The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-20
Judge Attempts Peace makers Role. BUT THE WHITE DOVE
 tFLEW OUT OF WINDOW John B. Tatum is Acquitted at
 Wetumpka. h the Case of Will Tatum the SoIic- itor Entered NoI Prosse- Something of the History
 of the Roy-Tatum
 Eeud.
BY CHAS. l.. HAROLD.


 Wetumpka, March 19.-(Special J. Unusual scenes followed the verdict of the jury this morning in the now fa- s nous Roy-Tatum case. Immediately after the foreman brought In the ver- dict Judge w. w. Pearson read the words that made John B. Tatum a free man and asked the States counsel what would be done in the case of Will Ta- tum. the son of the elder Tatum, charg- ed also with assault with intent to murder. The judge was told that the &tate In the younger Tatum case would take a nolle prosse.
 Thereupon Judge Pearson arose from his seat with the introductory remark that he was going to do some ething Ire rarely undertook at the end of a trial. The court house was thronged with close adherents of the Roy and Tatum factions. All was attention. Many of the more demonstrative followers of both sides drew near the inner railing of the court room.
 \ "Gentlemen. I want to say to you that MT. Roy was cut in this fight" began the Judge. T would not say this were not the trial concluded and mol prosse had not been taken in the Will Tatum case. Somebody cut Roy and 1t does seem more reasonable to believe that Tatum did the cutting than that someone else did 1t in the
 
 Continuing his statement, Judge Pearson warned the citizens of Elmore County to be more careful of their peace. He admonished them that the teud between Roy and Tatum had grown to such proportions and inten- sity that 1t might, if not stopped, equal the feuds that ragged in Tennessee and Kentucky. It was very evident that the judges purpose was to reconcile the belligerent parties in the trial that E drew more than an hundred witnesses from various parts of Autauga and Fillmore counties and consumed all of Thursday and part of Thursday night getting the case to the jury. It IS decidedly the bitterest legal battle has coupled the boards of this in<many a year.
 Met nt Picnic.
 Tatum and MT. Roy, already nemies. met at Masonic picnic ir 5sville last summer They were the meat table, near the t, when Tatum, according Iony, approached Mir. Roy a few words. It was said to fill Mir. Roy's basket for The next thing noticed by -sses for Mir. Tatum was a smash . Q blow by MT. Roy into the face of ps foe. It was said he was knocked {7o the ground and that Roy piled on him with further blows when, accord ing to witnesses for Mir. Roy. MT. Ia tum began using hastily drawn knife with very bloody and damaging re- {sults. Also there were witnesses that Testified to MT. Tatum striking the Zfrst blow.
 It was not the first time that the Antagonists were said to have clashed. &They have quarreled over land titles Hand land surveys They have fought Tout differences in justice courts. But l., ktl 1.-the battle with a much bruised brow Awhile MT. Roy was taken away bleed- Eing freely with knife wounds in his Ibody. These were afterwards sewed lup and very soon the sufferer of the Knife stabs drew up his loins for the legal tilt. He began preparations for the grand arbitration of their feud in the court which met this week at this place, with an already congested dock let. People of long residence in We ttumpka say that the crowds attending Icourt have never equalled the throngs of this term. The concourse was due to the dual interest in the Roy-Tatum ease and the Allen trial.
 Following the dove of peace and love which Judge Pearson tried to turn loose In the dense throng of the court room there was an overture of friend ship from the victorious Tatum side of the house. The hint was given by MOnfOe HOLY TOT the QeIenSe paat Mir. Tatum was in a conciliatory hood. that he wanted to make up" The Judge thought, evidently, that here was the chance for a coup of the bench. He spoke of a Man once on earth who oppressed a willingness to even for give and love his enemies, whose name was Jesus Christ"
 At this juncture there was a twitter bf voices as counsel for MT. Roy beg ,ed leave of the court for his client
 To make a statement Impressed that 1t was to be a furtherance of the peace plans, Judge Pearson nodded his EMonsent. All ears were pricked for kkhe words of the wealthy old Fillmore County resident. MT. Roy is a.. tall nan of heavy build, who wore on~this occasion a stylish crop of black whis- kers that gave him a distinctly Castil- an air.
 But the first words had not well left
 he mouth of MT. Roy before the puta-
 Hive dove flew disconsolately from the
 cene. The speaker, as the crowd drew
 dangerously near the railing of the Inner bar. breathed hostility Instead
 if love. He started into recitation
 his relations with MT. Tatum that
 an through many years Such mar
 atives did MT. Tatum no good what
 yer in the estimation of the audience.