The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-11-23
EARLY VERDICT
in TAR PARTY
Prosecuting Attorney Declares Deed
Darker Than Days OF
Barbarism.

The testimony was completed short |
1y after noon today. A recess of two |
hours was then taken while the Judge
prepared his instructions. Prosecutor
McCanless completed his address be-
fore adjournment.
At a night session Attorney ]. ].
McCurdy and 2. c. Milliken spoke for
the defense. Col Dave Richie and
A. N. Hawkes., representing the de-
Tense and the State, respectively, will
speak tomorrow.
Attorneys for the defense regard
the judges instructions as highly fav-
orable to their clients. Prosecutor
McCanless said he was satisfied with
them, however. The instructions were
that defendants might be found guilty
of aiding and abetting in the crime
even though they were not present,
but the mere fact that the defendants
had talked with the assailants of
Miss Chamberlain regarding the con-
templated attack was not in itself suf-
ficient ground on which to base a con-
viction.
The court room, which was half
filled this morning, was again crowd
ed when Prosecutor McCanless began
to speak. Many persons brought
their dinners with them in baskets
and remained in their seats during
the recess prior to the night session.
Miss Chamberlain occupied a seat
near the jury box where she had a
full view of all the jurors. Her
mother was with her. The three
defendants, A. N. Simms, Sheriff.
Clark and John Schmidt, also occu-
pied chairs facing the jury. Simms
wife sat by his side. The other two
men were unaccompanied.
One who heard part of what the
speakers said was Edward Ricord, the
barber who decoyed Miss Chamberlain
to the tarrers. He is confined in the
one story Jail under the north ewes of
the court house.
When County Attorney McCanless
began speaking Ricord, who roams
the interior of the jail because he is
the only occupant, threw a shovel
full of coal in the stove and went over
to the front door to listen. AS the
speakers voice became louder, Ricord
said:
'I'll bet he's giving it to us. I'm
sorry l can't hear those speeches bet
ter"
Two Of the defendants, Johr
Schmidt and Sheriff. Clark, were the
chief witnesses today. Both corrob
GRATED the statement of Simms tina
the three defendants never intended
to be parties to the "tarring," but ad
mitted they made an attempt to reacl
the scene Of the crime.
Clark explained that he was at tn
mill, from which the party started, be
cause business called him there
, Schmidt said he just dropped dow
to the mill to see the boys" as wa
his nightly custom. Schmidt recalle
, having heard Simms warn the tarrer
; against painting the school teacher.
|, A dozen other witnesses, anon
. whom were e. G. Clark and Cheste
Anderson were called in rebuttal.
Branding the tarring Of Miss Mar
Chamberlain, the Shady Ben scho,
teacher as barbaric, cowardly an
brutal, a thing almost unbelievable
' a civilized community, Prosecute
q McCanless demanded that the seve
l. est penalty be meted out to her ASA
y ants.
i 81 regret our laws are so lame, OF
n legislation so lax, that an offense
this nature has been perpetrated
). our midst, we must be content to ser
t the offenders to jail or heap on the
1 an insignificant fine.
Miss Chamberlain's reputation
e not an issue in this case" he sal
3 'If she did that which is improper l.
her be brought before the same trib
nal that is trying these defendants.
, "This girl calls for protection of oil
laws and our state. 1t is your dut
; to give 1t to her.
, "Tarr and feathers. A relic Of a
cient times. Tarring girl! One
our own girls; right here in the ce
ter of civilization. Why, Robinhoc
and his gang of desperadoes woul
start at such a thing! They WI
made their living by highway robbel
. would blush to do such thing.
81 care not who Miss Chamberlai
is or what she is. She might be I'll