Omaha daily bee., 1906-02-28
WOMAN TELLS OF MILLING
May Jarrett Says Leslie Allen Shot Her
Brother Over the Heart.
TRAGEDY ELIMINATION or A DISPUTE
Prominent business Men ON the
Jury where Negro IL Accused
Of Murder in First
Degree.

May Jarrett, the principal witness In the
trial Of Leslie Allen for the murder OF
Lee jarrett las, December. went on the
stand in district court yesterday afternoon
and told of the tragedy. of which she and
Allen are the only living witnesses. She
is a comely young mulatto woman and
until about the time OF the murder she sup.
posed she was the wife of Allen, the de.
PENDANT
She said Allen ana her brother had had
some words about $50 in the evening about
Aliens treatment OF her and because he
spent his money going to balls Allcr
then left the house and was gone about
half an hour. In the meantime her brother
helped her peel sweet potatoes for supper
and she placed the open jackknife he had
been using on the table and he sat dowr
to write q letter.
When Allen appeared at the door with a
revolver I'm his hand she said her brother
turned part way around TO him and Aller
said:
Lee, you have mistreated me-" and shot
the bullet striking her brother Just over
the heart. Jarrett. she said. jumped ur
aud grabbed Aliens hand and the two
scuffled. jarrett finally putting Allen into
back room. He then ran out the front
door and fell on his face dead. She Sc
cured a revolver she had hid in a couch in
the front room and followed her brother
firing three shots in the air to attract at.
tention. She declared her brother was sit.
ting down when the fatal shot was fired
The defense is laying stress on the fact
Miss Jarrett had a revolver and Jarrett a
knife and is claiming self-defense as the
reason for the shooting DIR. Lavender
who made the examination OF the. body
testified the bullet must have been fired
downward, according 10 its course.
Went Through Mock Marriage.
She took the stand Immediately
after the opening statements were
made and stated she had been living with
Allen seventeen months. She said they
went through a mock marriage ceremony
at Kansas City before a man she supposed
was justice of the peace, but Allen after
ward told her they were not married. She
said she had tried to find record OF license
issued in Kansas City to them but was
unable to find any. She also swore she was
never legally married to Allen.
The testimony of Miss Jarrett, or Mrs
Allen as the defense contends she should
be called, is of vital Importance to the
state and on the question whether or not
sHe teslleS prODdDly Will rest the cOnNlc-
ton or acquittal of the defendant.
The defense contends Jarrett, the muir
dered man, was a desperate who had al
ready killed a white man, and was much
larger than Allen and that the accused
used the revolver in self-defense The state
contends Jarrett was seated in chair
when he was shot, that as soon as the
shot was fired he jumped up grabbed a
knife and forced Allen into a back room of
the house and then ran out into the street
and dropped dead with the knife still in
his hand. The relations of Allen and Mrs.
Jarrett, 1t is said, caused the trouble be-
tween them.
AT the afternoon session of court Mr.. Mac
farland' concluded his arguments against
the admission OF the testimony of Miss jar
rett and Judge Sutton Immediately over
ruled the objections, holding the evidence
showed there was no legal marriage be-
tween the witness and the defendant and
that she was competent to testify against
Allen
The case is being tried by a jury. a ma
jorty of whom are business and profess
sional men of more or less prominence
Among the Jurors are ii. X Burkett
undertaken: Fred Paffenrath, manager for
Nicoll the Tailor; Fred Ellsassar. coal
dealer; G. F. Howell, coal dealer; James
II. Ferris. poultry dealer Fred T. Rudiger
stenographer; and Edward NJ. Birch, ex-
pert accountant.