The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-18
There Are Also Bitter Quar- reIS Between Attorneys In
 Famous Case
WAS GREAT FIELD DAY
 FOR THE PROSECUTION
Testimony Tends To Show That There Was a Conference and Conspiracy To Kill E. w. carmack.
 Three Women On Stand.

Nashville, February 17.=Marked by bitter quarrels between attorneys and by new and startling testimony the second day of the Cooper Sharp trial for the murder of former Senator Car mack closed tonight with the state highly elated and the defense visibly perturbed. The tension between the factions has frightened visibly, too. This Is indicated in the court room by bit ter passages between opposing counsel and outside by more bitter talk by partisans. While it was clearly a field day for the prosecution, it must be remembered that the testimony was given by the states witnesses only and that the defense Is yet to be heard from. Nevertheless. there is no gain saying the fact that It was a field day for the prosecution.
 There were three star witnesses and all of them women. Miss Mary Skef- fngton, the state librarian and young woman of excellent position socially. was the first. She told how on the day of the murder she left the state H.
 brary and walked down Seventh ave nue when within 200 feet of the scene of the shooting, she met John Sharp,
 one of the defendants. whom she had known for 10 or 12 years. Just as she
 greeted him, she heard three shots and asked Sharp what it meant. Without
 turning around to learn, she says Sharp replied
 That's Dune Cooper shooting Sena- | tor Carmack." -a
 Result of Conspiracy.
 By the second. witness. Miss Daisy i Lee. the state laid. the foundation upon
 which it will base it's contention that 1 the staying of Carmack was the result
 of conspiracy. Miss Lee is a ste-
 nographer in the office of James Brad
 ford one of the attorneys for the de-
 fense Robin Cooper had his oHice
 with Bradford's law firm. Miss Lee,
 trembling with fright and almost sick
 with worry, told how on the morning of November g, the day of the tragedy,
 when she arrived al the office she found Colonel Cooper already there in conference with his son. She heard the colonel denounce Carmack for us-
 ing his (Cooper's) name and declare
 he had a right to protect himself
 Later she heard Colonel Cooper apply ito him (Carmack) epithets so vile thac she cried when ordered to repeat them. | The court permitted her. to write them and when they were read, she covered her face with her hands.
 Miss Lee then told how, at 8 D. m, there began a conference in Bradford's office between the two Coopers Bradford and Adjutatt General Pulley Brown of the state guard, This conference lasted
 until D. m., when it broke up and the l 1Aft I fl11, 4I,o
 was look of worry and trouble on the boys face that she had never seen there before Miss Lees duty, among othe- things. was to answer the telephone. There are desk extensions into the pr-
 vate offices of members of the firm. It was her custom to answer the telephone
 and call by an electric button such mem bers of the firm as were wanted. The telephone bell itself was in none of these
 offices. A half an hour after the Coop CTS left the office the telephone rang, and as usual Miss Lee answered 1t. She heard a voice say: "Is that you, Jim?" and heard Attorney Bradford say: Yes
 Cooper Talks Over Phone.
 She hung up the receiver, but not be- fore she recognized the, voice as that of Colonel Cooper A moment later she heard Bradford say over the telephone:
 And did Robin kill him? Well, I'll be right up there?' She insisted that Brad ford was not In the habit of answering the telephone unless called by her It appeared to be the intent of the state to have the jury believe that a confer ence to say Carmaclx was held, and that the killing resulted from this confer ence. --..@.-asss=
 The third witness was Miss Donie Brax- ter, maid in the service of Mrs. Lucius Burch, a daughter of Colonel Cooper, with whom he made his home The wit hAar a al fN f,,ta Burch home about noon the day of the ! tragedy and heard him tell Mrs. Burch something that greatly excited the young wife. She heard Mrs Bureh say: He will kill you, papa and the fathers | reply, He Is as liable to be killed as I am." Whatever followed caused Mrs. Burch to become hystercal.. l The defense made little effort to cross examine these witnesses except in a most perfunctory manner, and court adjourned with the testimony of the states wit i nesses practically unassailed. Relatives Attend. l The defendants were attended in court l by their relatives as usual, and Mrs Car l mack was again supported to her seat be- i hind counsel for the state. She seemed 1 as weak as on yesterday and rested her l head on her sisters shoulder. She kept
 her heavy veil down over her face. The states first witness was J. w. Smith, an insurance agent. who corrobo- 1 rated the testimony of Hugh Morton that l John D. Sharp had cursed Carmack just i before the senatorial contest in 1905 On cross examination Smith asked if the remark. That the country would be bet ter off if CarmaclS was dead and in hell 20 years ago" had not been made before Governor Patterson was born as pol- tician.
 Well" said Smith, "he (Patterson) was just beginning to bob up"
 The state objected to any reference to Governor Patterson and was substanti- ated.
 The next witness was l.. A. Welch q
 barber at the Tulane hotel. who shaved