The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-12
CROWDER DISCHARGED
MooNsHINER CoRRoBoRATEp TIES.
 TIMONY or WITNESS.
Complete Chain of circumstaatial Eyt- dence Broken by Defendant.s Own Testimony Clanton's Negro
 Barber Ran Blind Tiger.

.T'n testify everything that the wit nesses for the Goveriment swear to, but I ain't guilty. don't need no lawyer, and I know that those jurors won't send me to jail when I explain the testimony"
 This was the rather remarkable statement made by W. Jeff Crowder, alleged ,moonshiner of Conecnh County. in the United States Court for the Mid de District of Alabama, yesterday morning.
 No more complete chain of circum. stantial evidence was ever formed against a man. There was not a miss ing link in the chain. But the chain was melted under the fierce glow cf the fire of truth in the statement oi the defendant.
 The case was remarkable. 4 de fendant uneducated, not used to the customs of courts. not represented by counsel. and depending entirely on hIs own statement of fact, broke chain | of circumstantlal evidence that would have sent him to prison had not he had the good sense to admit every aflega-
 tion made by the Government men who raided his place, and explain the ares-
 ence of an illicit distillery on his own premises In simple and truthful way. Here was the evidence: Deputy Mar
 shaI Cox and Deputy Collector Russell
 discovered and destroyed still. 200
 yards from the house occupied by crowder. A path led directly from the
 house of Crowder to the still place.
 Around the still was found many gall
 Ions of beer and in the house a jug
 which had contained rum. Nothing
 was missing at the still place for a
 perfect stili with the exception of q
 worm. s'
 The worm was found in the kitchen of the Crowder home. hidden from view
 behind some blanks.
 But the chain was made more com
 plete by the testimony of the deputies
 that the worm wa unusual, in that one
 end was large and the other small. and that these ends fitted the still ex- actiy.
 Had Crowder not made a statement
 the jury would have had just cause
 to convict him. But in a simple man. ner and trusting in the fairness of the court and jury. he told his story.
 He said he was perfectly cognizant
 of the fact that "a still was being opo-
 rated near his house. The still was not on his land and he had no authority
 to stop it.
 ..why didn't you report it to the au-
 thorities?" asked the District Attor- ney.
 T didn't want to get shot,' calmly replied Crowder.
 He admitted that the worm was found
 concealed in his house just as the mar
 shafs testified. We used that thing es
 guano horn, and we had to hide 1t
 because it made a fine bugle and the children in the neighborhood would
 worry my wife to death blowing it.
 The marshals did find several empty jugs of rum in my house, and If they'd looked close they could have found that one wasn't empty. The doctor told me I ought to drink some rum, after had been laid up with chills and fever. but the marshals ought to have known by the smell of those jugs that no home made rum had been in there. l had to buy good rum
 The entire statement was delivered with the greatest simplicity. aud Judge Jones aided the prisoeer by asking him important question: in order that cer- tain circumstances might be explained. But it was the mans evident truthful- ness that saved the day for him. At the conclusion of his testimony, District Attorney Reese said that he believed the mans testimony, but he | himself had found flaw in the indict- ment The indictment charged that
 the raid was made on November 6, whereas the proof showed that it had i been made on December 6. 1 Judge Jones promptly discharged ] the defendant