Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-10-28

the ueIeuSe then spoke LOT one uOuI
and six minutes. Mr.. Pindall said that
the efforts of the prosecution in this
case, though honestly directed, were
centered upon the wrong man, and
that there was no friend of Mr.. Rhea
but who would readily lend assistance
to the States attorney in the prosecu-
ton of the real assassins of Mr.. Ar
chard, whom he said, consisted of the
band of perjured negro assassins,
headed by Major Davis, all of whom
had jointly turned and were now UNI
dertaking to shoulder this, the most
horrible crime ever committed in this
state, upon this white man-Mr. Rhea
believing it to their interest to do so.
He vigorously attacked the PROPOSE
ton that the slain officer could have
been sane and fully understood in the
statements made to the doctors and
others which have been introduced as
his dying declaration, duplicating
Rhea. Mr. Pindall then drifted into
the argument of various phases of the
testimony, asserting that no two wit
nesses had testified alike and that the
testimony taken as a whole with the
discrepancies as they exist was too un-
safe, unreliable and uncertain upon
which to place verdict of guilty. He
said that the citizens of Desha county
felt SO outraged and labored under
such excitement when it was first re-
ported that a white man had led a
band of negroes who assassinated an
officer, that they are yet unable to
disabuse their minds and look upon
the case in an unprejudiced light.
Further contending that the confessed
members of the negro mob we'll kneN
that the conviction of Rhea was the
only thing that could save their necks.
He closed his case by paying a beau
tiful tribute to his client, whom he
characterized as poor, unfortunate
orphan boy, who had been charged
with crime in strange land, sur
rounded solely by negroes, who were
themselves the real-assassins.
Former Prosecuting Attorney w. B.
Sorrells followed in behalf of the
state, in speech of one hour and for
ty minutes. He begun by paying trib-
ute to the personnel of the jury and
characterized them as men who knew
their duty and had the courage to per-
form it. Before drifting into the final
argument of the case he cautioned
them and warned them not to be
swerved from the path of duty by the
e'oquent passionate appeal that was
sure to be made by Col. Murphy, OPP
posing counsel in the case. He then
paid magnificent tribute to Col Muir
ply, saying that he was one of the
ablest and most noted criminal law
yers,. not only in Arkansas, but in the
south. He said the state did not fear
the Judgment of the jury based upon
the testimony, but it trembles with
awe whenever it thinks of the awful
brain work of this noted lawyer. He
laid particular stress upon the fact
that this great man, who with all the
cunning possessed by the legal frat
ernity, had been unable with His Wig
orous and shrewd cross examination
of states witnesses to shake Them one
iota, in any material part of their
testimony. That the witnesses for the
state had been carried by him in great
length in detailing each, minute part
of his knowledge OF Rhea's presence,
but in no instance was lhe able to en-
tangle them. Mr. Sorrells said that
no five men in the Jury could fran
up q lie depicting such an awful
crime, in all OF its "details, and after
rehearsing it with each other for
months, be able ITO detail it from
the witness stand with such certainty
without melting hinder the cross fire
of this wonderfully man. And yet the
five witnesses used by the state in the
case, While but ig|h orant plantation ne
groes, had WithStood his awful on
slaught ana Why1-beeause they We're
telling the trut4 Concluding Mr..
Sorrells laid Particular stress on the
fact that the ]url4s of the country were
the final arbiterA Of all criminal
cases and if they hid not do their duty
in this case they should never again
lift their voice on the streets of this
city and crlticlse any person, be he
public official or otherwise, for their
failure to do theirl duty.
We hOu0ht 0Anarv bry ehann