The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-13
KNOX MURDER TRIAL;
 ARGUMENTS PRO AND CON.
PRISONERS COUNSEL CLAIM HE JVAS JUSTIFIED IN KILL
 ING KFLLY,

While the State Claims Deliberate Mur-
 der Against Negro--State Attorney
 Williams and Attorney Goodhart
 Make Able Addresses--Judge Case
 Will Hand Case to the Jury This
 Morning.
 The Knox trial Is nearing an end, and it is quite probable that before the setting of to-night's sun the unfortun- ate prisoner will know his fate. The evidence since the opening of the trial has been characterized by much of a sameness. There was no attempt on the part of the prisoner or his coun- sel to deny the shooting, and the wit nesses for the state and the defendant have told about the same story of the tragedy, The evidence was completed Friday night, and yesterday morning the battle for and against the prisoner was begun before Judge Case in the superior court when Assistant States Attorney Wheeler delivered the open ing argument for the state.
 He was followed by Attorney Isbell for the defense, who read profusely from law authorities and emphasized the fact that Knox acted in a justifia- ble manner, when he fired the fatal shot. He in turn was followed by At torney Goodhart, also for the defense.
 Opportunity presented itself to Mir. Good'hart for a dramatic climax Com menting upon the prejudice likely to be engendered on account of the accused being a colored man he pointed out the window toward the green, where the flag waved to commemorate the ninety eighth anniversary of the birth of 1 Abraham Lincoln, the eniancipator of the black race in this country. He sub ! stantially made this point: Immutable as death itself will stand the truth voiced by Lincoln that the White man and the black man are the sons of one God. At this point of the trial tears came to Mrs. Knox and the woman friend that has been in attendance up on her during the trial.
 Mir Goodhart then went into a dis cussion of the conditions that justify seif-defense. He said: All I want you to do is to put yourself in the black mans place, and if you would not have done as the black man did, then I would like to know.
 "He says he did this in defense of himself and wife, and if you believe the | black man you must let him go, Tt is well to show that the black man can go through the streets with out being buffeted and molested. He's 1 entitled to the law of the land" 1 MT. Goodhart was discussing the l question as to whether the black man ! should be made an example of He ] asked for no emotional insanity or un- written law. He referred to the way !, the Italians were insulted when they first came to this country, and then thought it necessary to take the law in their own hands to defend them selves when the officers of the law failed to do so.
 MT. Goodhart's address was brilliant and convincing, and he closed by ask ing the jury to acquit the prisoner of the charge.
 State Attorney Williams made the closing plea for the state. He summed up the evidence as produced at the trial. He claimed that the shooting on the part of Knox was deliberate, and that the prisoner was responsible fol the action. MT. Williams argument or behalf of the state was a powerful one It was 4;30 when he finished, and Judge Case decided owing to the lateness. of the hour to reserve his charge until this morning at 10 o'clock.