came ! a volley he said of what he thought | must be hundreds As many as in a | sham battle saw here" said MT. | Smith.
 About an hour afterwards Stanfil | and Ransom passed his store. The l next morning he went to the scene of | Bells death and saw the negro hang- | ing from the tree.
 The defense offered only character witnesses Hugh Johnson of Selma | testified that he had known Ransom | in the army in the Philippines and he was of good character. He had also i known him in Dallas County for a good and peaceahle citizen. D. B. Edwards Sof South Side testl l. fled that he knew Stanfil and Cherry. Their general reputation for peace ana quiet in the community in which they lived was good.
 | "Dtd you ever hear of MT. Cherry being engaged in any unlawful busi' ness?" asked the Solicitor on cross examination. and when the witness re | turned negative answer. the solicitor asked if witness had ever heard of Cherry being engaged in any unlawf"i conduct. The answer was no'
 Charges Against Cherry.
 The reference by the solicitor was to the indictment of Cherry for alleged violation of the prohibition laws by
 tbe grand jury of the' City Court of | selma during it's term of January,
 1904. and to a report published in the | newsparers that Cherry had held a
 man up on a public highway.
 This latter charge the solicitor plain' Iv stated in an interrogatory. but 1t was objected to by the defense, the court sustaining the objection. To Lit Edwards and Hayward Hunter, character witnesses, MT. Quarles put | the same questions about Cherry, but
 neither of them had heard of any l charge against him.
 J. A. Houston. the next character
 witness, said he had not heard of any charges of unlawful conduct against | Cherry.
 Were you on the grand jury in Jan | uary?" asked MT. Quarles. and when witness assented. did you not vote for true bill against Mir. Cherry" l was asked.
 Counsel for defense objected. and Judge Mabrv said he thought the ques tion had best not be answered. A smile went around the court room Mir Houston then said he had heard | of charge against Cherry.
 Professor Watts testified to the good character of all the defendants He | had heard of both charges against Cherry, but did not know If they were
 true.
 w IT Day testified to the good char aCtcr of the defendants. He had heard
 nothing against Cherry.
 Then 1t was that after q conference
 between the defendants and their coun sel young Maynor Ransom was called