The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-04-28

aDOul thSlr uemeanor. They retired
with colors flying and without a
whimper.
Mr.. Smith automatically told the
reporters who sought to see the ac-
cused that the two convicts were not
IN SUCH a mental state as prompted a
Geslre TO be interviewed. In short,
they did not care to see any news
paper men at that time.
Both Fay and Harris were dressed
today with the quondam neatness and
strict attention to personal appear
ance. Their linen, as on Yesterday.
was immaculate and their clothing
was well creased.
Dandies they both appeared, with
naught about them to suggest their
past careers and naught to suggest
the dreadful fate that had overtaken
them.
Got It Over With Quickly.
The plea of guilty was the SEQUEL
TO some legal maneuvering of q tech
meal sort, whose significance quite
| failed to reach the crowd 1t follow
| ed three motiOns-a motion to uuash
! the indictment, a motion to reject the
Indictment on demurrer. and motion
that the accused be allowed to sever
in their defense.
All three of these motions were
overruled by the court
A motion for the Withdrawal of the
former plea of not guilty, entered 10y
'"c toutt Wuen the prisoners stood
mute some days ago, was allowed
All these tricks, as has been init
mated, were as colloquy in Choctaw
to the onlookers and puzzled them no
little.
But curiosity was not kept long on
! tenterhooks. Once il was decided that
the FORMER plea of not guilty should
be Withdrawn, the accused were re-
arraiSned-that is to say, the long in
dictment once more was read to them.
And then Clerk Joseph p. Brady
demanded to know what said the Dris-
| guilty or not guilty"
No syllable came from the mouth
OF elther man for Lawyer Smith was
quick to arise and ask ten minutes
conference with his clients.
The court didn't quite see why the
conference should take that long, but
nevertheless granted the request And
so the lawyer and the accused retired.
By now the spectators were fully
alive to the fact that something was
about to happen-Something tangible.
The reporters perhaps were the first
to get an inkling of what was coming.
Detective Luther l.. Scherer. stand
ing far off in little conference room
adjoining the hall of Justice held nm
both his chubby fins TO the newspaper
men. This told the story-the ac-
cused had thrown up their hands The
surmise was flashed" to The Journal
office before l o'clock.
me silence Was Painful.
At the expiration of the ten min
utes allowed him Mr.. Smith and his
clients returned. Then there came an
awesome stiffness in the court room
one of those tense moments fraught
with unspeakable significance. one
could have heard pin drop.
Clerk Brady arose and, command
ing the accused to rise. said in a
herce voice: You have heard read
the indictment against you-what's
your plea-guilty or not guilty"
During his brief period the pink in
the face of Fay appeared first in one
spot and then in another. That was
all that revealed his emotions Little
DICK was completely his old self
Guilty" said both men in almost
inaudible voices-voices so low that
Mr. Smith himself repeated the words
so that all could understand.
Then came another little period of
painful silence-perhaps not a min
ute of it-after which Mr. Smith ask
ed the privilege of talking once more
with his clients.
What followed came rapidly. Judge
Waddill. who had probably suspected
the outcome of the trial held a whis-
pered conference with Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Robert II. Tallev.
Doubtless il was about the penalties
10 be inflicted.
Mr.. Talley is not a hard man, but
there was just a little CLINT of salts
faction in his eyes 1t was he who
drew the indictment against the ac-
cused
PROFESSIONALLY his professional
pride had been fiattered earlier in the
day when he heard Harry Smith. one
OF the astutest of lawyers. frankly ad-
NIT that he could detect no flaws in
the indictment. Any young attorney
would have felt just as Mr.. Talley did
under the circumstances.
II must be said in justice to the ac-
cuSed, however desperate and aban-
doned they may be, that nothing in
their bearing today indicated the
slightest resentment towards any Of
those who had directly or indirectly
been the agents of their undoing.
Just before the time came to start
back TO Jail, Fay talked in a most
matter-of-fact way with the Govern
ment postoffice inspectors.
District Attorney Lewis, when ask
ed how the Government was going
to collect the fines against the con-
Victs, smilingly said that Uncle Sam
was not a harsh collector as to
money owing him." He minated
further that this little obligation
would be allowed to sleep in peace.
mo additional punishment is add
ed, said he. where they is nothing
to collect from
1t may be-and probably will be
the case. therefore, that Eddie and
Little Dick" will never pay Uncle
sam BY far the greater part of the
stamps they stole have been recov-
ereG and are now in the Richmond
postotfice, though there is still a
shortage of $4,000 worth or there