The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-11-02
By Associated Press.

Opelousas, La, Nov. .1.-Barring
disagreement on the part of the jurors,
Mrs. Zee Runge McRee, charged with
the murder of Allan Garland, will
know her fate tomorrow. Judge PeaVy
announced tonight he would give his
charge to the jury tomorrow morning.
Today counsel for both sides made
arguments to the jury.
Attorney Veazie made a dramatic
appeal to the jury for justice accord
ing to the Louisiana laws and Biblical
mandates and excoriated the accused in
terms of ridicule and singing sarcasm.
He ended with a bitter denunciation
of Mrs McRee. .a.-
District Attorney R. Lee Garland,
an uncle Of the deceased. opened for
the state and was followed by John
w. Lewis for the defense. -Four of the
counsel for the prosecution will speak
and the jury will hear from five of
the lawyers for the defense. g.
COULD NOT BELIEVE STORY.
In his address Mr.. Garland told the
jury they could not believe Mrs. Nc
Ree's story that she shot Allan Gar
land in defense of her honor.
Did he not have many other and
better chances to commit the offense 2?
he asked do you believe that any
man with sense, after many oppor--
tunities, would choose a moment when
yard boy was in call, when neigh
&n the house, to make such a proposal?
This boy went to the house of the
defendant in response to a message
asking for a spool of thread.
Armed with this spool of thread he
went to his death"
He said the intimate relations which
long had existed between Mrs. McRee
and the deceased disproved her story.
God knows have respect for wom-
en-" continued Mr.. Garland. God
knows l have every respect for wom-
ans virtue; but If woman shoots
man and comes before court and
gives no explanation of, it, whose life,
on men, Is safe 2?
Mr.. Lewis opened his argument with
a reference to the relationship of the
district attorney and the deceased.
He then spoke of Mrs. McRee's
statement to Mrs. Henry L. Garland,
grandmother of the deceased.
when she told Mrs. Garland that
she had shot Allan Garland, the minds
of those two women met-joined to-
gether in that supreme moment by
their womanhood-and Mrs. Garland,
despite her grief, said Mrs. McRee,
every woman has the right to defend
her honor
Mrs. Garland, even in that. supreme
moment, with her grandson lying dead,
did not say to this woman, you are
an immoral woman; instead impelled
by her womanhood, she said every
woman has the right to defend her
BELIEVES HER PURE.
Gentlemen, 1 believe that this wom-
an is a pure woman. l believe that
she is still a pure woman. I believe
she is still a true wife and true
mother"
After saying that the state had
failed in it's effort to show jealousy or
something else to be the motive for
the crime, Mr.. Lewis addressed the
jurors regarding the insult Allan Gar
land is alleged to have offered Mrs.
McRee. He described the Nervousness
of the nature of the insult. He said
that the insult had caused more anger
and shame and humiliation because
her friendly hospitality had been mis-
. taken.
Are you going to send this. woman
to the penitentiary in prison habili-
ments, or are you going to restore her
to the bosom of her family?
Il do not believe you are going to
send her to the penitentiary, but if
YOU do" and Mr.. Lewis's voice rang
out passionately. you might as well
turn her out with a brand of flame
upon her brow, saying that of all the
parishes in Louisiana, there is one
parish in which a woman might not
defend her honor, and that the name
of this parish is st. Landry"
Peyton Sandoz. Of counsel for the
defense, next addressed the jury brief
ly. He was followed by Robert Harris
for the state, whose argument was
hased upon the commandment, Thou
shalt not kill"
The third argument for the defend
ant was made by Col. T. H. Lewis.
Col. Lewis related the facts of the
case as given byaMrs. McRee.
After this woman had asked him
what he meant by asking her whether
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