The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-11
TRIAL OF TRAMMELI
EVIDENCE IN CASE AGAINST POST
 MASTER HEARD.
Testimony In sensationsi siayin. Robert !. Barnes is Heard m Dothnn Court--Defendanf on
 stand.

 Dothnn C0urt--Defendant on stand.
 
 Dothan. May i0---(Special)r- Shortly before dark this afternoon the case or inc state of Alabama vs. Byron Tram, meli. nostmaster of Dothan, charged with the murder of Robert J. barnes, was continued until tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. . s... and the accused was adduced today and tomorrow morning the attorneys on both sides will go to the Jury witn their arguments. .. c
 Court was called promptly at o'clock. with Circuit Judge Pearce on the bench, and the greatest legal pat tie in the history of Houston county was begun. Attorneys for the State ana the defense. Solicitor Dick Parke heading the one and Farmer and Espy the other. seated themselves at tables on opposite sides of the enclosure and the sparring over admissability of ju- TOTS commenced. Never was more care exercised in this particular, and until eleven minutes past II o'clock the op- posing sides showed how much care can be devoted to this feature of a case. The defense ran far ahead of the State In the number rejected, refusing to accept eighteen whoes names were called. The regular panel was exhaust ed shorty before ii o'clock, and a spec ial venire was ernpanneled. Nine had been chosen up until this time, and two more were admitted within the next half hour. At this point in the pro- ceedings Judge Pearce announced an adjournment of the days session until 80 ?. m., at which time court recon vened and the taking of testimony be- gan.
 The court room was we'll crowded, de- spite It's size fsom the early portion of the morning. and many of those pres ent found some difficulty in securing seats. The best of order was preserved. and no one seemed anxious to do any thing which would prevent them from hearing every word of the evidence ad- duced.
 Byron Trammell is postmaster of Dothan. and held that office at the | time of the homicide. The State clung to the view that Robert Barnes, who was slain by the defendant in the lat ter's home. where he was boarder at the time. had secured board in the Trammell home with the delibers te purpose of wrecking 1t. and that in this purpose he succeeded, the defense en- deavoring to show by its testimony from the witness stand the actual re- lation of criminal intimacy between DdEHcS anu MTS. ITammeI, ana thai Trammell himself, concealed behind a plano in his parlor, had secured evil dence of such intimacy.
 At the first trial-the preliminary examination--Mr Trammell was re- leased on bail. Later the grand jury of Houston County returned an indict- ment against him. charging murder in the first degree. and he was incarcerat- ed in the county jail until released by means of habeas corpus proceedings in stituted by his attorneys. At the time of the trial the accused was out on baily of $15,0J0.
 Technically. the defense rested upon the plea of temporary insanity which was present at the time of the com mission of the crime, though really it's hopes were based upon a belief that 1t would be able to prove its contention that the defendants home had been entered and wrecked by the deceased, and that in taking Barnes life Tram mell had been actuated by nothing more than that sudden outburst of righteous indignation supposedly pres ent in the breast of every husband un- der similar circumstances.
 In subpect of its plea of insanity at the time the crime was committed the defense introduced a mass of testi- mony in it's efforts to show that on the day of the homicide and for some
 
 been unbalanced.
 One of the States most important witnesses in support of this plea was pr. Hudson, of Montgomery, who swore that months before the tragedy Tram mel' had consulted him professionally and that he, Hudson, knew at that time that Trammel was suffering from an organic trouble of the brain.
 One of the enllvening features of the days proceedings was when Solicitor Parks launched into a cross examt- nation of Warren Reese of Montgt cry, one of the principal witnesses Tor the defense Greek met Greek and bar and spectators enjoyed the good na- tured but determined clash between the lawyers in the State.
 Officer Deputy Taylor of the United States Marshals office at Montgomery was also an important witness for the defense testifying as to the unusually perturbed mental condition of Trammel when the latter was in Montgomery shortly before the killing
 Byron Trammell took the stand in his own defense at 5:20 o'clock His statement to the jury made under oath was short and to the point. He told of how he had secreted himself behind the piano in his parlor and from that point of vantage had listened to the conversation between his wife and the man he slew, in which endearing terms were used and kisses exchanged Then he was told by friend of the crinnI- nal relations which had existed he tween Mrs Trammell and the deceased Getting his pistol from the roll-ton desk in his office he went on A search for Barnes, and T killed him just as soon as I laid eyes on him." conoIud. ed the defendant.