The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-12
MAY VEARTH SE50ND CRIME " 5terious Murder of : Mrs. King. CLANT0N TRIAL SATURDAY Mrs. Pope Will Be Arraigned in
 Court. Omcers Declare That Another Person May Have Been Killed In the Little Cottage Near Monte-
 VallO,
TRIAL SATURDAY

| breath the hearing of Mrs. Hattie Pope l and Warren Wood. charged with the 1 murder of Mrs. Mary Ann King. the aged mother of the woman.
 The hearing will be held in the Chil- | ton County court house. Saturday | morning at 9 o'clock and fully 500 per- | sons will be gathered in the room, when the case Is called. by Probate
 Judge L. H. Reynolds.
 Rumors of a still deeper mystery are
 being circulated here. and 1t Is expect ed that some of these will be gone into
 at the hearing. The finding of an old. | bloody garment in the bottom of | trunk at the King home. has started reports that the murder of Mrs. King
 was not the first which had been per- petrated within the walls of the little | cottage. seven miles from Montevailo. A prominent Chiffon County official.
 after visit to the scene of the crime.
 says he has heard rumblings of mys- tery in connection with the death of Mrs. Pope's first husband. The officer
 says that 1t Is just being brought to light that Mrs. Pope has been married twice. and that the neighborhood have never been able to account for the dis appearance of the first husband. It has just been learned that among the objects found in the trunk of Mrs Pope. when the bloody garment and knife were unearthed. was an old coat.
 This coat was carefully wrapped up in
 8 piece of cloth and when the bundle was opened 1t was found from the creased and general condition. that it
 had not been undone for many years This coat bore evidence of ill-usage and a great snag in the back has caused the officers to say that 1t was
 worn by some one who had been foul- ly dealt with and this supposition. the
 officers claim, is borne out by the fact that the coat Is dotted with blood spots.
 Will Exhibit Cost. This coat is to be put on exhibition at the trial here Saturday, when an l effort Is to be made to have Mrs. Pope explain how 1t came to be within her trunk and the significance attached to l the blood stains and the snag. The authorities say that they cannot sec why the coat should have been pre- served, evidently for many years. it | 1t had any connection with crime. but the fact that 1t was found. following the murder of the aged woman. has led l to the rumors of a previous crime. Sheriff Catts still believes that the woman prisoner is guiltless of the crime Monday the officers went to Mrs Pope at time when she was giv- ing way to her grief 9ecause her hus-
 band had come for the infant which
 she had brought to jail with her, and
 told her for the first time that her blood-stained clothing had been found in the trunk with the knife. which had
 been used in slashing the throat of the aged victim. Mrs Pope, it Is said. never whimpered at the reported dis
 covery of the gruesome evidence
 against her, but still stoutly denies that she had any connection with the crime.
 Warren Wood, who is being held as an accomplice of Mrs. Pope in the mur-
 der, is showing but little concern. He
 says he cannot see any reason why hu
 should be held as there Is apparently no evidence against him.
 Representative Middleton has been
 retained as a lawyer by Mrs. Pope and
 the bitterest legal battle in Chilton's
 history Is expected to result It has
 been rumored that the defendants would waive a hearing at the prelim- mary, but 1t was announced today that the case would be fully gone into Sat- urday morning.
 The Trial Saturday.
 The nature of the case is such that 1t Is hardly likely that all the evidence
 will be heard in one days time. The attorneys have made arrangements with Probate Judge Reynolds to call the case promptly at o'clock so that all the time possible can be utilized In hearing the evidence and anticipating a lengthy session. plans have been made for the holding of court far into the night.
 The counsel for the accused woman assert that the battle for the defense will be a stubborn one, and Represent alive Middleton is quoted that he does not believe that Mrs. Pope will ever bs convicted by Chiffon County jury on the circumstantial evidence which has been gathered by the defense.
 Mrs Pope, 1t is stated, Is prominently connected. having some brothers who are well-to do. She has always borne A good reputation among the milling settlement until the present trouble was reported.
 There are many mysterious phases of the case yet to be solved by the au- thorities It has not been determined whether the murderer or murderers had time to dig the grave before the commission of the crime or afterward. although now the supposition is that the grave was not dug until after the aged woman had been slain and that 1t was done with an object of hiding evidence of the crime. but for some reason this was abandoned.
 The undergarments worn by Mrs. Pope. if she was guilty of the murder. have not been found. The officials say that blood must have soaked through the cotton dress to the garments be- meath. but as yet these have not been located. These and other mysterious incidents are expected to make the hearing Saturday the most Interesting in the history of Chiffon County.