The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1905-07-07
JURY OUT IN MURDER CASE
TRIAL or JOHN ANDERSON, THE
NEGRO. CLOSED THURSDAY.
Defense Presented Considerable Evil
dence 70 Prove That the Killing
Was in Self Defense.

The case Of the state OF Kansas
against John Anderson, a colOred coal
chute emplOye, who killed another
cOlOred man by the name OF James
P. Hill. in the early part Of Nay. was
tried Wednesday and Thursday.
A jury was secured Wednesday
about p m The jury chosen were
William HOgebOom, Jr., J. ". Smith,
J. W Kanouse, Lee Conquest, Fred
SCHNEIDER, A r Wells, Bide Lister,
Phillip Daise, J. J. Finley, J. ". John
son, George Hayden and John Amos.
The attorneys in the case were
County Attorney c. L Calvert, assist
ed by Judge J. r. Hamilton Of Nor
ton for the state, and a colored at
tOrney, George w Jones, Of Hill City,
ex-cOunty attorney OF Graham coun-
ty, assisted by Attorney John Hartz-
Ter for the defendant
The witnesses in the case were DR..
F. H Smith, DR.. A. c. GuIick, John
Logan, S L Mathews, J. ". Parker,
David Derdlin, Richard Graves, Nell
son Howard and Fred Smalley.
Wednesday afternoon and part Of
Thursday forenoon was taken up in
the examination Of witnesses. Even
the witnesses for the state testified
as to threats OF killing made by Hill
against Anderson, and other colOred
cO-labOrers. This gave color to the
theory Of the defense that the prison
er, John Anderson, stood in fear Of
his life Self defense was also given
some support by the testimony Of
Fred Smalley. He testified to being in
the Coffin eating house to get a lunch
and witnessed an alteration between
Hill and another colored man, when
deadly weapons were drawn, a pis-
tOl by one man and a razor by the
other The quarrel was so sharp that
he hastily got out OF the place.
In the arguments in the case Judge
Hamilton led for the prosecution and
John Hartzler for the defense. At
tOrneys Calvert and G. W. Jones viii
close the arguments and then the case
will be given to the jury.
Judge Smiths instructions to the
jury were fOrcible and plain, and the
jury are not likely to be out long.
Thursday, shortly after noon, At
tOrney George W. Jones made the
closing plea for the defense. He is Of
the African race, and made a noble
plea for the prisoner.
He said in part: las an attorney
at law, and practicing before Judge
Smith in this district ever since he
has been on the bench, I have drawn
and I am imbued with the idea that
when a man stands before the bar Of
justice, it makes no difference what
may be the color Of his skin, whether
he be African, Indian, Monaghan or
Anglo Saxon. No self-respecting jury
will consider these things in render
ing a verdict, and I am persuaded
that neither will you gentlemen
He spoke Of the part that the Afri-
can race had taken in securing and
maintaining American liberty. In the
streets of Boston, in the revolutionary
war, the first blood shed was that Of
an African" said Jones. AT Peters
burg and Richmond, with Sherman
to the sea, with Grant at Appomattux,
in Indian wars upon the plains and
Santiago in Cuba, the black man had
fought for this country and shed his
blood in its defense. He is an Ameri-
can citizen, loyal and patriotic, and
asks only fair play and simple justice
before the law
His plea was that the prisoner acted
purely, simply and absolutely in self
defense. The contention Of the de-
Tense is justifabIe homicide, and are
asking for a verdict Of acQuittal
He made strong appeal, as to the
instructions Of the court as to reas-
the defendant believed he was in peril
Of his life, and if it appeared to him
that he was in danger Of great bodily
harm, it was reasonable grounds for
acting in self defense, and therefore,
justidabIe in taking life This was
the strong point in the attorneys
plea
His comment on the evidence was
rorc1bIe. lie showed that the tes1-
mOny was that on several occasions
Hill had threatened to kill, and that
on the day Of tragedy, with an open
knife and in an angry mood, he brag-
ged Of having killed men, and that
his quarrelsOme and dangerous char
acter was plainly and positively prov
en- by the prepOnderence Of the evid-
ence. After the closing by County At
UOrney u L. CALVERT, the case was
given to the jury.