The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-03-24

John Reaves was not murdered
J for money; he was not murdered by
tramp. for tramp would not hav,
moved the body; be was murdered by
a man who hoped to gain some favor
IN on the Sunday night following his
murder, Lee Rountree slept beneath hit
roof.
"Who was the last man seen with
John ReavesP Lee Rountree.
who had a motive? Lee Rountree.
"Who acted with marked suspicion
after the murderr Lee Rountree.
MI. FigueIs concluded his argument
shortly before noon, and Mr.. g p.
Hatcher, one of the youngest and most
promising members of the local bar,
q worthy son of bIainy sire, opened
the argument for the defense. 1t was
nearly three clock when Mr.. Hatcher
concluded. too late foT Hse in today Is
Herald, so we have reserved his speech
for tomorrow's paper.
Mr.. G. P. Hatcher's Argument.
MIR. Hatcher opened for the defense
with the statement:
serious matter before you for consider
alton, yet all the attorneys for the
defense ask, all the defendant asks, is
that you follow your consciences aud
the law.
"Ihe law of Tennessee governing
circumstantial evidence says In order
to warrant you in convIcting the de-
PENDANT In this case, the circumstances
must not only he consistent with his
uilt. but they must he inconsistent
with his innocence, and such as to ex.
clude every reasonable hypothesis vut
that of his guilt.
mir. Figuers, the attorney for the
other side characterized an argument
l made in previous law suit as fun
ny. 1t seems that Mr.. FigueIs some
times employs funny argument as
well, for in order to bolster up his case
he draws picture of dark design and
cunning planning, of Lee RountIee Gil
culating report that John Reaves
contemplated suicide, so as to prepare
the public mind for Reaves death 4
few weeks later. Would man, who
wished to do murder and have 1t called
suicide have persued the course fol-
low ed by the man who slew John ".
ReavesY Would suicide infiict two
death wounds in the the back of his
head, then pick himself up and carry
himself 225 yards and kill himself
over again by cutting his throat?
THE learned attorney also draw
attention TO the defendants theory of
the murder. Isn't Mr.. Rountree'
theory as reasonable as that of DIR.
Coxy And is there anything in MI.
RountIee's theory inconsistent with
his innocence or compatible with his
guiltY Then again the disputed state
ment that the defendant refused to
look upon the face of John Reaves the
day after his death refused to have
DIR. Cox demonstrate the difference
between selfinfiicted wounds and
wounds made by another Suppose he
did wouldn t that be natural obiec
ton? A few hours before he had
parted with his friend and nearest
neighbor; kindly hgnt was in his
eye, energy and life was shown in his
every movement. Don't yeu think
he would rather remember him as he
saw him then, than as bloody, pain
l acked corpse, cold in ath?
''Mr. Figuers has drawn the picture
of that Green Eyed Monster. Je lousy,
as he claims 1t formed and grew and
destroyed the friendship of two famI-
lies. First we have the d PENDANT and
Mrs Reaves sitting on a front seat at
the school exercises at Theta with the
children of both sides about them AN
awful crIne-. Then we see the two
at the Stanley funeral, lending their
assistance and giving their |
sympathy in time OF distress They |
appear on the back porch of this home |
amid other friends of the family and |
another black mark IS set against their |
The unreasunableness of |.
James WrIght's testimony was pointed |
out ana the fact that after prying into |
the affairs of another man, as he /
he failed to tell what he saw
TO any living soul, was commented on.
If Wright mad told no one what he |
knew, why was he brought all the way
from West Tennessee to testIfyY'
Taking up the Nashville trip the |
speaker told how ii was arranged be-
forehand by the Reaves family, how
Rountree in Nashville was natural and
without conceaIment or suspicion. ;
There was nothing IN the Nashville
trip inconsistent with Rountere's in
1ocence or compatible with his guilt.
''Mr. Flguers tells you he doesn' t
believe RountIee and Mrs. heaves went
)ut to the asylum. There Is nothing IN
he proof before you to show they did
not, yet who had better opportunity
% show this. If it is true, than the
State? For the State had Corbitt. the
treat detective and he presumably Wis
ted ev5Iy place visited by Mrs Keaves
md kountree on their Nashville trip. -
Returning to the Reaves home