Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-09-03
MRS. WATERFALL 10 RhEA'S RESCUE
 - Devoted Sister of Condemn ed Man Appeals to Prose cutting Attorney | RT.
SUGGESTS QUESTIONS
Says If Negroes to Be Tried Are Properly Examined, Brothers Ir-
 n0cence Will Be Proven.

Mrs. Lula Weatherall, s:ster of w.. 5. Rhea. under sentence of death for the killing of Vital Archard, the Sa- fine county constable who was mur- Gered by a mob near Dumas. Desha county, has secured some evidence re.ating to the tragedy which she be- lieves, if used, will establish tne in- nocefce of her brother.
 Tie four negroes, Major Davis. Joe Berry, Robert Johns9n and Max Tucker, who were members of he mob that killed Archard, were placed on trial at Arkansas City on Monday. iil view of this triai Mrs. Weatherall has suggested that if lFro scouting AitorLey T. Havis Nixon 5aall intcrf gate certain wltnesa es she named, he will be able to fix the responsibility for the crime uron the guilty persons and at the same time vindicate her brother of any re- spoE sibility for the murder
 Mrs. WeatheraiPs Suggestions
 The suggestions offered by Mrs Weatherall are contained in tae fol lowing letter, written yesterday to Prosecutor Nixon by Rhea's attorney, as follows:
 ,,-t in, l,L. penned a the his ance of Mrs Lulu Weatherall, the devoted sister of w. :. Rlea, who has, since the conv;c- tion of Rhea, SD deligently devotea herself to the task of discovering the real theory connected with the killing of Mr. Archard and ascertain ilg the proof which when introuced . will show conclusively that lhe ne- g!ceS, Majar Davis, Joe Berry, Rob- ert Johnson and Max Tucker, now under indictment for the crime, and Jim Hubbard, another negro who was killed by a member of delirious mob after the killing of Archard, were the only parties present and participating in the murder of MT. Arehard.
 Mrs. Weatherall directs that l call your attention to the following facts ::
 If you will plica upon the wit cess stand Hattie Stevenson, she will swear that she was with MT. Rhea in the house on the Lenox place, nearly two miles from where Mr. Ar caard was killed. That her fori.,er testimony in which she connec ed Mr. Rhea with the killing, is false insofar as 1t states that Mir. Rhea went With the negroes who killed Archard; and fartaer, tAis same fact can be established by Ne tie Riley, who has made an affidavit 10 this effect.
 Further, Russell Lindsey and Charlie Fisher saw the party of re- Sroes, five in number, leave the RAea gate on four mules, without white man being with them that they were armed, Crunk and reveagaful. F,"r- ther, if yau will. call Grant Charles and Tcm Wright, each of them will swear that they met the party of as sassins in the road about 200 yards from the scene fthe killing that there were bu, four animals in the party, ridden by five negroes (the negroes above named), and that there was no white man with them. Since the trial of Raea, Jim Holmes of South Bend, Will Brown, of Pendle- ton and Lavinia Whi.e of Dumas, have come forward voluntarily and stased, and will state under cath, hat they saw this party of five ne- groes on the road going through the field just short distance from where ATchard was murdered and that there was no white man presenl and only the five negroes named above partici-
 
 pated in the killing.
 sPinnie Davis, the hos;ler at the Lenox place, will also testify that Rhea did not go with the negroes who killed Archard, and that Rheas horse did not leave the lot at all on the night of the killing. You can readily see from the above testimony, why the defendant so tfustingly relics upon the fact that in this oncoming trial of the negroes you will see fiji to develop the entire case, place upon the witness stand all of the witnesses above named and let jury say which theory is true. that connecting Rhea with the killing as one of the -assassins, which theory. is substantiated almost wholly by the testimony of the negroess accused of ! the crime; CT, the theory, borne out