The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-01-26
Opened in Criminal Court Tues
day Morning.
ABLE LEGAL TALENT EMPLOYED
Large Witness Proceedings Move Casefuy Made
Prince and Will Ewing, Father and Son Witness Stand

The case of the State vs.. Will
Ewing and Prince Ewing, farmers OF
the Hermitage District, who are
charged with the murder of Rufus
Wilson, another farmer, whose prop
erty adjoins the Ewing farm, was
called in the Criminal Court Tues
day morning. 1t will be remembered
that Will Ewing, the son OF Prince
Ewing, shot Rufus Wilson in a con-
troversy over line between their
farms, which had been settled in the
court in favor of Wilson. No evil
dence was introduced Tuesday, the
whole time being devoted to select
ing the jury and preparing the
States case.
Attorneys F. M. Bass and Little
Russ are assisting General Anderson
in prosecuting the case, while the
defendants are represented by w. H.
Washington, w. G. Cherry, t. G.
Lackey and Taylor G. Ewing, the
latter being the brother of Prince
Ewing, one of the defendants in the
case.
The jury selected to try the case
is as follows: Gilmore Godsen, j. M.
Shocklett, A. l.. Travis, w. A. Kill
low, j. A. Underhill, VIM. OBrien, I.
M. Hill, e. B. Wilson, S. R. Hill, M.
t. Hill, j. D. Page and Chas. Vester.
The legal talent secured by the de-
PENDANTS and also by the State is
evidence that the case will be stub
bornly contested. All the parties In
the case are very prominent in the
Hermitage District. The Ewings, as
we'll as the Wilson's, are of the old
est families and are both highly re-
spected.
The feud, it seems, arose over a
plat of land that had been allowed to
Rufus Wilson by the Chancery Court.
At the time of the killing a great
deal of excitement arose over the in
cident, owing to the prominence Of
both families. They have all lived
in that neighborhood for many years,
and were industrious as well as
prominent.
Mr.. Ewing, aside from being a
farmer, has for many years prac-
ticed law and been engaged in other
public pursuits. Mr. Wilson was a
prosperous farmer; they both had
large families and were getting along
splendidly on their farms. People
were alarmed because they did not
believe that such feeling could arise
between these neighbors.
~ oh
is mere boy, between II and Is
years of age when the tragedy oc-
Cured. He was arrested with his
father and lodged in Jail, where they
remained until bond could be fixed.
The case is attracting widespread at
tention now, and friends of both sides
are anxiously awaiting the outcome.
Many witnesses were introduced at
the Wednesday session of the Court.
Among them were two eye witnesses,
viz, Price Robinson and Alfred Will
son, the later being a son of the VIC
tim.
From the evidence introduced by
the State it appears that several
days prior to the shooting Rufus Will
son, whose farm adjoins that of
Prince Ewing, had won a lawsuit in
the Chancery Court concerning the
boundary line between the two farms,
in which the Chancellor had entered
Writ against Ewing, which writ
was put into the hands of the deputy
sheric; in consequence of which the
deputy and Wilson put line fence
between the properties. The next
morning, however, the fence had been
torn down and the old boundary line
re-established. 1t is alledged that
when Wilson discovered this he set
about to change the line as the depu-
ty sheriff had ordered the day before,
and when Will, the son Of Prince Ew-
ing saw some one moving the fence
or working in that vicinity he APP
preached to see what the trouble
was.
At the Thursday morning session
Mr.. Prince Ewing was put on the
stand in his own defense He was
questioned closely as to every detail
of his whereabouts and his actions
on the day of the killing. 1t devel-
oped that he left home about mid.
day to do some collecting for an in
surance company, and in the after
noon took train to come to this
city to make a report at headquar-
tiers. While here he learned Of the
trouble between his son and the VIII
sons. He stated that he telephoned
out to the Hermitage District to flnd
out what truth there was in the
rumor. Mr.. Ewing denied all knowl-
edge of any intent on the part of his
son to kill Wilson. He admitted that
he had three guns in his house, one