The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-25
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HAS HAD FOUR TRIALS
"SHUG" HUFFMAN AT LAST CON-
 VOTED OF MANSLAUGHTER.
Twice Case wns Interrupted by Insani- fy of Jurymen-Estimated that Cost to Government Has
 Been 925,0OO.

Huntsville. Oct. 24.-(Special. )-After four trials in which the government has spent something like $25.000 for the expenses of prosecution ,L- E. Huffman has been convicted in the United States States Marshal J. N. Holsonback. The verdict of the jury was manslaughter, and the defendant was recommended to the mercy of the court. The case will probably go to the Supreme Court of the United States.
 The case of Snug" Huffman as the defendant Is best known to his friends in the mountains of Morshall County Is a notable one among the records of the Federal Court of Northern Alabama. Huffman is charged with conspiring with His brother, Charles Huffman, and J. H. Moore, who were said to have been his partners in the conduct of an illicit still, near Boaz. in a conspiracy to kill any revenue officer who would make a raid on their still.
 The still was raided on January 10, 1902, by Deputy Marshal Holsonback his son and two or three other officers, and J. H. Moore was placed under ar- rest. As the party walked down the road, Huffman came out of the woods and asked to speak with Moore for a moment and the request was allowed. In some manner moment later a gun was discharged and a duel at close rauss was fought between Huffman and Charles Holsonback. whose father, J. N. Holsonback, joined and received a charge from Huffman's gun, dying a half hour later. Charles Holsonback was wounded. Moore, the prisoner, made no effort to escape and after a trial in the United States Court here, was acquitted of he charge of illicit distilling.
 Huffman dtsannaara6 hue ,yas oao- tured a few weeks later. His case was on trial at the following October term of court here, when one of the jurors, William Kenney, became desperately i'll while one of the witnesses was describ- ing the bleeding wounds of the dying Holsonback. Medical experts examin- ed the juror and came to the conclusion that he was suffering from an attack Of monomania which manifested itself in an unnatural aversion to blood. A mistrial was entered.
 At the following April term of court, the trial was interrupted in an exceed ingly grotesque manner. R. P. Caine, juror, became temporarily insane and laborcd under a delusion trat his eleven fellow jurymen had entered into a con- spiracy to assassinate him. Caine beg ged Judge Thomas c. Jones, who was then presiding over the court, to save his life by allowing him to wear a blue
 
 TOTS were wearing. Physicians who were called in to pass on the case of Caine gave out the opinion that he was temporarily iI sane and the second mis- trial was entered. Two weeks was spent by the court in the next trial and the jury failed to agree.
 The fourth and last trial began dur ing the middle of last week and the jury took the case Saturday night. They asked for further instructions from Judge Boarman twice before they were
 enabled to reach an agreement that Huffman was guilty of manslaughter. The tragedy occurred on a public road two and half miles from Boaz, in Marshall County. The strongest evidence against the defendant was given by John Duckett and Clayton Smith. who testified that Huffman rode
 with them in a buggy to a place near the scene of the tragedy before the
 killing occurred and told them that he was going there to the rescue of a friend and that if the revenue men
 took him away they would do so over his dead body.
 Huffman denies absolutely that he had any intention of molesting the of icers in the party that raided the still. He claims that he left home early on the morning of January 10. accom- panied by Bill Gibson. who had been his guest on the previous night. He | spent the day with James Thomas, a | blind man, and started in the evening l for the home of Moore, whom he wished | to see on private business. He took his gun along and was on the lookout | for wild turkeys. and says he met Hol- | sonback and his companions with Moore | in custody coming down the road He | did not understand the situation, and | asked Moore if he could help him move
 his household effects. Moore then told him that he had been arrested. Huff man thereupon turning to leave. He | says that as he started away, he was | halted by Charles Holsonback. and | turning. saw that he was covered by a | gun. Huffman. without putting his | gun to his shoulder, fired on Holson- | back and wounded him: then Deputy | Marshal Holsonback advanced in a l threatening manner, attempting to | draw a pistol. Then Huffman fired the | fatal shot, and. thoroughly alarmed by l what he had done, ran away. He was | captured a few weeks later and the l Government paid a reward of more | than a thousand dollars to his captor
 The case has been one of apparently
 endless expense to the Government
 and 1t Is estimated that it has cost the
 treasury about $25,000, which was ex'
 pended in a reward for the capture oi the defendant, the expenses of the four
 trials, summoning special Jurymen
 and other incidentals. Huffman hal been in Jail since his arrest and on thu
 night Horace Naples was taken from
 the Madison County jail and lynched
 his experience was exciting and cam' | near ending his life. He was on th' | tov aoor oF the iail and was rescued