The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-03-17
A GREAT SPEECH
Capt. Fltzhugh Opens for State
in Cooper Trial.
Ne SCORES COOPER

and Sharp and Charges Them With
Entering Conspiracy - The
Speech Was q Bitter Arraignment
OF the Defendants, Coupled With
Mastery Presentation Of rgument
Nashville, March S.-The greatest
crush Of people since the trial began
were in attendance this morning to
hear the opening argument in the
case of Col. Duncan B. Cooper, his
son Robin Cooper and John D. Sharp,
whose trial on the charge Of murder
Ing former Senator Edwin ". Car
mack, has entered upon its eighth
and probably final week. Back OF
the table reserved for the prosecu-
tons attorneys, who begin the ar
gunent OF their case today, the crush
was unusually heavy.
Large numbers Of ladies were IN
the crowd, which began to gather
as early as $50 o'clock. By 9
o'clock every bit of available space
in the court room had been taken
and many scores Of people had been
turned away.
It was s:20 o'clock when Capt. G.
T. Fitzhugh, the eloquent Memphis
attorney and long friend of Senator
Carmack, opened the States argu-
ment to the jury. The court room
at this time was crowded to sui
location, every seat being taken and
all the open places were flle6 with
standing spectators.
Captain Fitzhugh began by paying
the customary tribute to the jury
thanking them for their untiring pa,
thence and their uniform courtes!
and attentiTeness.
He then lauded the citizenship Of
the dead man. He dwelt at Length
upon the distinguished service tc
his country Of this son Of Tennes
see. Captain Fitzhugh then defined
malice" to the jury and said j
could arise suddenly, in law and fact
or could be the result Of broodins
"as it has been in this case" ht
added. He told how the DEFENDANT
Colonel Cooper, had been heard ours
ing and threatening Carmack AM
said that this showed the colone
bore malice deep in his heart agains
Carmack.
Captain Fitzhugh declared tha
Colonel Cooper did not kill Senate
Carmack because Of wounded repu
tation, but 'the killed him becaus
of his fear of the truth and his low
Of vengeance"
The speaker asked how it wa
that this mans name could not b
mentioned, this man who had shap
ed the destinies of a State, this mai
who had made politicians, this MAJ
who had pulled the wires. John .
Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan and E. H
Hartman are not ohce-holders, We
they are not going around killin
men who dare to meAtion thei
names IN the paper.
"This man who has -Ajured al
he has ever touched, this lobbyist
this desaulter, this professional poll
tician,' exclaimed Captain Fitzhug
with intense emphasis, puts himsel
on pedestal so high that his nam
may not be mentioned even in
jocular manner"
Capt Fitzhugh took up the editor
rial in order. The first was Octobe
q. In this one Colonel Cooper ha
complained because his name ha
been linked with those of certai
saloon men and gamblers.
The only difference declare
Captain Fitzhugh, clay in the fac
that Colonel Cooper, gambler a
his life, had played for larger stake
and had never paid his debts wit
his killing winnings.
"The editorial of No. g." sal
Captain Fitzhugh, "did not even men
ton his name, yet he took offens
at it because the machine was at
tackled. His attitude, I am the ma
chine; am the State and when yo
strike the machine you strike me-
Where was the offense in that un
less Colonel Cooper was looking fo
it with jaundiced and maliciou
eye?"
Captain Fitzhugh then took U
the editorial of Sunday morning
November 9, across the tIudd
Chasm," and dissected that for tn
jury. "You gentlemen remember,
said Captain Fitzhugh, that I aske
Colonel Cooper to take the editoria
sentence by sentence and point ou
the parts that were offensive an
that he refused to do so, saying
was offensive as whole. Yet tha
morning he wrote the threat, tn
cete. And there is some nlyster
about the notes. Where are the orig
irals? only copies here and cop
Of copy; then he saw Ed. Crai
that night and after he sent tn
message, you or / must die,' b
hatched up pretext to arm himsel
against Carmack. He tells you
gentlemen of the jury, that Ed. Graf;
reported to him that Carmack wa
in an ugly, vicious mood.
ED. Craig says he brought n
such information about Carmack AM
could not have been true