The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-04-01
SECURING The JURY
WILL Be HARD TASK
Attorneys Believe That the First
venire of 200 Men Will Be Exhaust
ed Before the Panel is Completed
Witnesses Summoned.
Daily News Special.

Daily News special.
JACKSON, Miss, April ALL is in
readiness for the celebrated trial OF
State VS.. William Sorsby, slayer of
Postoffice Inspector Charles Fitzger-
aid, which will be called in the Kinds
county circuit court Friday morning
at 9 o'cock.
Attorneys for the state and defense
have spent a very busy day. The
special venire list containing two hun
drednames has been carefully scrutin-
lied, counsel on both sides having
made themselves familiar with the
personnel of the body from which the
jury is to be drawn, and much has
been learned concerning the personal
history of each man, and within
few hours the task of securing a fair
and impartial jury will be under way.
Just how long it is going to take to
complete this task is still a matter
of speculation, but none of the attor-
it will be possible to secure the jury
from the first venire. They decline
to venture any prediction as to just
how long it will take to complete the
panel but all frankly concede that II
will be a stupendous undertaking,
owing to the prominence of the fami-
=, 1ui1n in on a
given to the details of the tragedy
enacted on the railway platform at
the little village of Clinton on Sep
tember 30, last.
While it is a certainty that none OF
the witnesses will be needed for sew
.eral days, probably not until the lat
ter part of next week, all persons who
have been summoned to give testi-
mony are expected to be in the court
room at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.
1t is expected that the witness list Will
be again called in order that prosecu
tion and defense can make sure thai
the parties they desire are still within
the Jurisdiction of the court.
A very large majority of the yit
nesses are from the village of Clin
ton. There will be little testimony
as to the actual details of the killing
and. once the trial gets under way, tn,
state will complete its direct testi
mony within very short time, con
suming not more than one day. In re
buttal. however, there will be larg'
amount of testimony offered by the
prosecution to contradict the insanit!
plea.
The history of the Sorsby famil!
on both sides of the house has beef
carefully reviewed, and a dozen o.
more witnesses summoned by th'
defense will tell of hereditary taint
in the family, while as many other
will testify to alleged queer action
nv Sorsby shortly prior to the killing
indicating that his mind had been III
balanced by mental worry over hi
wife's ill health and the shortage h
had discovered n the postoffice book
and accounts where he was employe
as depty.
The prosecution has also compiled
history of the Sorsby family, and it
understood that in tbs work the a
torneys have been aided by specif
agents of the federal government VIII
were placed at service of the stat
by the department of justice at Wasl
~ ton. The alleged purpose of thi
$4,000 MERRILL be to show that there ha
per cent anopsanity of hereditary cha
'7eepers. core sorsby family.
I'D managers, cah'!ler, of Hazlehurst al
P~s. they had form'I ta taSecu"o' s".''
Sp'Iss' Sp the weight Of Y -, I'd Jaeaso ass,s
Wero e - - strict sAttnrne