Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-07-06
SENSATIONS AT
 AUSTIN HEARING
Names of Many Prominent Men Men, toned in Bawdy House Case-Jury Could Not Agree-SecOnd
 Hearing Today.


 tors present that in size almost equaled that which gathered before local bulletin-boards on the day of the Jeffries-Johnson fight, and while sensational developments came thick and fact, a preliminary hearing was given Mrs. R. l.. Austin, of No. S19 East Third avenue, yesterday before Magistrate J. A. Frazier. She was charged with conducting a bawdy house and in view of the fact that City Attorney Sorrells, who raided her home after the officers declared that they were unable to gather evil dence that would warrant the arrest of Mrs. Austin had predicted sensa- tions, the crowd was larger than ex- pected. After the case was fought stubbornly throughout the day, the jury of eleven men hung and were finally discharged after being unable to reach verdict. It was stated au- thoritively that nine of the jurors
 
 conviction. Another hearing will take place today before Magistrate Fraz- fer.
 Although City Attorney Sorrells de- clared that he had requested Prose- cutting Attorney Jones and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Creed Caldwell f ip refused to do so. When MT. Sorrells asked Magistrate Frazier why the state prosecutor was not present he was informed that Judge Jones had declined to prosecute the woman on the mere affidavit of Mir. Sorrells, but that he would not do so unless shown sufficient proof to back up the charge that Mrs. Austin was operating a bawdy house. City Attorney Sorrells then openly declared that Prosecutor Jones and his deputy, MT. Caldwell, were receiving weekly fees from fines from keepers of immoral resorts and that, he said, probably explained. their absence. Mr. Sorrells began his side Of ths case in bombastic manner, during which he passed the "lie" to Attorney T. Havis Nixon, who defended Mrs. Austin, and it was quickly passed
 back to him. The lawyers engaged
 in several tilts, being called to order
 and finally fined s5 each by Judge
 Frazier. MT. Sorrells finally apolo-
 glzed to the court, declaring that he often let his temper get away with ! him and that unless he let it come
 out, he would explode T guess its
 a kind of insanity" he said, ''but
 can't stop it.
 A motion was filed by Attorney Nix. Il on, asking that the prosecutor be re. e quired to file a bond for costs, bu l. he withdrew the motion after Attor. e ney Sorrells asked for a continuance y with view to guaranteeing the
 costs. MT. Nixon said he wanted the r, case to go to trial
 n During the taking of testimony Mrs = Emil Herscher, Emil Herscher, Mrs a Julia Hall, G. w. Lovejoy, B. H. Leh. y man, Mrs. E. H. Lehman, Wilber,
 Johnson, Chief Stanley, City Detective S Dave Glover and Patrolman James t Hargrove were heard Mrs. Halls = testimony was the most sensational t Many of the witnesses live in the 0 block with Mrs. Austin. Mrs. Hall
 called the names of many prominent : men of this city, among whom are
 some prominent in church circles. . whom she says she saw go into the l Austin house at different times. She f implicated several of those in the 3 court room, but Attorney Nixon sum- g moned every man mentioned and s brought forth some testimony to show that the house had been visited by : them purely on business missions. One of the business men mentioned
 by Mrs. Hall is out of the city and another could not be found by the off, cer with the summons. Mrs. Hirsch- CT and other witnesses told of fre- quent visits of men to the Austin home. but in only one instance was any evidence brought out by MT. Sor- rells to show that any immoral con- duct had been recorded there and Mrs. , Austin was not shown to have known 7 of it.
 : Witnesses said Mrs Austin had sev- eral women at her home at different times. The police declared that al- : though they had frequently gone through the house, they could never find anything that would justify an arrest. Automobiles and carriages were frequently seen in the neighbor- hood. The witnesses in almost every instance declared that the Austin home was often referred to as an im- moral place, but none of them were able to give any nOSitive evidence to