The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-03-10
Little Hope of Relief for Jury
men Before Saturday
Evening.
Arguments Today Are Long
Drawn Out.
UNwlRITTEN LAW Is INVOKED

Nashville. March 10.-Such long
speeches are being made In the
Cooper trial that II is not now be-
lieved that McCarn will be able TO
start his concluding speech before
Saturday. Judge Hart will take a
day to prepare instructions. II is
likely the case will not go to the jury
before next week. Garner began his
argument for the state today. lie
probably will not conclude In time To
permit Washington to speak for the
defense today.
Attorney Meeks' Argument.
The unwritten law was extended to
cover editors who attack private or
public men by Gen. Meeks Of counsel
for defense In the Cooper-Sharp trial
for the murder OF former United
States Senator Z. w. Carmack. The
sensation was sprung during Gen.
Meeks' speech to the jury. Previous
ly he had expressly disclaimed the be-
LET that any editorial attack justified
the killing Of the writer But when
warmed up to his subject. with a
burst Of eloquence. he said:
"You talk OF the liberty OF the
press. Why. gentlemen. no man lives
who believes more firmly In the lib
erty OF the press than do. But when
a man IN an editorial position turns
the liberty OF the press into license
and undertakes 90 defame and defile
you aud your family. what are you
going to doy The prosecution will
tell you, you have your recourse In
the courts. Yes. and you get a tudg-
ment for s25.OO0 against a man not
worth the price OF a plug Of tobacco.
Is that satisfaction
"Oh. gentlemen I tell YOU that the
streets OF this. our city. have run red
with blood OF men who Improperly
used other mems names In the public
prints"
Began In Low Tone.
Gen. Meeks devoted FIVE hours 90
the speech. He painted the defend
ants as the finest types OF southern
aristocracy and breeding. declared no
crime had been committed when Sen
ator carmack was shot TO death. and
closed with a dramatic appeal TO the
jury to turn loose this gallant old
soldier. Col. Cooper"
Gen. Meeks went on TO trace the
alleged 'Snsults'' which the defense
claims Carmack heaped upon Col.
Cooper IN the debates with Patterson.
col. Cooper told you that these
insults we're continued almost daily In
the Tennessean. We did not see At
70 Introduce these assaults In print
but We did introduce some
As a matter OF fact the defense In
troduced only three editorials. one OF
which failed to mention Col. Coop.
er's name. The others we're OF a
bantering type.
Gen. Meeks next discussed the
mystery of the bullet which was
found In Robins bed. and said that
mystery was not connected with the
case. He claimed that Robin was
shot. that no one doubted Il. Thai
Senator Carmack shot him, which was
equally beyond dispute.
The attorney next went to the In,
c!dent OF the pistol scabbard found
In Senator Carmack's overcoat pocket
when the coat was examined In court
during the trial, and denounced the
states attorneys for lnsinuating thai
counsel for the defense planted" the
scabbard where It was found.
1--WE have proven" he went on
that the meeting of the parties wal
purely and undoubtedly an Academia
encounter. We hold that the guilt oil
innocence of these defendants mus
rest upon the state OF mind they were
in at the time the meeting tool
place" Counsel described the effec'
OF the editorial Across the Mudd,
Chasm" upon Col. Cooper the morn
ing before the killing. and declared
that when Craig went back to Car
mack after his Interview with Coope
he told Carmack that Cooper had salt
This note goes"
Declaration OF War.
THAT note was to he the declara
ton OF war and until that note wa
cent by Cooper and received by Car
mack, Cooper understood that Car
mack understood that there was to b
no trouble. and that note was neve
sent. Now. we do not say that tn
editorials which Carmack wrote just
ihed Col. Cooper in killing Carmack
but we do say that these continue
insults were SO unbearable and so OF
fens.ve that they drove Col. Coope
into frenzy.
Gov. Patterson's Message.
Gen. Meeks went exclusively int
He lr.nldonl AZ Aha x,n1.s-an l..lar