The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1907-02-05
THE COCHRAN JENKINS
HORSE-WHIPP|NG At MERIDIAN.
Full Statement OF the Affair as Printed By The Meridian
Dispatch, With Interviews From Mr. jenkins
And Others.

<N~~ " - 49, @AA 1tOi =
= the Cochran-Jenkins horsewhip
ping case at Meridian, as printe,
: by the Daily Dispatch of tha
e city:
t Judge Robert F. Cochran, pre-
q siding judge of the Tenth judi
cial district, publicly horsewhip.
ped II. 7. Jenkins, who Lists
, himself as a travelling man whose
home is three miles northwest o.
Shubuta, in the lobby of the
Grand Avenue hotel Sunday
morning about 10 O'Clock. There
were several people in the lob0y
at the time, it is stated. includ-
ing two ladies, and three other
ladies in the dining room, inme-
! diatejy adjacent.
The accounts of the difficulty
vary materially in details, those
who were present developing a
tendency to be reticent concern
ing the entire matter. Mr.. Jen-
kins, the victim of the whipping,
however, talked freely concern
ing the trouble and what he
claimed led up to it. During his
conversation the room at the
hotel occupied by him was well
filled with travelling men and
other friends, each OF whom
/ agreed that the main facts as
stated by him were what they
had seen.
Mr.. Jenkins story was as fol-
lows:
Il was standing at the desk in
the lobby of the hotel Sunday |
morning talking to other travel
ing men-Charles Saunders, Of
this city, and Mr.. Britt, a
strange. Whi.s talking Judge
Cochran was noticed across the
street, and I Immediately asked
the two gentlemen to search me,
remarking to them that | wanted
them to be in position to swear
the truth, if anything happened
to me, that l had no weapon.
Both men searched me, as [ re-
quested. |!
In a short time the door to
the lobby opened and R. L. Muir
ray walked in, followed by Judge
Cochran. l asked the two gen
tIemen with whom | was talking 1
to step to one side, and they aid
so. Murray covered me with
revolver while Judge Cochran ;
made a stroke at NE with the I
whip he carried. [ threw up my \
left arm, warding off the blow, =
and struck out with my right fist, s
landing squarely between the y
ayes of Judge Cochran. [ ,
struck in what I conOidered self 7
defense.
From the force of the blow. [ G
ell to the floor, and Murray i
srappled with me, striking me i
over the head with his revolver il
Ind handling it in threatening il
manner. While he held me in r
he corner, with his drawn pistol, k
Judge Cochran used the whip he \
'arried. After the difficulty both b
nen walked out. | am not seri- y
'usly hurt, two slightly sore
'laces befelt on my head, and e
ny right fist sore from the blow Il
struck" d
Later Mr. Britt was seen in the {,
obby Of the hotel and he told D
Practically the same story. He n
Id not know whether Mr.. MURRAY N
ad the pistol in his hand when "
e walked in the door, but he G
ays ne did see it durin = the diff W
Guilty. Mr. Britt verified the tf
tatement made by Mr.. jenkins ii
hat the latter had requested that it
e be searched before the diff b
ulty. and stated that he found n
o weapon of any kind. He said al
e was SURPRISED at the request, tt
s he had no idea that trouble RI
Ias brewing. u
Other gentlemen who claimed u
} be present talked in the same
ein- One of them said that con- pl
lderable foul language was used a,
uring the dinIculuy, and that d
1e ladies in the lobby as well as q
hose in the dining room hastily tt