The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-16

 defendant, Katie Johnson. Many of the witnesses had known her all her life and none of them had known her for less than eight years. As to the question, "Is the character of Katie Johnson good or bad In the community in which she lives" In each instance the answer WIS Good" or Very good"
 These who testified to her good l character were George Loury, J. H. | Spann. J. O. Reeves. J. S. Williams. J. H. Joiner. Jacob A. Smith. J. C. Her. | ring. George Craig. A. J. Nolls, G. A. | Craig, Andrew Til, J. B. Spann. w. H. | Fuller. J. W, Mills A. s. McGraw, J. A. J. Majors, W. G. Cooper, Rev. W. M. McGraw. W. H. Mills. w. H. Poun- | cey. J. B. Perry and J. NJ. Williams. The latter witness mentioned the
 fact that he arrived at the Johnson
 home a few moments after the shoot | ing. He said that Katie Johnson was | unstrung and running about wildly
 trying to hit people with a board" Katie Johnson on stand. Katie Johnson was called as the | last witness in her own defense. She was weeping bitterly and was at some trouble to compose herself upon | the witness stand, so that she could give the testimony in an intelligiblt | manner Her evidence was given with difficulty and in answer to questions from her attorney, Judge Terry Rich ardson.
 She was in the kitchen. tshe said, when the trouble began. She ran out and found that her father was strug- gling with three strange men. She did not know that these men were of- ficers of the law she testified. She heard her father call out for some one to bring his gun. She heard the pistol shots and ran In the house to get her fathers gun.
 She ran out in the yard with the gun, but she said she did not aim or level the gun at any one. If she did any thing of that sort she did 1t unknow- | ingly and did not remember it. She | was crying and very much excited. | She was quito sure she did not curse | or use any swear words during all the | trouble.
 Solicitor Bricken cross-e s-examined her | closely, but no change of any impor- | tance was made In her testimony.
 The defense having ceased. the State | called Sheriff Hill Hartley to the stand in rebuttal of Katie Johnson's evidence as to her swearing at the | time of the killing. The sheriff was quite positive that the young woman cursed Oliver Bryan. He repeated the words which he said she used.
 me arguments
 The case was then qr9und bv the at- tnrneys before final submission to the fury Each side was allowed an hour and ten minutes for the presentation of the side.
 The speaking was opened bv County Solicitor Gamble. Mir. Gamble sub k mitted that the only attempt made at Y defense was proving a good charac- ter for Katie Johnson. The State was quite willing to admit that the char acter of Katie Johnson was good. But the State denied emphaticslly that a good character entitled Katie Johnson l, or any one else to commit crime.
 He pointed out that the Bryan brothers and Hill Hartley had gone to the Johnson home with warrant call ing for the arrest of John Henry JNhn- son on the charge of arson. They were sent there on the errand of the law. They were attacked by John Johnson who shot George Bryan to death. Those fatal shots, Mir. Gam ble contended, could not have been fired had it not been for the acts of | Katie Johnson and her sister, Maggie Johnson. If this were true, he con- tended, Maggie and Katie Johns on were guilty of aiding and abetting the murder of George Bryan.
 R. B. Smythe, in arguing for the defendant de Jared that the evidence had showed that she Acould not be guilty of the murder or of aiding and abetting the murder. The evidence had showed h edeclared, that the fa- tai shots had already been fired, George | Bryan's fate had been deereed before Katie Johnson appeared on the scene, Katie Johnson could not have done anything in the world then which would have affected in any way George Bryan's chance for life or death. She
 
 death of Bryan, when she arrived on the scene when he was already practi- cally dead.
 It was not necessary to make any excuse for Katie Johnsons appearing on the scene, with the gun. said Mir. | Smythe, It was tho natural thing to do when her father had called out his order to her.
 Judge RichardsOn's Speech.
 Mir. Smythe was followed by Judge | Terry Richardson speaking for the de- fense. Ue deplored the tragedy which | had left q home desolate, and young children fatherless and which had | thrown behind the bars two young and | good women for the evidence had | showed that the defendant was a wo- man of good character. He Iamented | the death of George Bryan but the hanging of Katie Johnson. the placing of her behind the bars of the peniten- tiary would not bring back their fa- ther to the orphan children. The | punishment Of Katie Johnson would not remedy any of the great harm that had already been done by the tragedy. But the prosecution. he ar gued had failed to show utterly that Katie Johnson was in any way respon- sible for the death of George Bryan. He declared the evidence showed that Katie Johnson reached the scene after Bryan had been fatally shot.
 She ran out with the gun" declared | Judge Richardson. We do not deny that. She saw three msn beating down | her old father. striking him with a | club. breaking his arm. heating him tn '