Evening star., 1909-03-10
GARNER SHOWS PITY
Blames Coopers, However, for
Sufferings of Family.
FALSE SYMPATHY DENIED
Attorney Generals Argument Draws
Big Crowd to Trial.
BARS JUDGES WAY TO BENCH
Passage Made by Court officials.
Suppresses Laugh Caused by His
Facetious Comment.
SYMPATHY DENIED
BARS JUDGES WAY TO BENCH

NASHVILLE. Tenn, March 1870
dense was the throng inside the bar to-
day in the trial of the Coopers and J. D.
Sharp for the murder of f.. w. Carmack
that Judge Hart could not reach the
bench from his chamber until two depu-
ties opened a narrow path.
He mounted the bench and said:
Ladies and gentlemen 1 am glad to
see you here this morning, and sorry
there are not more of you. AS said be-
fore. there must be no demonstration.
If you follow my orders everything will
be lovely. If you do not we will fall
out right away
A laugh followed the judges remarks
He raped for order
AS one lawyer remarked half of Maury
county came to Nashville to hear Attorney
General Gamers argument for the state.
Ihat Is Gamers home county and the
young lawyer is popular there
Few got into the courtroom, however,
and those only on cards issued by Gar
ner The rest of the visitors had cards,
too, but the walls refused to stretch. So
they sat on the sidewalk outside and
caught now and then few sentences.
Gen. Gamers Argument.
Gen. Garner in beginning his argu-
ment, said:
Il feel the same pride and gratifica-
ton at representing the people of the
great state that l always do in prose-
cutting a criminal. At the same time.
have never tried case that there was
not some humanity manifested on the
side Of the defense that called forth
some cause for regret
In this case there is the same hu-
manlty that exists in all cases.
The position of the defendants in
this case is not so different that the
hearts of those who love them suffer
any more than the loved ones of de-
PENDANTS who are lower in the social
scale. And 1 do not say that the loved
ones of these defendants do not suf-
fer.
My sympathy goes out to them
though 1t may not be appreciated, and
regret that it is my duty to prosecute
| say this because 1 want you to be-
lieve that what 1 say here is said from
u sense of duty.
Since time was the innocent have had
to suffer tenfold with the guilty. These
defendants alone bear the blame for
making their own dear ones suffer.
But the saddest part of this case to
my mind Is that the lips of the man
they so cruelty murdered cannot respond
and reply to the cruel ISLANDERS.
Meeks Analyses Evidence.
terday was an analysis of the evidence of
the more important witnesses. Toward
the close he quoted court decisions bearing
on certain cases to support the conten-
tions of the defense
He said the evidence clearly demonstrat-
ed that there was no conspiracy to MUIR
der, and that the testimony proved the
innocence of the defendants and their
right to plead self-defense and have YER
dict of mot guilty rendered.
Mr.. Meeks said that all the evidence
showed that Mr.. Carmack had fired the
first shot, and that Robin Cooper shot to
defend himself and his father Col
Cooper had not fired a single shot.
Closing his address Mr.. Meeks said the
defendants had been before the jury and
their lives had been laid bare. He paid
high tribute to Robin Cooper, who, he
said, had not only done everything he
himself could do to avert the trouble, but
he had also used other influences to that
end
When he saw his father in trouble he
went to his aid, as any good son would
have done. Standing on the sidewalk
without a pistol in his hand. he was fired
upon by Mr.. Carmack, and. drawing his
pistol, he then defended himself