The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-05-20
FOURTHDAYOF TRIAL
Congressman Stephens on the
Stand Reiterates
Charges.
JUDGE ". P. BYNUM TESrIFIES

Declares That ex-Judge Adams Said
He Made s25, 900 In GOAL Land
Deal-Adams. at Former Hearing.
Having Declared That He Made No
Money Outside Of His SALARY
4 Fourth Day Of Trial In Which
Judge Adams Was Suing for Al
legged Libel.
(By Andrew Joyner. In Raleigh News
and Observer
Greensboro, n. c., April 3.-win
Judge Adams have a warrant charg-
Ing libel issued and served on Con-
sressman Stevens, who on the floor
of Congress In February of last year
made a speech in which he charged
corruption of the court of which Ad-
ans was Chief Justice, and for the
publication of extracts from this
speech Marion Butler and Lester But
Ter, as reputed editors of The Cau-
casian, which printed these charges,
are now on trial here for criminal
libel of Judge Adams? Stevens had
given deposition strongly criticising
the court, and this deposition was
read last night, but the court would
not permit the speech delivered by
Stevens to be introduced as evidence.
This morning when court opened
there was a fine-looking man sitting
by the side of Mr.. Justice of counsel
for defendants, and 1t proved none
other than Judge Stevens himself,
here in person to give evidence as to
what he had denounced as cruel
wrongs upon the Indians practiced by
the court of which Judge Adams was
Chief Justice.
When sworn as a witness, Judge
) Stevens was not permitted to testify
as to matters related in the deposi-
ton, but he did not hesitate to say
that as head of the Indian Claims
Committee in Congress for the past
twelve years the creation of the Citi-
zenship Court was an outrage on the
rights of the Indians, and the action
) of the court general public scandal.
Judge Stevens, being under the juris-
diction of the court, and having origi-
nally uttered the charges of corrup-
ton against the court, it is being
ispeeulated that before he leaves here.
: either Judge Adams Of Judge Weav-
er, who is yet present, may have him
arrested for criminal libel.
/ Defense Closes Case.
II The defense closed it's case about
noon to-day and the State began at
once with the reading of copies of the
records of the court, in which evil
dence was taken as to the value of
the services rendered the Indian
tribes by their attorneys, Mansfield,
McMurray and Cornish, in fixing their
fee. 1t was expected that Judge
Adams himself would be the first wit
ness, but it was not so.
Before the defense closed its case,
the testimony of Judge Bynum that
Adams, soon after returning from
Oklahoma told him that he had just
cleared twenty-five thousand dollars
in a coal land purchase deal, and that
he was then worth fifty thousand
dollars, created something of a sensa-
tion, in view of Judge Adams testi-
mony before the magistrates court
that he had made no money outside
of his regular salary and practice.
The testimony of ex-Congressmar
: Hackett and ex-Congressman Hemp
s hill, of South Carolina, that Adams
character in Washington and Okla.
$ homa was bad, also produced an i'm
t preston. Several depositons were
q read from parties in Oklahoma, and
;, in every instance the character of the
: court for honesty of opinions was Civ
d en- a bad name.
L 1t is clear from the evidence giver
e by the defense that it hopes to escap'
g conviction by convincing the jur.
:. that in publishing charges against th'
e court and Judge Adams in particular
), months after Stevens speech in Con
gress and weeks after other paper
i had published these charges, it wa
l. justified in doing so. When the who'll
Oklahoma atmosphere was permeat
II ed with these charges against tn
;. court of partiality for the law firI
!. which reaped all the harvest of fee
l. and kept four thousand Indian claim
d ants of the rolls by reason of decis
- ions of the court.
Adams on Stand.
j. After introducing several witness
=, es who gave Judge Adams goo
ID character. the prosecution this after
a. noon introduced Judge Adams who's
n direct evidence was a full recital {
his official acts in Oklahoma. II
bitterly denounced Butler and CAV
a history of Buffers fight on him la;
year when he was seeking re-electio
m as State Chairman, declaring that a
lgI ter Butler had been unable to Undue
se him by threats to retire, he publish
ID ed the scandalous articles complaine
n of in The Caucasian just week pr
n ceding the State Convention.
Adams denied positively every In
g. peaching statement made in the var
he Gus dispositions and dramatically a
ne serted he had never received di
IT. honest dollar in his life. explainir
nd his statement to Judge Bynum TIL
If he had made a great deal Of mon.
As In a coal deal, he said Judge Bynu
". must have misunderstood him. sin
he was trying to promote big CO