The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-13
TRAMMELL IS
 AGAIN FREE Jury Returns Verdict of
 Not Guilty. ACCUSED OF MURDER OF BARNES Insanity at Time of Killing Set Up
 by Defense. Pleaded That Alleged Illicit Relations Between Dead Man and Wife of the Defendant Unhinged
 the Reason of Tram
ACCUSED OF MURDER OF BARNES

Dothan. May 12-fSpecial) )--At fif-
 teen minutes past eight o'clock this
 morning the jury in the case of Byron Irammell, postmaster of Dothan. charged by the State of Alabama with the murder of Robert J. Barnes, rem
 dered verdict of not guilty by rea-
 son of insanity at the time of the
 commission of the crime. and Trammell
 walked from the court house of Hcus- ton county 8 free man. As soon as Circuit Clerk Brown read the verdict. Judge Pearce turned to the jury with
 the statement. Gentlemen, you are discharged" and the bitterest legal
 battle In the history of this section of Alabama had come to an end
 Mir. Tramrnell stepped quietly to where the twelve men who had given
 him his freedom stood. and in low
 Then he turned to receive the hearty
 congratulations of friends who pressed
 forward to shake his hand
 The jury had been out just seventeen hours when it returned the verdict, having retired for deliberation at 3:15 o'clock yesterday afternoon. It is said l on the streets today that all along. while the twelve men were in their room. striving to come to an under standing regarding the case, ten men | stood for acauittal and two for con- l viction. It was predicted early last night that no verdict would be brought in until this morning. and this pre- diction was a true one
 The verdict was distinct victory for the contention of the defense, viz: that Byron Trammell, at the time he killed Robert Barnes, was an insane
 man. This was the only techincal plea possible for the defense to enter. and
 upon this 1t based It's hopes. Dr. Hud-
 son. Warren S. Reese and Office Dep | .~& TTaNk shal's office. all of Montgomery, were | brought here to testify along this line. l and from Dothan there were physicians and Intimate friends of the accused
 who added their testimony.
 l Contended Mind Was Affected.
 Trammeii's q mind was affected. pleAd- ed the defense, and when he saw svf- dences and received information re- l xarding the alleged criminal relations | between his wife and Robert Barnes. I his alfeadv- toppling reason was over- thrown, and while in this condition the | tragedy occurred
 The history of the Trammell case | is more or less familiar to almost all | of The Advertisers readers. Barnes | a young cotton man. was boarder in | the Trammel home. Trammeli accord | ing to his testimony. suspected some | thing wrong, and one morning se- creted himself behind the piano in his | parlor from which point he heard | things said which confirmed his worst | fears. From his home he went to the | postofice. where a friend informed him that illicit relations existed be- ! tween his wife and Barnes. Securing | his pistol from his desk. Trammell l made his way to a hardware store. 1 purchased cartridges and started on | d hunt for the man who, he declared, | had ruined his home. He met him in | the hall at his (Trammell's) home at | dinner time and, as he told the jury which tried him. T shot him just as l soon as I laid eyes on him."
 To pr. Ellis. who lived across the | street, and who was the first person | to reach the scene, Mir. Trammell hand | ed his smoking revolver and memark- 1 ed. "This man ruined my home and could not live and let him live" Ridiculng the idea of insanity, the State, through Solicitor Parks and MT. | Crawford, attempted to show a clear case of murder in the first degree. and MT. Parks, who closed for the prose- | cution. made, his friends say, the
 strongest presentation of State case known to them. Three impassioned sneeches were made for the defense and | Messrs. Reid. Espy and Farmer all ad- | ded to their regulations as lawyers. Personally, Byron Trammei is pop uiar in pothan oBth individually and | in his capacity as postmaster of the | town. he has been and Is uniformly l courteous affable and obliging.