The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-13
WILLIAMS IN COURT
ALLEGED ASSASSIN DENIED
 CHANGE OF VENUE.
Pensacola Newspaper Men Went on [ Stand and TestiAed That Dou-
 bIe Hcmicfde Could Get
 Fair Trial.

Pensacola, Fla. Aug. 12.-(Special.)- Judge Carter of the Circuit Court. pa- | tiently heard the representations of attorneys for the alleged assassin, Will I liam F. Williams, tending to have the court believe that their client could not get a fair and impartial trial if l the case was called at this term, but all motions for a continuance were de- nied and second motion that the change of venue be granted was also | turned down. Following the denial of , these two motions, the court set the | trial of Williams for Monday morning
 at 10 o'clock, and as a step toward se- | curing the jury, ordered special ve- nire of 1h0 men. From this large num- | Der 1t is thought jury can be secured. | Williams was in court for the first | time since the trial has been in pros-
 pect. In fact yesterday was the first | time he has been out of jail since tho | sensational shooting affray on July IS
 when bullets from his revolver resulted | citizens.
 The defendant appeared to notice
 nothing transpiring all around him, but in many instances recognized friends and favored them with ( nod | of recognition With the officers who
 kept constantly at his side, the de- fendant kept up an incessant end ani- | mated conversation. laughing most of the time. His actions geve one tho | impression that he was endeavoring to ! create the impression. or that he was | really crazy. or unbalanced mentally | to some extent.
 Talking with him of the murders | charged to him. Williams seems to dis pay knowledge of the killing of Ed ward Dansby. the clerk in the John White store, but of the shooting of
 
 sess no knowledge. and questions dI- | rected toward him at all angles fail to trap him. The plea of temporary in- sanity will be set up the State has | learned. but evidence of a heavy nature Will be introduced in an attempt to
 offset any plea in that direction. The reasons set forth as to why the
 trial should be continued right at this
 time, are interesting. Judge Reeves,
 leading counsel for the defense, and
 who lately vacated the Scircuit judges bench, announced to the court that the
 state of the public's mind right at this | time would certainly work against his l client securing fair trial. and to
 the end of proving the same. the de-
 fense had editors of the local newspa-
 pers summoned to testify as to the
 feeling against Williams. While the
 editors testified that the feeling gen.
 orally was against Williams. still no | testimony was adduced to show that there could not have been a fair trial
 accorded and obtained under the exist | ing circumstances.
 This motion met with a quick denial on the part of the court on account of
 the inability to prove the feeling was
 against the prisoner so strongly as to
 forbid of a good. fair hearing. When
 this was denied and attempt was made
 to get a change of venue, and to have | the case transferred to another county.
 This was also denied on the same ground as the former motion. chiefly
 because 1t could not be shown that | there was any great amount of feeling
 against Williams or his crime. In fact
 there has been a great deal of sym pathy heard for Williams in his great | trouble during the past few days.