The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-17
COURT IS ADJOURNED Important Criminal Trials Go Over. CASES SET FOR NOVEMBER Postponement Taken on Account of
 Richardson's Death. Luverne Was Crowded With visitors Who Came To Attend the Greatest Criminal Week in the History of Court.
BY WILL T. sHEEHAN.

Luverne. Sept. 16-tSpecial Cores pondence)-By the sudden tragic death Of Judge Terry Richardson, there was postponed the most important week of criminal trials In the history of Cren- shaw County.
 No less than four capital cases, in all Of which the defendants were charged with murder. went over until a special term or the court. which will be called in November. A murder trial was set and special juries were drawn for Mon day. Tuesday. Wednesday and Thurs day.
 This great criminal week was neces- sarlly postponed by Judge B. M. Miller. An exchange of circuits for the week had been effected between Judge Mil Ter and Judge J. c. Richardson, the father of Judge Terry Richardson. Judge J. c. Richardson was holding court in Selma. He hurried to Mont- gomery when he heard the distressing news.
 Judge Miller. after adjourning court at noon today, left for Selma where he will preside over the Dallas Circuit Court beginning tomorrow
 when court was finally adjourned for the term at Luverne. Solicitor Bricken announced that a special term of the Crenshaw County Court would be called to meet in November. For today there iAo~A DSSh SSN TUT lTldl Tn the court, the famous Sykes case. The case now is three years old. It's principal features are known to every man in Crenshaw County. The principals in the tragedy the slayer and the dead man, were members of two of the most prominent families of Cre1shaw County
 The dead mah was Virgil Walker son of Ex-Probate Judge J. Frank walker, one of the most popular men who ever lived In Crenshaw. For eigh- teen years some member of the Walker family filled the office of Pro- bate Judge.
 The Sykes. too, are a leading family of Crenshaw. Some of them are among the most prominent business men of Luverne.
 The tragedy. because of which a young man fills an untimely grave. and another stands in court to answer the charge of murder. was fought out at Rutiedge, an old-fashioned village five miles west of Luverne. The county seat was formerly located at Rutledge, and the deadly fight was fought on a store porch overlooking the old court house square, now overgrown with weeds.
 Sykes was a bit of a wanderer. He had returned to Crenshaw County from Texas only short time before his fatal fight with Virgil Walker. The two men on the day of the tragedy had been drinking together. over some trivial matter they fell to quarreling. From quarreling they clinched In a fight They were pulled apart.
 Sykes was crying: He cut me and I had no knife" Sykes, so it Is said. went to his home. a short distance away. where he got long sharp knife. He returned to the Walker store, where Virgil Walker was playing checkers He cursed the young man. according to the testimony and dared him to come out.
 At length young Walker rose from his chair and started to the door. Sykes seized him and the two clinched in an- other fight. Tn the struggle Sykes sank the long. keen knife Into the stomach of the younger man.
 Virgil Walker lived for many days with the deep gash in his stomach. but death came in the end feature of Sykes defense Is the claim that Wal ker's wound was not necessarily fatal and his life might have been saved by some treatment other than that which was given him.
 The second trial, is the hardly less famous Roach case, the case in which Judge Terry Richardson was employed to defend. Aubrey Roach was the young clerk in a saloon a few miles from Luverne. A patron of the saloon was James Moore, a neighboring farm. CT. For couple of days previous tc the killing Moore had patronized the saloon most liberally.
 In his cups he was fractious. guar | relsome man. And In due time he anc