The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-21
PEONAGE BEFORE COURT
NEITHER OF THE FOUR CASES
 WENT TO TRIAL.
JeR Crumpler Pleaded Guilty and Others Secured Continuances---
 Judge Jones Sends E. J. Cutchens to Penitentiary.

Persons attracted to the United States Court yesterday morning by the announcement that four peonage cases were to be tried were disappointed. One defendant, Jeff D. Crumpler. farmer of Coffee County, pleaded guilty to the charge and the other three eases were continued,
 Crumpier, who was represented Dy counsel, pleaded ignorance of the law. He confessed to having paid the fine of a negro convicted of misdemeanor with the understanding that the negro was to work for him. Subsequently he sold the labor of the negro to a second party.
 After explaining to Crumpler that 1t was a terrible crime to deprive human beings of their liberty and traffic upon their labor, Judge Jones fined Crump- Ter $75 which he went to tho clerk office immediately and paid.
 An important witness for the defen- dant in the case against John C. Bow doin was absent and the trial of his case went over until Friday. Bowdoin, who is a farmer of Coffee County. is accused of holding Raymond Rhoda, a young white man, in condition or peonage. Rhoda was present in court to testify against him.
 While Bowdoin insisted on trial he
  was shown that he was amply able to employ counsel and Judge Jones said that he would not ask a member of the bar to defend him as a charity case. Bowdoin was advised that the charge against him was of a serious nature and that 1t was his duty to secure counsel before the trial, Friday.
 In the case of G. E. McElvain, a white farmer Of Coffee County. his Farmer of Dnthan filed a plea of abatement setting out that the indictment was returned against "Guerry B. McElvain" when the name of his client was Gary B. McElvaln." The Assistant District Attorney Stern field demurred to the plea citing au- thoities to show that the pronunciation of the given names was almost identical and that the grand jury had shown doubt as to the correctness of the name saying whose names is to the grand jury otherwise unknown"
 Judge Jones sustained the demurrer of the Assistant District Attorney allowing the defendant an exception.
 Then MT. Farmer pleaded fer a con- tinuance for his client showing that important witnesses were not present He said he could not be In Montgomery himself the latter part of the week and after consultation with Assistant Dis trict Attorney Sternfeld the trial of the case was continued until the next term of court.
 McElvain is accused of holding T. A. Berry a white man in condition of peonage and Berry was in court to testify against him.
 The case against Oscar Hall. a negro, of Troy, charged with holding a negro in peonage, was continued generally. Hail was in court but the government was not ready, the Assistant District Attorney explaining that 1t was under stood that Hall would plead guilty. but that he had changed his mind and the government had not prepared the case fer trial.
 Ed H. Cutchens. the young white man of Dale County convicted Monday by a jury of perjury, appeared before the bar and was sentenced by Judge Jones to serve one year and one day in the Atlanta penitentiary and to pay fine of S1. He will be taken to Att lanta this morning to begin serving his sentence.
 Mort Longsight. an Indian, indicted last week by the grand jury for pass ing counterfeit money. and Doc Bla- lock. alias Reverend Parks, a negro. indicted last week for impersonating a Government pension agent, were brought into court and asked that their cases be tried at this term. Judge Jones said he would set them fin their order and they may come up next week.
 The court adjourned at 12:30 o'clock until 10 o'clock this morning.
 Judge Jones said yesterday that he