Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-10-29


argument; but that it should be tried
and finally determined by the law
given them by His Honor and the
testimony that fell from the lips of |
witnesses on the stand. Go with
me- said Mr. Nixon to the various
avenues travelled by counsel for de-
Tense, and nowhere can you place
your finger upon single c1rcum-
stance or the testimony of a single
witness worthy of belief in this case
who corroborates the defendant in
what he has said about his non-con-
nection with this horrible affair." Go
with me to the Lennox gate, and ev-
cry man, woman ID child who testi-
flies substantiates the theory Of the
State that Rhea organized, armed and
led the mob, and actually fired the
first shot that ended the life of the
officer. Go with me now, with the
mob on its mad hunt, and every men,
Der, including the bondsman who was
with the officer when he was over
charge and even the statement of
the dying man on the operating Ia
BILE in DR.. Isom's office in Dumas,
who, when informed he must die. say
that Rhea was there Who says he
was not? Only Rhea himself, and
what would you expect him to say"
Mr.. Nixon asserted that no officer
connected with the courts, no man
upon the jury nor the pastor of any
. church in this city, if placed in the
same attitude as Mr. Rhea was on
: the witness stand. would have said
= other than what he did, whether it
be true or false "The life Of the
deceased had been such," declared the
prosecutor, chat we're he alive now
and were to assert without the sane
tity of an oath or the realization that
he must soon die, there is not a men,
. Der OF this jury who would not at
L tach to it more force than they would
the simple, plain denial of the de-
) PENDANT under the circumstances as
they surround him at present An
e swering counsel for defense that there
/ was no friend of Rhea who did not
y now and had always stood ready to
give the State their assistance In
= the prosecution of the real assassins
of Archard and that to convict Rhea
u would tie the hands of the State In
the prosecution Of the self-confessed
ST members of the negro mob want
Is to say that If jury of honest citi-
II zens releases the real leader of that
/ mob, when The has been so clearly
e proven guilty, because he may have
s. relatives and friends of sufficient
III financial rating and social standing
IL to bring to bear every. effort that
It could be offered in his behalf, and
then expect me to return to Arkansas
II City when court convenes there again
and stick my hands into the blood of
u tflose negroes up to my elbows be-
u cause they have no such rating or
II standing or Influential friends to
IS speak in their behalf, then they reck-
II on without Their host. My. idea of
y law enforcement is to enforce the
y law against whoever falls within it's
&c ban, whether he be high or low, small
# or great, rich or poor | agree with
e counsel for the defense that the necks
Q of the self-confessed negro members
II of that mob could be made to pop
5, like new saddle and they could all
: be hung before breakfast some morn
ing, vet do NOT believe It right or
just to take the lives of t,ose unfor-
tunate being on the one hand unless
the law is to be judiciously enforced
$ against their leader upon the other"
: In closing Mr.. Nixon said there IS
but one verdict that could be writ
ten in the case. If tie jury would do
its duty as honestly and promptly as
he believed an honest Jury ought to
act, that within thirty minutes their
yel dict would be written and re-
turned to court, and that the jurors
could take supper with their loved
ores at Tome, and spend the even
ing by their respective fresides from
Which they had been kept during the
progress of this trial.