Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-09-26

which 1t was shown that only the hus
band and wife had knowledge.
Neither the defense nor the prose
cution showed it's hand with Thorough
clearness, as the trial was only that 0
committal court. The defense, how
ever, took up a new line of evidenc
when they introduced important ant
dependable testimony tending to shoV
that the death of Mrs. Childers cam,
as the result of a conspiracy, tn
cause of which was only slight,
touched upon. Enough was brough
out to show, however, that a number
OF citizens of Smithville had contrib.
uted to a fund for the hiring of well
known lawyer to prosecute Childers
and { detective to work up facts tC
be used against Childers in the trial
1t is the avowed intention of the de-
fense, according to the statement made
by one of the attorneys for that side
to connect the death of Mrs. Childers
with the blind tiger stand said to have
existed right in the Simpson Hotel
and claimed to have been run by w
H. Kennedy, father of Robert c. Ken
hedy who was first charged with the
mLTder of the dead woman.
The motive that would be advanced
in this instance would be that Mrs
Clilders was murdered as the result
OF her opposition to the illicit sale OF
whiskey, which, it is alleged, has been
carried on openly at the Simpson Ho-
tel by its proprietor. Time and again
the defense today connected certain
witnesses with the gang of men, which,
it is alleged, are recognized as the
element in Smithville favoring whis-
key. The effort was made to show
that these men have been especially
active of late in raising funds to hire
Detective Moore to get up evidence
against Childers and to retain ]. r.
Wilkinson, of Dawson, as leading at
torney for the prosecution of Child
ers.
With these circumstances developed
even as lightly as they were, the case
assumed a far different aspect in the
minds of many people to what, it had
shown before This is the theory which
has been referred to in The Times
Recorder since the last hearing and
which has been gaining ground rap
idly since that trial. If it is proven,
it should tend to connect number
of persons, probably, with the crime,
rather than merely one. Doubt was
expressed by some at the close of the
trial today as to whether sufficient
evidence will ever be brought out to
convict anyone connected with the
case. So opinions vary from one ex-
treme to the other, and public senti-
ment is manifestly more evenly divid-
ed as to the merits of the prosecution
and defense than ever before, while
some are more at sea concerning the
case than they have ever been.
Probably the most sensational tes-
timony at the trial was given when
DR.. w. T. Simpson, who was the first
witness called, told of how John Ken
ned. father of Robert C. Kennedy, who
is now in jail charged with the muir
der of Mrs. Childers, had come to him
and told him that he had made a
mistake in sending the stomach con-
tents to the state chemist. The undue
interest manifested by Kennedy at
this time was a strong point in favor
of the defense, who made the most OF
it.
81 think you all are going to slip
I'D in sending it to the state chemist,
Kennedy was reported by DR.. Simp-
son as having said. DR.. Simpson then
testified that Kennedy went on to tell
him about an instance in Terrell coun-
tv to which his attention had been
allied, when a negro poisoned a white
man. A part of the stomach was tax
on out and sent to Atlanta to the state
chemist, while part of it was fed {
dogs, cats and other animals. The
dogs and animals were killed by the
noisoned flesh, according to Kennedy
while the state chemist dilly-dallieC
and delayed so long in making an analy
sis of the part sent to him that the
negro was turned loose. THAT was the
reason assigned by Kennedy for be
lieving that DR.. Simpson had made
mistake in doing as he had. The bet
fer way to have managed it, Kenned!
is alleged to have said would hav'
heen to have sent the stomach to At
lanta by some person. "If you couldn'
have gotten anybody else, doctor,
would have been glad to have takel
II myself" Kennedy is reported t
/