The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1909-06-24
NOT GUILTY AS CHARGED
The Jury Acquits Webb Huitt of the
Charge OF First Degree Murder
for Killing OF James Blount.

Nuh COItiUueu OU SutuTuHN III O'OV
O'Clock IA. m, by the jury returning
n verdict Of not guilty, after about
FIVE and one-half hours deliberation.
The taking Of the testimony began
at ! O'Clock Thursday afternoon,
and on the part of the State tended
to prove about the following:
That Blount and Huitt had had
some financial differences, growing
out of gambling debt; that on the
evening of the killing Blount and
Huitt settled their differences by
Huitt signing n note for his debt;
that later In the evening, about .
O'Clock, Hultt entered game at
the solicitation of BlOunt, and the
game proceeded uneventfully until
about 1880 p. M, when Blount
dealt the cards and Huitt objected
to the cards being dealt without
some one first "cutting them"
whereupon Blount became insulted
and began to abuse Huitt, and used
toward him "the yilest language
and bitterest oaths ever heard" ," and
continued to do SO; that the hand
dealt by Blount resulted in Blount
winning the "jack pot" that another
hand had been dealt, and Hnitt
"opcncd the pot, whereupon Blount
renewed his vile language and rose
from hi, chair and started around
the table toward Huitt, but another
player attempted To stop him, where
upon Huitt drew his gun, and as
Blount "ducked his head Huitt
fired the first shot aud the ball went
through the rim of Blount's hat, on
the left side, struck him in the
shoulder and passed out and inn
bedded itself IN the wall; then Blount
went to .he floor and Huitt shot
again aud the ball entered Blount's
head on the right side and ranged
forward; that Huitt then ran down
stairs and kicked out IA window and
escaped; that Blount lived about
fOrty-five minutes.
The evidence on the part Of the
defendant, brought out by cross-eX-
animation and by direct evidence,
developed about as follows:
That Blount was dangerous
man. that he "drank considerably
that he had for several years been
conducting IA poker divcn mt yari-
Gus points in the Lead Belt; that on
the day OF the killing he had "ntted
up poker dive" in the old Kenmcr
building; that Huitt owed Blount
$G4 on an old poker debt; that Blount
had stated to several of his friends
that he was going to be paid, and to
two others that unless the debt was
paid he would "do Huitt up" or "put
his light OUT that when he dis
liked a person he was n dangerous
man; that this "poker dive" was
conducted in "blind room" with
no outer entrances; that after the
statement by Huitt, challenging the
honesty of Blount's deal, no man
ever used more vile language to-
wards another than Blount did to-
wards Huitt, and that he kept ii up
continuously from then until the
shooting; that as Blount rose from
the table he said to Huitt, "Damn
you, III -" and proceeded to eX-
ecute his threat in deeds rather than
words;" that his partner and one of
his friends tried to quiet him, and
made every effort to stop Blount,
but could not, and that Blount was
making a demonstration as If to
draw gun when Huitt shot; that
when the first shot was fired Blount
was halfway back of one of the
players chair, and desperately an
CRY, cursing all the time, and that
at this time two of his friends inn
plored him not ''to do that" one Of
them saying "My God, Jim, don't
do that" and then It was that Huitt,
believing his life to be in eminent
danger, shot, but missed the first
time, and as quickly as possible
shot again.
The State was represented by Spc-
cial Prosecuting Attorney II. G.
Tucker, former Judge T.. NJ. Dear
ing Of Potosi, and j. B. Burks.
Prosecuting Attorney b. II. Bo-
yer was employed to assist in the
defense some weeks before his nom
ination, and necessarily long before
his election, and therefore could
not, under the laws of our States
prosecute, and for this reason Judge
Sheppard of the 33d Judicial Circuit
appointed Mr., Tucker.
The defendant was represented by
Marbury & Hensley and b. Fl.
Boyer.
The argument began Friday eve