The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-01
ABNER CLAY TRIAL
 COMES ID AN END
Six Witnesses Are Examined
 In the AII-0ay Session
CASE UNDER ADWSEMENT
Most Important Witness Is E. J. Cur rle, Who Gives Testimony to the Shooting, of Which He Was
 an Eye Witness.

Meridian. Miss, October S.-(special.)-
 The preliminary trial of Abner l.. Clay
 of thls city for the killing of Eugene
 Chestnut of Birmingham, conductor on
 the Alabama Great Southern road came
 to an end tonight at 8 o'clock at the con-
 clusion of the summing up of the evil
 dence by the attorneys for the defense
 and prosecution.
 Contrary to all expectations Justice T. G. L. Keene announced that he would take the case under advisement un-
 til s:9O o'clock Monday morning, when
 he would render his decision. The trial
 consumed the entire day. starting at 8 o'clock this morning.
 Six witnesses were examined, the last
 one being the defendant, Clay, who testi-
 lied in his own behalf to the effect that
 he had fired the shot that killed Chestnut >in defense of his own life.
 Aside from the defendant the most im- portant witness examined was E. J. Cur
 rie, who accompanied Clay and Hender-
 son when the tragedy occurred He
 corroborated ill every particular the evil
 dence of Clay that the latter fired at Chestnut in self-defense. His direct tes-
 timony follows:
 Been in Meridian a week last Satur-
 day. Been taking meals about the diff ferent restaurants about town. Didn't
 know either Hill or Chestnut and had i nothing against either of them. Clay and
 l called at Henderson's home Sunday evening and Henderson asked Clay to n rSrf.s ba la
 were who were calling at the house and Clay invited me to go with him. Hen
 derson came later. l went after him and met him and returned with him. Just as we walked up they came out
 and Henderson called to them. He asked
 them if they had been talking to his wife,
 and one of the men said he hadn't. Clay
 said that he had and also the other man. The other fellow said he had not, and Clay repeated that they had and there 1 was no use to tell a d--d lie about it. Henderson said that he had, for he recog-
 nized his voice, and turned to Clay ask ing him again if these were the men and I he said they were.
 Chestnut, with an oath, then drew his pistol and fired at Clay. Two shots were ] fired before Clay drew his pistol. The 1 third shot of Chestnut was fired about 1 the same time as the first shot of Clay, | and after that they fired together, so far as he could tell, shot for shot.
 l When the shooting began Henderson l was just a little ahead of me, and Clay ! just little behind, but not in a direct i line. 1 was almost directly in the line
 of fire and jumped to get on line with | Chestnut's pistol so as to get out of l the line of fire, but Chestnut stepped back and I failed, so I reached my hand out l for a telephone post in order to get be- | hind it, keeping my eyes on the blaze of Chestnut's pistol
 q could not see Clay after the shoot ing began, but know that he did not
 shoot until after Chestnut had fired twice, because he did not have his pistol out
 and no flame came from 1t until two
 shots had been fired by Chestnut" A telephone message to Meridian to- night from Union, Newton county, says that a sheriffs posse and a number of enraged citizens are out securing the sur rounding country in search of an un- known negro who today attempted crim inal assault on the 13-year-old daughter of Edward Butts, one of the most prom inent farmers of that section. It is said the negro, a strange mulatto, wearing q
 small moustache and about 21 years old,
 caught the little girl in a cotton patch
 rear the family home.
 The little girls screams before being al