The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-01-12
ALLEGED SLAYER
Of HALL HEARS
WIDOW ON Stand
NINETEENYEAR.6lD R,,pA
HAS FIRST HEARING ON MUIR.
DER CHARGE.
WHOLE FAMILIES OF WITNESSES
'"'ee 90 Oh steaosThis Morninq to
Lay 6t9eas for the states
css. iGlo sia4 81


Oool and calm and apparently GER
tain OF his final acuuittal r M fpur.,
Lee ~ years old and unmarried held
oF the coroner's jury's verdict as the
murderer of w. c. Gum) Hall on the
night OF Dec. 2S, heard six witnesses
On the stand this morning lay the
groundwork for the States case. Chief
oil these was the widow of the dead
man.
Judge Bolton presided at the prelim-
mary hearing, District Attorney Hall
conducting the examination, with
Judge Slubbs, of Collins, for the de.
Tense. The hearing is being held in
the Police Court and over 200 crowded
the place 1t took an hour to put the
two score Of witnesses under oath and
get the case started. Whole families
were represented among the bunch of
witnesses and half of the neighborhood
where the killing occurred. are in
court
Widow And Children.
Chief among the States witnesses
are the widow, woman of 40 years,
dressed in black, Mary Jane, the 10
yearold daughter who was with her
father when he was shot and who
also was shot in the left hip near the
hip-bone. the bullet coming out in
front near the knee willard, the 49,
yearold son and three smaller chill
dren. Mary, William and Henry, All
were in court. Mrs. Lotion, a widow
friend Of Mrs Hall, is also in attend
ance.
First Witness.
Following the arraignment to which
Lee pleaded mot guilty" in clean
voice Coroner Farley was called and
told of finding the body and the work
of the jury, of the bullet wound and
distances between the place of killing,
Halls home and the city. He said 1t
was about miles to Halls home from
the city.
W. E. Weaver, a watchman at
Gums mill heard five pistol shots
on the night of the killing fired in
rand succession. He had not gone to
the place. Heard of the killing from
two bows at 2 o'clock next morning,
Mack Wedgeworth was called. He
had married Mrs. Halls sister. He
heard of the shooting at midnight, but
did NOT go TO the place until the next
mornjne. Levi and Joe Lee, two
brothers of Mrs. Hall, were at MS
borse that night. Joe went to the
scone Of the tragedy and Levi to help
} oet the sheriff. He knew of no hard
r faolino between Hall and his brothers
in.law
Nathan Lee was called. He saw
tbe hody at 2 o'clock. Accompanied
Mrs Hall and others to the place.
n,rs Hall had first come TO his house
For holm He identified cartridge
shell As like one of the three empty
ond ono loaded shells picked up near
~, hodv He thought the place was
miles from the city. He was on the
o.or.s iurv and had seen the daugh'
t.r who had been shot. she was III
bed at home.
Defense Shows Hand.
,,aoo Stubbs developed part OF MS
.rno of deefnse in his cross-eNalhih"-
,ion He asked witness If he khe"
". | uou carried his daughter about
'r dtb him a great deal and at nights
WI" IA no had noticed it somewhat
a. nc ~ be said Joe and Levi Lee had
n ."ma into the neighborhood on MON
( dav He had heard Chester Lee h'u
gone to sumrall for them .,,ose
While not declaring his purpose
c+nbbs nrobed the witness Win
|uu9 o,,dent purpose of directing atten-
tn tion to ths moveemnts of the m brothers ul'aH'
~, ~ Mrs. Hall and indirectly his ques' ,s
oi ~ w. nnt TO this and following WIZ
Oesses ness we're to lay the ns groundwork "OnSnet nVl
nso usorsing Tall with improper conduct
Widow on Stand.
a
When Mrs. Hall, the widow w OF l,afe tue
"H, nan took the stand, the state
dea0 n' ont the details of the day OF
the killing. The entire fanny '-'