The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-02
ILLNESS OF JUROR HALTS PROGRESS IN M 'REE TRIAL The Case Will Probably
 Go to the Jury This Morning ATTORNEYS ARGUE
 FOR ACQUITTAL Attorney Veazie Makes Dramatic Ap- peal for Conviction While the
 Opposing Lawyers Are
 Equally Eloquent

Opelousas, La, November 1.-The illness of JIror James M. Smith caused sud- den halt tonight in the trial of Mrs. Zee Rrnge MoRee, charged with the murder of Allan Garland in her room on the
 morr.ing of September 21. Juror Smith was stricken when Judge E. D. Hunter closed his argument for the defense and court immediately adjourned until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Mrs. Mckee will probably know her fate before night fall tomorrow.
 |, Acting District Attorney E. B. Dubis- son will begin the closing argument for the prosecution immediately upon the convening of court tomorrow, providing Juror Smith has sufficiently recovered. His illness is considered as favorable circumstance to the state. as 1t gives Attorney Dubisson the last word to the l jurors after night of refreshening l sleep following an extremely tiresome | day of argument.
 1 When MT Dubisson finishes Judge Peavy
 will immediately begin his charge to the 1 jury, which is not expected to take over | 50 minutes. The jurors will then retire | to consider the guilt or innoncnce of | the accused Everyone connected with
 the trial expects an early verdict VeaZie for State
 | Attorney veazie made dramatic ap- | peal to the jury for justice according | 10 the Louisiana laws and excoriated l tie accused in terms of ridicule and sting l irg sarcasm. He ended his remarks with a bitter denunciation which seemed l 70 affect Mrs McRee, and her friends
 more than anything that has been said | during the trial. Many exceptions were
 taken by the attorneys for the defense | to statements made before the jury by | the attorney.
 No time was allotted by the court for argument of counsel. District Attorney | R. Lee Garland, an uncle of the deceased. l opened for the state and was followed l 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. l In his address MT. Garland told the
 jury they could not believe Mrs. McRee's story that she shot Allan Garland in self
 defense of her honor. Did he not have
 ,many other oppeftsapisies to commit the l act?' hS asked. i. eatsse.eE .'Would you believe that any man with
 sense, after many opportunities, would l choose moment when a yard boy was | in call, when neighbors were in call, when servant girl was in the house | to make such proposal?
 This boy went to the house of the defendant in response to a message ask I ing for a spool of thread.
 Armed with this spool of thread he I went to his death
 | He said the intimate relations which | long had existed between Mrs. Mckee | and the deceased disproved her story. God knows 1 have respect for women," continued MT. Garland "God knows I have every respect for woman's virtue; but if a woman shoots a man and comes before court and gives no explanation of it, whose life, oh, men. is safe?' MT. Lewis opened his argument with reference to the relationship of the
 excused district attorney and the de- ceased.
 He then spoke of Mrs. McRee's state ment to Mrs. Henry L. Garland, grand
 mother of the deceased
 "When she told Mrs. Garland that she
 had shot Allan Garland, the minds of those two women met-joined together in that supreme moment by their wom- anhood-and Mrs Garland, despite her grief said: Mrs. Mckee, 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 manhood, she said: Every woman has the right to defend her honor.' "Gentemen, I believe that this woman is a pure woman; I believe that she Is still a pure woman; I believe she is still a true wife and true mother State Fails to Show Motive After saying the state had failed in it's effort to show jealousy or something else to be the motive for the crime, Mir Lewis addressed the jurors regarding the insult Allan Garland is alleged to have offered Mrs. Mckee. He described the heinousness 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 penitentary in prison habliments or are you going to restore her to the bosom of her family?'
 q do not believe you are going to send
 her to the penitentiary, but if you do,''
 and MT. Lewis voice rang out passion
 ately, you might as well turn her out with brand of flame upon her brow,
 saying that of all the parishes in Louis iana there IS one parish in which a wom-
 an might not defend her honor, and that
 the name of this parish is St. Landry"
 Peyton Sandoz of counsel for the de-
 fense next addressed the jury briefly. He
 was followed by Robert Harris for the
 state whose argument was based upon
 the commandment. Thou shalt not kill"
 The third argument for the defendant
 was made by Col. T. H. Lewis. Colonel
 Lewis related the facts of the case as
 given by Mrs McRee. After this wom-
 an had asked him what he meant by ask
 ing her whether her husband would be
 home. this defendant persisted.' Colonel
 Lewis continued. Let us suppose that
 she had waited until her husband came
 home, have you any doubt to what ha
 would have done?
 What would you have done, then, gen.
 tlemen of the jury, what would you have
 done? Would yo uhave consigned him to
 the gallows or to the walls of the pen
 itentiary?
 "The law of this state protects mans
 life: protects a mans reputation; pro-
 tects his property, but nowhere on al!
 the statute books is a law providing for the protection of the virtue of a woman. ft'There is no law which provides for the punishment of a man who enters the
 home of neighbor and attempts to se-
 duce wife away from her loyalty and
 virtue to her husband. ss
 Men are worse than women. l do
 rot need to demonstrate that fact to
 you, gentlemen
 'Why are 50 few cases of men violating
 the sanctity of the home? 1t is because