Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-11-10
Little Rock Automobile Dealer Gains Liberty on S1Or000 Bond on Recent Indictment
, IN CHAMBER SESSION
statement 0i Accused Made Privately
 in Judges Chamber by Reason oi Prosecuting Attorneys Fear That
 Public Evidence Would Prejudice.

E. P. Ladd. the Little Rock automo- bile dealer recently indicted here for the killing of John Scott at Ladd, Ark, October 24. 1905, was yester- day granted bail in the sum of $1O,- 900 by Circuit Judge A. B. Grace. He made the bond immediately and was | released from the county jail He inn mediately joined his wife, who has | been ill the city for several days ] stopping with a friend and they will probably return to Little Rock today.
 Bail was granted MT Ladd after the l tragedy had been fully reviewed, sev- eral witnesses testifying in open court. and after Judge Grace heard all of the evidence introduced in the Federal court by attorneys for Mrs. Scott, the widow of the dead man, land counsel for Ladd, at which time Mrs. Scott sued Ladd and secured judgment for $10,000 against him in the higher court at the capital The judgment was paid by Mr. Ladd and the incident was closed until the re- cent grand jury returned an indict- ment charging him with murder in the l first degree. The true bill came as a great surprise to his many friends here and also the members of the several previous grand juries who had investigated the tragedy and had re- fused to indict him.
 Mir. Ladd was placed in the county jail here Wednesday, An effort Fri day by his attorneys, Austin and Dan aher, to get hearing before the court on their application for a writ of habeas corpus, through which they hoped to secure the release of their client on bond, failed, owing to the business in the circuit court on that day, the hearing being postponed un- til yesterday morning at 9 o'clock. Prosecuting Attorney Jones resisted the application for bond. After con- siderable discussion it was agreed by the attorneys to present the evidence from the Federal court at Little Rock and for several hours they were busy reading dispositions of evidence taken at the celebrated damage suit. Later Judge Grace heard several of the wit nesses, who had testified at either the coroner's inquest Or at the hearing of the damage suit. They were present- ed by both the State and the defense. Among them were S. Bacon, Rip Stalnaker, J. C. Witt, Ben Harris, W. B. Craft Mrs. Stella Thomas, Coro- ner R. D. McGaughy, Doctor A. B. Patton and two negroes, Harrison Robinson and Willie Thompson. Their evidence was similar to that pre- sented at the inquest on the day of the killing.
 The court room was crowded with spectators and much interest was manifested in the proceedings. Fi- nally when it was announced that MT. Ladd was to take the stand in his own DendH tne eager ones ulOVeu closer in their seats in an effort to hear every word that he was to utter He has never made statement, it is said, since the killing other than to tell of threats which he said had been made on his life by Scott and of how he was attacked by him on the day Of the fatal shootng
 MT. Ladd took the stand. Attorney Danaher asked him to relate the in cidents in detail of the shooting and tell all that he remembered relative to any difficulties which he had had with Scott before the killing. "The first ill feeling" said the witness, and then there was sudden inter- ruption. Prosecuting Attorney Jones was on his feet in an instant. He objected determinedly to MT. Ladd's |story of the tragedy or what led up to it. His main objection was based on the publicity that would be given his statements by the newspaper report CTS present and he declared that the