The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-11-26
IN THE POLICE COURT.
An Interesting and Complicated Case
Consumes Much Time.
From The Daily Item Nov. %.

! From The Daily Item Nov. %.
One case came up before Record
r. Wright this morning that occu-
I pied the greater portion of two hours
and took much hard work on the
! part of the Recorder and many Ques-
tions to unravel, for the case was a
, very complicated one and it was only
after a half dozen witnesses had testi-
! we'd that any solution Of the trouble
could be obtained and then it was a
! hard matter to obtain the right one.
Lizzie Mack and Jimmie Ross,
! whose case had been transferred from
yesterday to today, were up on the
charge of disturbance Of the peace
by fighting, cursing and quarreling
on Saturday afternoon about 6 o'clock
on Divine street. Various causes OF
the trouble were given by the various
| witnesses, all Of them concurring in
| the general opinion that it was start
ed when Jimmie tried to make his
wife leave the house in which Lizzie
was visiting and Lizzie curetng him
! while he was on the premises.
| One of the witnesses testified that
dress which Jimmie had given to
Lizzie, thinking her a single woman
| at the time, was the cause Of the
trouble, another that the trouble was
started by Lizzie persuading Jimmie s
wife to go on a cotton picking eXpe-
dition with her, Carrie, Jim's wife
being tired Of selling liquor for him
when he did not divide the profits
with her, still another hinted at the
| trouble being caused by both par
ties being partly under the influence
| Of liquor at the time. 81
All of the witnesses testified as a
starter that they did not know any
| thing at all about the matter, but
when questioned, it was found that
| about the difficulty. One witness
| testified that she had seen the quar-
reling going on so she had closed her
| door in order to prevent herself be-
| ing mixed up in it; another said that
| she was passing along the street
when the quarreling was going on,
but that she had heard cursing, she
had not turned her head or stopped
to see who was doing it. Still anoth-
er testified that he had called to Jim
at the tmie that the quar-
reling was going on and then stated
| a little later that Jim did not know
that he had seen anything of the
! fight until Monday. All of them con-
Cured in the testimony that none of
them had seen any of the others,
but at the same time they all said
that there were so many people pres
ent that they did not know who was
| there. Lizzie, when put on the stand
made an eloquent plea, punctuating
1T with many graceful gestures and
| facial contortions. Jim on the other
hand showed his skill as an amateur
| lawyer, pleading in many cases that
the questions were indescriminating
and showing his agility to cross ques-
| ton a witness.
| The most striking part of the testi-
mony was the statement by one Of
| the witnesses. when asked if she had
| ever been in the Recorders Court
| before, that she had a forgetful
| memory and that she had forgotten.
| Most Of the witnesses it seems had
been up for various offenses, one of
! them having only been released
| from Jail.
When all the witnesses had been
| heard. Mr.. r. D. Epps, representing
Lizzie Mack, asked that the Record
| er be lenient on her as the evidence
| showed Jimmie was the chief offend
| cr, he having struck Lizzie besides
| being the cause of the row.
Recorder meted out punishment
20 both of the offenders Lizzie being
| fined $3.50 and jim $500 for their
| oGerses, telling them at the same
time that the fun that they had en-
| jCyed was worth it.