The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-08-29
CRO0KEDNESS IN
POLITICS AMAZING

BRISTOL, TENN Special
Judge Skecn ad5OuHcd court at
J0neSVille mt 1880 O'Clock
after continuing number OF
election bribery cases and after
the trial of three cases today.
Allen BlcdsOc, james smith and
-. Ill. Coins were all convicted this
morning and given sentences of
| sixty days. Coins was tried i'm his
I absence, and, when Inc, arrived and
gave what Judge Skccn considered
valid excuse, he was granted a
new trial, and the verdict set
aside.
Seven more Indicted persons
came IN Wednesday and enter
ed pleas OF guilty, accepting either
terms of thirty days each i'm Jail
or fines of 500 and costs.
The commemorative Attorney
TINS morning moved the court TO
dismiss another batch of indiCt-
nlentS on the ground that. while
the Commonwealth could prove
that the men were given money TO
buy votes, that it had been unable
10 get evidence as TO where the
money was spent
Judge Skccn held that the act
OF accepting money for election
DrlDcry was not i'm itself n crime
Judge Skecn set the remainder
Oh the cases for trial beginning the
second Monday i'm September. In
ddJOurning court he eXDrcsScd
himself AZ well satisfied with thc
work OF the week and said that
ne believed IL would have a whole
some effect on elections i'm Lee
county in the future. lie said he
Noiu continue the prosecutions
until the docket was cleared.
When Judge Skeen ended his DAYS
work IN the Circuit Court of lee
county at Jonesville Wednesday even
ms ne had gone far towards show
rs ms grim sincerity of purpose in
the matter of prosecuting those guilty
OF election briberies and other cleo
tioh irregularities. Indeed. he and
those assisting him in the notable in
qulSllon, which began Monday. had
succeeded In laying bare a degree of
snort of astonishing.
AS result of the two days trials.
lows: &c i'i-
Andrew Davis, thirty days in ial;
G link Davis, forty days in prison:
prison; Doc" Burchett, ninety DAYS
IN prison; Bonnie Osborne. fined 500.
ELIJAH Gibson, fined 500.
Ot the indictments already made
S &nu returned to court, forty-three
nave been dismissed for various
causes, the most usual cause beip,,
that the party indicted had already
Deen called to testify before the grand
jury, ana was therefore exempt from
punishment under the law. Forty
HIhS Oh the indicted have confessed
anu accepted the minimum fine and
nave been DISTINGUISHED. Fifteen cases
nave been retired from the docket
on account of the age or physical CON
ultlon OF the accused and inability TO
De Drought TO court, TO be allowed to
% Il
Nine cases have been tried. resuItin,r
IN SIN convictions and three acQuittals
fHty-SlN cases still remain on the
docket, while six additional indict-
nlehts We're returned by the grand
Jury yesterday. Twelve cases are TO
be tried today and the rest have baeD
me results of the prosecutions.
Whlch are the synonym for n new
order of things in Southwest Virginia
politics, may be epitomized as follows:
Dismissed-W. Wilder. s. ID. Nand
erson, Simon Stewart, r. Nj. Flonor.
John Morris, Charles Tritt, Lee Par
sons, sam Newman, T. /. Page. ]. p.
collier, +. X. Wilson, Thomas Hamu-
ton, j. w. Herd. Wesley Minor. ]. p.
l(liiman, Arch Seabolt, Don FOLLY. w.
courier, NJ. NJ. Williams. John Rose.
w. w. Davis, James Chaffin, w. Dearv
= harIes Reason, w. G. Coldiron. Ton
Napier, Lem Osbourne, +. Harrison
russell w. b. Short, Sam Russell w
Cottrell, Ewing Woodward, ]. &. Polly
Confessed-Charles ColIingsworth,
isaac Seabolt, George Seabolt. Sam
lawson Brack Noe, Pardin Price.
Crlss Sybert, Ross Belcher. Elijah
) Johnson. Marshall Johnson. Henry
Sage, w. Hobbs. Frank Lody. Lewis
GIBSON, George w. Collins, Ed. Travis
George Munsey. Robert Livesav. w
castle Eli Nermillion. Emmett Kim,
Derling, w. Houndshell, Trig Fannon
Steve Napier, Nathan I,ivingstor
Charles Bergen, w. &s,Rns. Henry Sew,
more, ~ j. Fisher, Robert Dean. Rich
ara Nermllllon, James Thompson. Har-
Eey fIonor, Emmett BAH, A. L. Hobbs
ohn Hess, Henderson Bledsoe. James
ness James Eldridge, Henry Thorpe
6uu san, Emmitt Price, Richard
Glpson' Willie Richie, Orville Col
ms, Patton Smith, Sage Collins. w
Mulwo, Wine Bledsoe.
keured-Bruce Wilson. Richard
Walten, w. Denny, w. James. w
omlth, Joseph Hopkins, Arch Rigsbv
+ uIton McCrackin, Badly Ball. Henry
l oInIinSon, l. e. kimberling. Tom Sey-
mour, John FlonOr w. S. Davis
Tried and found guilty-Andv Davis
-hlrty days in jail; Frank Davis. forty
lays in Jail; Elijah Gibson, 500 fine
DOCK Burchett, ninety DAYS in iaiI.
scout McCrackin, four months in iail.
Dennle OSDourne, 500 fine
Irled and found not guilty-Auburn
Iuehs, Irony Hobbs, James Powell.
Commonwealth's Attorney Skaggs
5 being assisted in the prosecution of
ne n cases by Judge e. w. Pennington.
me former is a Republican. while
bennington is a Democrat. Judge
'keen IS we'll pleased with the results
II his work and believes it will forever
)ut an end to vote buying and vote
selling in his section.