The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-08-19


ladies', over a dozen being noticeable
during the afternoon session OF court
Jurors Discharged.
J The jurors were server with a gen
4 eral dose of oId-fashioned corn pone
al supper Thursday night, and were
/ consequently ia the best or spirit
some Of them moved about reStlessly
at times. but. on the whole, they were
as composed and attentive 10 the ar
guments as could possibly have been
expected after nearly week of close
confinement IN the court room. When
the trial was concluded il was eyi-
s dent that they were glad 10 be re-
: leased. ans one or two Of them caper,
ID about Ike school boys when grant
/ ed an unexpected holiday. That most
cf them will be glad TO return 10 the
green fields and balmy woods Of the
I country goes without saying.
The Argument ty Attorneys is Begun.
When court convened al the morn
ing session the jury was pOlled and
argument begun on behalf of the state
by Hon. A. c. BlOunt.
A. c. 5lount.
Judge Blount made an eloquent and
learned address, the first portion OF
hich was devoted TO the law in the
case and the duty of the jurors TO both
the state and the defendant. Mr..
BiOuDt then proceeded 10 analyze the
evidence in detail, going over each
act OF defendant that ted up 10 the
awful drama enacted in the store Of
John White on July is. when he and
Edwn Dansby were ruthlessly butch
led without warning, and James
White shot down by the defendant.
William F. Williams. Every phase of
the case was handled clearly and con-
c;sely and even the evidence given by
the defense was construed in such
( manner that if seemed to strength
en- rather than 10 injuTe the case Of
the state of Florida against the muir
derer. He secuted the theory of In
sanity and said il was an Insult to
the intelligence of the twelve men
called upon TO try the case to present
such flimsy statements for their con-
sideration as haG been presented upon
that theory by the defense. He clos
ed his argument with an eloquent and
forceful plea for a verdict of murder
in the first degree, as charged in the
indictment.
w. L. Zachary.
Attorney W. L. Zachary, of defense,
followed Mr.. BlCunt in a short adj
dress. He did not argue the case to
any great extent upon the evidence,
but asked the jury for an acquittal.
He criticised the address of Judge
Blount. saying that Mr. Blount had
studiously avoided all reference 10
many OF the strong points brought out
by defense relative to the allegaticN
that Williams had made a business OF
dealing in reviewers, which, he alleg-
ed, dissolved the evidence adduced by
the state that defendant had purchas-
ed a revolver for the express purpose
OF committing the deed of which he
was subsequently convicted. His ad-
dress lasted less than half an hour.
Hon. LuciUs j. Reeves.
Judge Reeves addressed the jury
for nearly two hours. just previous to
the noon adjournment. His entire
address was a masterful plea for any
thing but the death penalty. A very
important part o: Judge Reeves's adj
dress was the implied charge made by
him that a conspiracy had existed
against the defendant in the John
White store: 4 conspiracy 10 wreck
the life of defendant by securing his
discharge while under suspicion of
theft. Judge Reeves argued, in effect.
that a man was in measure, justified
in any act TO protect his fair name,
and pictured defendant as a country
Toy coming to the city to make a rep
utation for himself among men, with /
DOthing but his strong arms and I'M
assailable character as capital. Take
that mans character from him and /
his life was wrecked; even his chill
dIen would be pointed at with the
finger of scorn. Any man was justi- /
fed in protecting his name from cal
jimmy and il the defendant had killed
John White, which all admitted he
had done, the deed was committed !
not with Fermentation but upon the in
spiration of the moment and as the
result Of wrongs to which he was be-
ing subjected-not by Mr.. White, pos :
sibly, but by those who sought de-
PENDANTS destruction.
There was nc attempt to deny the
crime and no effort TO condone il or
deprecate it's immensely. the argument
being devoted entirely to an appeal
for mercy, very apparently for the
sole purpose of saving Williams from
the gallows, whose moose was dang
ling dangerously near his neck.
States Attorney Kehoe.
Mr.. Kehoe made the closing srgu-
ment in the case, commencing his adj
dress Immediately after court con-
vened at the afternoon session. He
devoted the first part of his address
to questions Of law, the duty of jurors
IN capital cases and the position Of
the state Of Florida as prosecutor in
the action on trial He was glad that
defendant was represented by such
able counsel, tho peers of whom could
hardly be found in the state, as II guar
anteed to defendant a fair and impair
tial trial. He, like Judge Blount, ana
lyzed the testimony Of both prOsecu-
ton and defense with the greatest
care, bringing out each point of the
testimony in a masterful manner. He
argued that a motive for the crime
had been proven and that there was
no question but that it had been pre-
meditated for al least eleven days