Evening star., 1909-02-19
Indicating That Father Shot
Son, State Rests Case.
DEFENSE ON TOMORROW
Telegraph Pole With Bullet Marks
Has Disappeared.
sCABBARD UNACCOUNTED FOR
Witness Tells How Lawyers for De.
tense Discovered It When They
Examined Overcoat.

| NASHVILLE. February 19.-The state
rested abruptly yesterday afternoon in
the Cooper Sharp trial after introducing
evidence indicating purpose to contend
that no, only did Robin Cooper shoot ex-
| Senator Carmack but that his father.
Col Duncan B. Cooper. also fired at the
| senator.
| This evidence considered in the light
of DEVELOPMENTS since Tuesday last,
makes it appear that the state will con-
| tend further that it was one Of Col. Coop
er's bullets which inflicted a wound in
| Robin Cooper's neck and not the sena-
| tors. as has been asserted by frlends OF
| the defendants.
| Although the states case In chle1 Is IN
| the mystery remains unexplained Room
Cooper's pistol was put in evidence yes
| terday. Col Cooper's and Senator Car
mack's weapons. both of the same calioer.
are as far away from the record ana the
jury as they were before the trial was
begun.
| 1t was through the testimony of NJ w.
| Cole the young emplOye of the Baptist
Publishing House here. that the state
made its startling move against the de,
| Tense 1t caught the defense aback and
that the seriousness of the implication
was realized was shown by the terrlnc
| grilling which was visited upon Cole
when he fell into the hands of counsel
| for cross-examination.
Bullet Holes in the Poles.
Cole swore that he visited the scene
of the alleged assassination November lo
last and found a bullet hole in the
| northern side of the northernmost of
pair of telephone poles, at the foot or
! which Senator Carmack dropped dead.
Besides this hole, he said. he found IN
the eastery edge of the pole scar
where a bullet had passed its course
| having been from the north to the south
| ward.
Col. Cooper's position on the sidewalk
| in eth avenue where the killing took
place, has been fixed by the testimony
| in the case as having been eight or ten
feet to the north of the two telephone
poles Robin Coopers is fixed by testi-
| mony as having been to the south oil
| both poles
Father and son were facing each other
The wound in Robin Cooper s neck was on
| the right side and the bullet entered
| from the front just above the collarbone
1t may be ina agined that the authoritfs
discovered what Cole did and that the
telephone pole has been preserved and
alton Of his testimony. That Is not So
| Things are not done after this fashion IN
Nashville and Davidson county, Tenn
The company which owned the pole
sold 1t a few days after the tragedy to
man who said he wanted to cut 1t up
and sell the pieces for "souvenirs." Moth
| ing ever has been seen of the souvenirs
| in this city. There Is an impression
| abroad that the pole has been lost in
maze of fiction which has swallowed a
good many other things having bearing
on the killing of Senator Carmack
About That Scabbard.
Next in importance to the Cole testi-
mony was that which disclosed how W.
H. Washington and w. M. Meeks of
counsel for the defense first discovered
the rubber pistol scabbard which was
| found suddenly Wednesday in Senator
Carmack's right-hand overcoat. TO the
surprise of everybody. even including the
persons who had had the garment under
lock and key since the killing. Attorney
General McCarn concealed his feelings
poorly during the time he was spreading
the evidence Of 1.-The discovery on the
| record and left little to the imagination
of anybody in the courtroom.
When Attorney General McCarn an
nounced that the state rested, upon the
granted the defense an adjournment until
Saturday morning. Mr.. Anderson said the
defense needed the two days in order to
prepare themselves.
Mill Murray, bookkeeper for Doris
Karsch & Co, yesterday told how
Washington and Meeks, representing
| themselves as attorneys for the defen-
| dants, visited the undertaking establish
| ment a few days after the application
| for bail had been denied and asked to
be shown Senator Carmack's clothing.
"Mr. Washington put on the overcoat,
said Murray. Il was next to him. He
twisted around and pointed out the bull
let hcles. but before he did that he ran
his hands into the pockets. When he
pulled out his right hand he held it open
and In 1t was that scabbard.
He and Mr.. Meeks didn't seem to
know what it was. They asked me what
one on whom it dawned that it was pis-
tol scabbard. l told them what 1t was.
Mr.. Washington put tine scabbard back
in the pocket and that was all
Robins Pistol in Evidence.
Robert Vaughan, the policeman who ar
rested the Coopers. Identified the Colt au-
tomato 80 caliber pistol he had received
as that Of Robin Cooper
Papa gave him my gum" Vaughan
testified Robin Cooper said when he enter
ed the room.
The revolver carries nine cartridges
Six unexploded cartridges, the bullets in
which compared to the two taken from
Senator Carmack's body. were in the en-
velope in the custody of the clerk
An empty cartridge, found by Police
man Vaughan later, near the scene of
the killing. was identified as similar in
every respect to the unexploded ones
taken from Robin Cooper's pistol
Policeman Vaughn also told of being
given a revolver found by Lieut.. Win
ston Pitcher close to the right hand OF
Senator Carmack.
Here is Carmacks pistol" he testified,
Pitcher said he had handed him the wea-
pom. In the pistol there were two empty
and three loaded cartridges
G. F. Cole, connected with the Baptist
Publishing House. testified as to two
bullet scars In one of the telephone poles,
but became hopelessly confused under the
sharp cross-examination of Judge Ander-
son.
Did Colonel Wound Son.
II the contention sought to be proven
through this witness by the state ma
terializes 1t will indicate that six or sew
en- shots were fired during the duel and
lays the foundation for a theory by the
state that after Senator Carmack was
killed. Col. Cooper himself wounded his
son.
Immediately after the converting of
court yesterday afternoon Judge Hart de-
livered a lecture to the audience We'd
nesday there was a slight Kissing at one