The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-12-16
ONLY WITNESSES IN WARREN
COUNTY HAD BEEN SERVED
WITH susPoENAs.
SHERIFF Wires ASKING
FOR PROMPT RETURNS
a Trial and Proceedings Are Expected
To Be Resumed Late This Afternoon
Want LEAK" Investigated.
(By Associated PreSs.)


vicksburg, Miss, Dec. 16.-Some de- J
lay was caused at the beginning Of the |
trial of State Senator Hobbs, charged !
with receiving and soliciting bribe, |
when it was announced that service |
only on witnesses in Warren county |
had been reported. The sheriff i'm
mediately wired several counties
where witnesses live asking for prompt
returns on the processes.
z On motion of the defense Judge
Mounger granted short delay to see
If answers to the sheriff's kilograms
would be forthcoming.
Defense attorneys said they wanted
to know why this delay in getting wit
nesses had occurred. The state an
nounced it was ready for trial and the
proceedings are expected to be re
sumed late this afternoon.
Would Investigate LEAK"
Vicksburg, Miss, Dec, 16.-The most
Interesting development in the Bilbo-
Hobbs case Monday was a petition ask
ing the legislative investigating COM
mittee to inquire into a so-called
leak" in the grand jury. The petition
carries sufficient number Of sigma
lures to make 4 formidable document.
The "leak" complained of is the al
legged fact that Immediately after the
Indictment was returned information
was wired to Governor Brewer. This
Is an offense punishable by fine.
The second development was con-
ference held here by the counsel for
the state with Steve Castleman, whose
testimony is expected to be of high
importance, and Governor Brewer. OF
course, the conference was strictly
private, and no hint Of what was said
has been divulged.
It is generally understood that an
effort will be made by the defense to
impeach the testimony Of Mr. Castle
man. 1t was he who was said to have
given the bribe to Bilbo and Hobbs in
return for their influence in securing
the laying off Of a new county with
x Belzoni, Castleman's home town, as
the seat
The detectives of the Burns agency
on whose testimony sd much was
thought to depend, do not appear to
have been summoned, and this has con
siderably mystified the defense, as
they believed the state would rely
largely on this evidence.
The probability is that the detectives
are Included in the list of witnesses
but the prosecution has not yet pub
lished its full list
Both sides are reticent, and it is i'm
possible to get an inkling of the in
tention Of either with regard to thu
case. Every shred Of evidence Il
guarded with the strictest secrecy, ant
discussion is necessarily confined tt
guesses, comments and individual opin
Ions.
One thing is known-that while tn
two cases will be separately tried, tn
evidence for the state against bot
4 Hobbs and Bilbo is practically tn
same, and 1t is presumed the evidenc
for the defense will be also.
The defense scored point in its fs
vor when 1t secured ruling froI
Judge Mounger taking the selection G
the jury out of the hands of the sherii
and placing 1t under the direct supe
vision Of the court, Under this pla
the Judge will select not less than 25
names and not more than 800 name
from the roll Of qualified electors {
the county, place them in a box an
require some person to draw th
names at random. Venires of II
names will be drawn by the. cou
from the box as needed.
A stubborn fight is, of course, a.
ticipated over the selection of the jur
the effort being to exclude any ma
who Is personally biased either In I
vor OF or against the defendant. II
defense chargessi'
is purely political.