Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-02-08
Nine Witnesses Called In Rebuff
tai Testify to the good Char
acter of voss.
THEY ALL SPEAK WELL OF HIM
Lawyers. Business Men and Public Of
acials One and All Unite on
This Point.

The evidence in the case of the state
against A. T. Day, colored, charged
with the murder OF Horace II. Voss,
also colored, was concluded IN Judge
Armstrong; court this morning at
1880 O'Clock, at which time recess
was taken until 1880 o'clock. When
court reconvened Dist. Atty. Loot
borrow made the opening argument
for the state. Attys, Little and Dunn
win argue the case for defendant and
they viii then be followed by Mr.. Loor-
borrow In his closing argument Inc
case will no doubt be submitted TO the
jury late this afternoon.
Nine witnesses were called IN reputtal
by the state this morning to give testi-
fnony as to Voss's character. The men
called were lawyers, business men ana
public officials. Each had GOOD woru
to say for the murdered man and eacn
considered him as q peaceapie oltizeh
and a good man.
WITNESSES FOR DEFENSE.
The defense put two witnesses on
tho stand this morning by whom 1t was
attempted TO show that Voss was u
man of bad character among the COL
ored people and that he was always
looking for trouble as stated by Day
vesterday. Charles McSwine. formerly
sosrtv license collector, was the first
witness. He said that Voss' reputation
was had and that he at one time
| threatened to stab witness. HIS evil
| dence was so disconnected that 1t was
ruled out by the court. Georse M
| Clutch, stenographer in the criminal ~.
vision of the city court, was tle n1St
| witness. He produced the police court
| records showing that Voss had been ar
| rested some years ago for assault ana
| that he was fined $40 AT the concur
| sion OF this evidence, the defense rest"
| ed its case.
REPUTATION GOOD.
| rba state then called nine witnesses
In rebuttal to show the good character
| az Voss Atty. w. r. Hutchinson was
the erst and he testified that Voss had
done janitor work for him for IL years
and he had always borne a GOOD reputa-
ton. President A. ]. Davis OF the city
council also testified that Voss WAS
| man of good character.
Willard Done testified that at the
time yoss was mentioned as doorkeeper
| during the last legislature, ne was oe-
tailed to Investigate his character. and
found out from the colored people that
Voss stood very high and that his repu-
tation was good.
to Voss reputation were Sheriff Emery,
county Atty. Willard Hanson. County
Clerk Eldredge, Fred W. Price, state
statistician; o. K. Lewis, manager OF
the S. S. Walker estate, and Warren
Foster, an Insurance man.
SELF DEFENSE PLEA
During the afternoon session yester-
day the defendant was put under Sc
we're cross-examination by Dist Atty
Loofbourow, but he still chung to the
statement that he acted In self defense
when he shot Voss. j. r. Walker
George D. Keysor, Eugene Green, John
Howell, James Berger and Andrew
Howard gave evidence OF the previous
good character of Day. Rev. L. A
Jones ash Henry McThomas were
called TO the stand and testified as tt
Voss' character. The former said thai
Voss did not have a good reputation
among the coored people. The latter
surprised the defense by stating thai
he did not know anything about Voss
character.