The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-08-01
QUARREL OVER SALE OF PROP
ERTY WHEN REVOLVER WAS
DISCHARGED is STATEMENT.
FEARED DISGRACE If
SHOOTING BECAME KNOWN
Prosecution Closes it's Case After Get
ting "AIibi Letters" Before Jur
Grace Too III to Attend Court ami
Reported Losing Ground.
(By Associated Press.)

Atlanta, Aug, 1-Eugene Grace was
shot in scuffle with his wife during q
quarrel over the sale of Mrs. Grace'a
according to attorney Branch
who outlined the defense's case = r
statement to the jury this NOR
He said Grace tried to shoot his ~ &
after choking her and during -
scuffle the revolver discharged. He
said Grace made her leave home,
thinking he was not badly hurt, and
he feared he would be disgraced IL II
got out he was shot in row with his
wife.
State Gets "AlIbI Letters" Before the
Jurys
After forging the last link in the
chain of circumstances in which It.
claims connects Mrs, Daisy Grace
with the shooting OF her husband, the
prosecution rested its case late yester-
day.
Mrs. Grace is expected to go on the
stand at the opening of court today
to tell her own story.
The State played its big card and
won two important points. Two let
ters which, 1t was claimed, Mrs.
Grace wrote to herself over her hus
bands nickname Gene" and mailed
as she was leaving for Newman, to
establish an alibi, were offered in
evidence and admitted by the court
after a desperate battle between op-
posing cousel lasting more than two
hours.
Mrs. Grace's words of greeting to
her husband when they met in the
hospital, which the defense had fought
hard to keep from the jury, also were
admitted. George G. Bullard, city
detective, was the witness who was
permitted to tell OF the meeting.
"who spoke first?" asked Solicitor
Dorsey.
Mrs. Grace"
What did she say?"
"She said: How did this happen,
Gene? What have you been telling
these people? They tell me you say
shot your"
did she kiss her husband
mo; she stood straight up beside
the bed"
Judge Roam would not permit the
witness to relate to the jury the sub
sequent conversation between husband
and wife. He admitted her first state
ment because the prosecution claimed
that 1t had been proven by witnesses
who were with Mrs. Grace from the
time she heard. the news until the
meeting at the hospital, that no one
had told her she had been accused.
Although the prosecution attaches
and contends that they show that the
shooting Of Grace was premeditated
by his wife, the defense claims that
Mrs. Grace has nd been connected
with them in any way by the evidence
either with having written, mailed
or received them. BY some strange
trick of fate, Mrs. Grace did not re-
ceive the two letters, which were In
closed in one envelope, through the
mails. They were postmarked At
lanta, 4:30 p. m. on the day Of the
shooting. and they reached Newman
after she had returned to Atlanta.
They were forwarded to her, but fell
into Grace's hands and were turned
over to the attorneys by him. The
handwriting on the envelope has been
identified as that of Grace by Witness
es, but none was able to identify the
handwriting of one of the letters which
twas scribbled with a pencil.
! Grace was suffering from slight
fever yesterday and was too Ill to be
brought into court. DR.. willis Jones
testified that he examined Grace and
found that he was completely paralysed
from the waist down. Asked II he
seemed to be Improved. DR.. Jones said
on the contrary ne was losing ground