Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-06
JUDGE \. 4. MORRIS
TAKES THE STAND IN
JUDGESHIP FIGH I
He Answers Charge About
the Telephone Conversation
Showing That He Was Seek
ing information About Gilner

y
safe" was introduced Thursday morning
at the hearing by the state executive
committee of the protest by H. L. Pat
terson against the result of the contest
for judge of the Blue Ridge circuit
| Counsel for Mr.. Patterson closed their
| testimony Wednesday afternoon. and
counsel for Judge Morris Thursday
morning began the introduction of tes-
timony. Indications are that the hear
ing will consume the entire afternoon.
Judge Newt A. Morris was called to
the stand by his attorneys to testify in
his own behalf. Thursday morning. i'm
mediately after the state committed re-
convened at o'clock to resume its hear
ing of the Patterson Morris contest over
the Blue Ridge iudgeship primary in
Gilmer county.
Judge Morris began with an emphatic
denial of anything that could be criti-
cized in the telephone conversation in
the Marietta court house, election night,
about which j. p. Henry, of Cobb coun-
| ty, testified Wednesday afternoon. Judge
Morris declared that the "BnP' to whom
! Henry heard him talking was VIII Rich
ards, of Jasper, and that he was talking
/ to Richards not to tell him the vote.
which he had heard estimated only. but
to ask him the vote of PiclSens county
and of Gilmer county. the wires to the
latter county being down for some rea-
son. He denied that he asked anybody
to help him out in Gilmer.
GHmer county's Democratic voters are
always overwhelmingly for him, said
Judge Morris. The Democrats there all
\ vote one way.
II told Colonel Patterson that would
be glad to join with him in contesting
both Pickens and Gilmer counties. He
said he would phone me. heard moth
ing further from him. 1 learned several
days later that he had gone up to Gill
mer county to gather material for a
/ fight on me-"
Judge Morris read the detailed vote of
Gilmer county. No votes were shown for
]. II. Hall for governor.
A COMPLIMENT. SAYS HALL.
Il consider, that compliment to my
Democracy. retorted Mr.. Hail. a mem
Der Of the committee, and the committee
laughed with him.
Oscar Perkerson was called to. the
stand. He testified regarding Judge Nor
ris' telephone conversation, which he
heard. Judge Morris was trying to get
information from Will Richards and did
not tell anybody to make him safe in
old Gilmer."
VIII Richards was called to the stand
and testified that Judge Morris phoned
him in Jasper, saying he. himself couldn't
find out anything from Pickens and Gil
mer. He asked him to phone Bill Butts
Former representative in Fanniu and
find out how at,county went.
w. A. Dupre. of Marietta, beard the
phone conversation between Judge Morris
and Richards. His testimony eorroborat-
ed what had gone before. He said the
phone service was bad. Asked for a rea-
son, he said the phone company was
lighting Judge Morris
r. L. Manning. of Marietta; John
Howell, of Jasper. and j. NJ. Austin.
clerk of the superior court of Cobb
county, corroborated Judge Norris Mr.
Howell, who heard sthe telephone con-
versation in which Judge Norris was
alleged to have urged supporter ito
make Gilmer county safe" denied that
Judge Norris had said anything of the
sort. .s
J. NJ. Haney was the last witness in
troduced by Judge Morris counsel in
rebuttal of the testimony of j. B.
Henry. He told Of the telephone con-
versation.
w. B. Sitten. of Gilmer county, man
ager in the Ridgeway district, told of
the consolidation Of the returns in the
Gilmer election. He declared that all
who were entitled to vote were allowed
to do so.
HAD NO MESSAGES.
Bart Cox, of Ellijay. who, Attorney
Burtz on Wednesday said, drew a gun
on him at the Ellijay court house,
proved a strong witness for the Morris
side. He declared that he had had no
messages from Judge Morris on the
night of the election and had not TALKED
with him.
Mr.. Cox told of an encounter with
Attorney Burtz at about or 3 o'clock
on the morning after the election. Burtz
/ knocked on his Office door, said Cox,
and demanded to know the result of ihc
election. Cox replied that the returns
4 had not been consolidated and that he
knew nothing. l,uTtz then demanded 10
be told the results and was pushed
/ from the threshold of the office. Cox
stated that just outside the Office door
he saw two OF Burtzs friends with
guns and he rushed back after his own
gun Burtz and his friends then left
he said. a- ..--- s.-..-
The witness testified that the Ellijay
voting box had been placed in such a
position that any one vino so desired
could see all that was going on. Burtz
and his friends occupied positions that
gave them an unobstructed view of
all that happened, he state.
on cross-examination, the witness
went into the details of the election
held two years ago.
With view to showing that the
lines were drawn between Morris and
anti-Morris factions rather than Repub-
licans and Democrats. Albert Howell.
one OF the committeeman, asked Cox a