The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-20
WILL TAKE UP PEONAGE
FOUR CASES ARE SET FOR TRIAL
 TODAY.
White Man, Accused of Holding . White Man and Negro, Accused of Holding Negro-Ed Cutch-
 ems Guilty.

The United States District Court, Judge Thomas c. Jones, has practical ly completed the trial of illicit distiii- ing cases set for this term and the court will today take up the cases of peonage. only few of which are on the docket.
 The docket for today dicloses the in- teresting fact that, for the first time in it's history, the court will try a white man for holding a white man in peonage and will also try 8 negro for holding a negro in peonage.
 John c. Bowden. of Coffee County, indicted at the last term of court for holding Raymond Rhoda in a condi- tion of servitude, will be arraigned for trial this morning. Bowden and Rhoda are white men. Tho case against Oscar Hall, a negro. of Pike County, accused of holding a negro In peonage is also set for trial today. Other peonage cases set for trial to- day are those against c. B. McIlyaine, B white man of Coffee County, ac- cused of holding T. A. Berry. white man, in peonage, and Jeff Crumpler. of Coffee County, accused of holding negro in peonage.
 The trial of Ed. H. Cutchens, young white man, of Dale County, charged with perjury consumed nearly the en- tire day of the United States Court yesterday, and resulted in a verdict of guilty late in the evening, the jury be- Ing out only a few minutes.
 It was charged by the government that Cutchens swore before Commits sioner Tutwiler at Troy that on June 29. 1902. he bought whiskey from Os. car Ellis, negro, near Green Valley church, Dale County, and that subse- quently Cutchens swore before the grand jury that he did not buy whis- key from Ellis at the time and place he had sworn to before the Commis- sioner.
 More than a score of witnesses were examined, some of them being promi- -nent citizens of Southeast Alabama. The case was stubbornly contested by the lawyers. It went to the jury about 5:30 o'clock and it took the twelve men less than five minutes to return yer- dict of guilty. .
 Cutchens, who has been in jail about six months, was committed to the Montgomery County Jail He will probably be sentenced by Judge Jones this morning. The Highest punishment provided by law for perjury is one year at hard labor.
 There were three pleas of guilty in the court yesterday morning and In each case Judge Jones suspended exc cution of sentence until tho next term 
 George E. stratford. of Russell County, pleaded guilty to supplying an illicit distillery with material Pro- bate Judge H. T. Benton, of Russell County, and Hon. B. Dec. Waddell. Of Scale, appeared at the bar and testi- fled to the good character of Stratford. Judge Jones fined him $100 and sem tenced him to one month in jail, exc cution of sentence being suspended un- til the next term of court.
 Allen Jackson, negro, Of Russell County, pleaded guilty to working in an illicit distillery. He was fined $loO and execution of the sentence was sus- pended until the next term Of court.
 Charles Harrison, of Tallapoosa County, entered a plea of guilty to H. licit distilling saying that he had op- erated a 35-gallon distillery more than a year. Judge Jones lectured Harrison sternly and sentenced him to serve one year and one day in the Atlanta penitentlary. The execution Of the sentence was supended until the next term of court but Judge Jones made It clear to Harrison that if he was caught again he would be sent to the penitentiary without a trial