The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-13
MAYOR WARD FOUND GUILTY OF CHARGE Lots of Fun At Mock Trial
 Last Night WAS FULL OF LOCAL HITS We'll Known People Figured In Affair Arranged Under the Auspices of
 the Birmingham
 Y. M. c. A.
 


 last night of tampering with the affec- tions of Mrs. Jerusha Rug Perkins. a. sod widow and was sentenced to marry Miss Jerusha Ray Perkins, the neice of the plaintiff within five days Judge A, A. Coleman sprung the sen- sation of the night when he summoned the prosecuting attorney, Col. A. V. New ton, before him, charged him with leading the jury to a blind tiger, and sentenced him to marry the fair plaintiff within 30 days
 There was a big crowd at the triai. given under the auspices of the Young Mems Christian association, and the laughter continued from the very begin ming. Local hits were so numerous that they would be hard to recount, and ev- cry one of the participants came off with honor.
 After court had been convened and the jury organized with the following gen tlemen, R. M. Goodall, R. w. Ewing T. H. Johnson G. H. Estes, R. L. Cross. w. H. Manly, W. H. Maxim, Dr. B. D. Sibley, w. H. Stockham, M. P. Phillips, Ben T. Head, Jelks H. Cabaniss, Colonel Newton called the plaintiff, Mrs. Jerusha Rug Perkins, which part was taken by Miss Donald Seals, to the stand She told how she had become enamored with MT Ward when he saved her from the jaws Of a terrible tiger, that since that time he had made violent love to her, and had been especially attentive at meal times. being very tender on tenderloin steak. could talk intelligenty about the weather. and had expressed need for money. She described the love scene, and several times the attorneys had to brace up the Mayor with water and fresh air. while, upon her declaration of her awful disap- pointment when he jumped through the window and never returned, the jury went into tears. He said I was good enough to eat. Eating was always on his mind"
 Ed Easy Wheeler was the next wit. ness. He had forgotten whether he was married or not and said that he had boarded at Mrs. Perkins hash house, and had once found the Mayor with Mrs. Perkins in his arms. In fact, he at tributed the Mayors success to the fact that he embraces every opportunity and makes the waist places pleasant
 Miss Virginia Means, as Matilda May flower told of similar experience she had with the Mayor, and said that she had accepted him. q never could resist A bargain and when he proposed he looked so cheap" She also witnessed his love scene with the plaintiff
 Attorney Leadbeater opened the defense with the defendant, Mayor George Bll- liken Ward. Mayor Ward claimed tbst he was engaged to marry Miss Jerusha Ray Perkins. the neice of the widow. lie admitted having written letters. but said they were intended for the niece who had the same initials, and that Will son Brown had composed the poetry.
 The Mayor declared that he had sent , his love missves to Miss Perkins in pack < ages of sugar to prevent Mrs. Perkins interference, but that she continually tried to butt in He said that the only way be could get young Jerusha alone was to sit up until very late one night with the widow and thus tire her out so that he could have his love alone to him. self the next night There was consd- erable laughter when he described the manner in which Mrs. Perkins threw her arms around his neck and cried, "Oh. George, I am yours!
 Asked if he would be willing to mar ry the plaintiff he replied, NO, not if shc were the last woman on earth. I want to marry sunf1ower, something thatll shut up at night"
 Miss Jerusha Perkins the fiance of the Mayor said, He's the lovelest man I pr ha al shows and described her troubles with her aunt The defense made an effort to prove monomania by the introduction of Dr. B. G. Copeland, who testified that the plaintiff was suffering from all sorts of craziness. He said she had even made love to him.
 William Foxy Pritchard, an undertaken. testified to the Mayors angelic character. He said that last August he met John l.. Parker. who wanted to take him to dog fight in Judge Hundleys back yard, that he saw Louis Pizitz Louis Saks, Dr. Dozer, the judge and nearly all of the jury there. Dick Burnett's yellow pup was fighting Walker Percy's brindle bull The fight was broken up by F. e. Bowman's accidentally drop ping bottle into the ring, the contents of which would break up any dog fight. MT. Bowman said Brooks Lawrence gave it to him." Returning home he met George who almost went crazy, having mistaken Pritchard for Widow Perkins.
 Attorney Lawrence c. Leadbeater made very brilliant argument. In the course of his address he called attention to the fact sthat the plaintiff had been forced to send out of the state to get an attor- ney, "even B. M. Allen wouldn't take the case.'' He said that since the case came up, the bachelors had been trying to leave town, had become very much excited. and he read telegrams from B. M. Allen, John W. Stagg, H. P. Hefin and others, expressing sympathy for the defendant.
 Col. A. V. Newton by his eloquent pros- ecution, won the day. Colonel Newton js the originator of the trial. and directed it. He was highly congratulated on It's success.
 Judge Coleman charged the jury to pay no attention to any of the evidence but to decide the case on their own experi- ence. After visiting a blind tiger they returned the verdict.