The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-08-03
INNOCENT BOYS
HELD I'M JAIL
Detective Agencies and Blood Hounds Discredit
ed, Howard Smith a Reader of Nick Carter,
The Prosecutors Office, and Justice
Hill a Party to the Outrage

The tlial before Squire Atkinson
and NiIl OF John Dotson and Collins
last Friday for the murder of the c.
O. detective Jack Horton was
farce and a miscarriage of Justice
Instead OF being a justice court it
evolved into court of injustice and
in the .'i:,e = prosecutor on tne
pa Of the state 1t WAS n prosecution
UI ;wo harmless innocent ignorant
country boys, one mere youth not
Yet eighteen years old and the other
q adegencrate.l dwarf and an idio.
The Baldwin Detective Agency with
its hired thugs and ex-convicts and
Nh Howard Smith with his noted
rabbit hounds reelected great credit
upon their profession when they al
lowed the real murders of Jack Hor-
ton TO escape and went out in to
Boone county and arrested two poor
ignorant country boys and exhibited
them along the route as desperados
and threw them in Jail for crime
that any reasonable human being
could look at the vic..:n:S of these
legalliZed outlaws and tell they
haven't got nerve enough to kill dog.
Why YOU could arm Collins and Dot
son with a winchester, revolver and
bowl" knife and an ordinary man
could take hoop pole and run them
out of Boone county. The trial not
only made a laughing stock of the
detective agencies and completely
discredted them and their methods,
bnr it made an ebony spot on the al
ready blackened records of the justice
courts of Kanawha county.
diSprare to piyili2atinp
outraged on justice and a persecution
't4donta were poos al;t We're NOT able
law firm of Clayton and Hundley. who
deserves credit for the deep interest
they have taken in the case. The de-
tndants were poor and We're not able
to gather the evidence. but their at
,orneys were convinced of their in
nocense and employed Dan Cunning
ham and sent him not only to South
Ruffner to summons the people there
who saw the men who killed Horton.
but sent him out in to the wildS or
Boone county to bring in the witness
SOS who saw these boys en- the day
Horton was killed. The State or
rather the detectives We're represent
ed by Frank Burdette and the son of
The State was unfair from the very
beSlnning of the trial and took every
advantage possible of the defenses.
Realizing the witnesses for the de-
lens" We're poor people and that 1t
cost them considerable time and
money to come from Boone county
10 Charleston. Mr.. Burdette moved
10 lay the trial over for ten days. but
q llrt
Tor the defense. This was an unfair
advantage and n cowardly act on the
ra't of the prosecution 20 force the
n"l"Es' to present testimony first as
tn burden of the proof has on the
STATE Mr.. Clay ton in the behalf Of
his "Li"ut and realizing that the state
Went INTO the trial.
The first witness was John Dotson,
"ho void of his actions from Sunday
the "th TO Wednesday the 12tn. OF
I8lv, i'll 4 straight forward way. and
III" Witnesses that followed bore him
ONT in every detail
Hr lfill testified that he saw Col
AAe and Dotson about 6 o'clock in the
""rning of July 10th. Dr. Brown.
'"."mbus Ferrell. Francis Ferrell.
90 '''ll'N- IoHn AIS1eau ana Is. "A
@''rip"S. saw the defendants on Big
'.tl."i trecll in Boone county be-
'''~n . ana 4 P NJ. -, miles from
."' .'"n" Of murder July 10th. Elvie
'"i collins At will Atkins on Big
"HliIng at Will Atkins on Big
.-' '''. between and : p. m. July 10.
..> Isaac Perry. Mrs. Harper. Gladys
0.a... Mr.. and Mrs. Casio all OF
'.A'H 20 Rufner saw the men who did
.-' @illlng and described them as one
''-Hf low heavy set man. weighing &
''"n ~" pounds. while the other was
dis" 81 heavy man and somewhat taller
gu. .f,0in@ gray in edge of his hair.
.-i '-.ydgraSs saw the men who did
The s.liine
MA Titwell was with the mon who
l"'tnn and saw them well. All
- Ssh" seven witnesses who saw the
-..'. -.'' shot Horton swore that John
... and Collins were not the men
.'. ..l not resemble them in the least
-f.' t these seven witness gave the
1..' description of the man who die
Nno'ime middle aged men weigh
t'"f' 100 and 1I5 respectively, on,
''' roinplected man with black
''EIuniug to turn gray. Johr
'.=.n the country boy caught by the
''Ih outlaw and accused of the
:; light complicated weighs abou'