Norwich bulletin., 1913-10-30
ARGUMENTS IN PERKINS TRIAL
Made Wednesday by Attorneys Burrows James and Des
 notwithstanding Claims Mrs. Perkins Had No Real Fear of Her Sonn-Law-Defense Argues That His Threat and Breaking in Were Enough Justify Shooting

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 dated March 13. 1913. It was from Tom, and was ruled out as being too remote to show good feeling Of MT. | Coatchelly toward his wife. AnotneF letter written by Tom was also ruled l out A letter as to the wife not hav- ing been pounded was ruled out also. ! Another letter was offered and Major Hull asked to have it admitted, but 1t was ruled out by the court
 1 Mir Desmond had been given op- 1 portunity to read the letters before l the session. They were all from Tom while he was in Texas, and were of fered to show the good feeling he had 1 for his wife.
 Major Hull said he rested at 12.55, and Judge Greene asked Mir. Desmond to read the letters during the recess | and see as a whole if he cared 10 nave them admitted for the purpose stated l by Major Hull
 When court came in after the noon i recess Attorney Desmond said he did | not care to have the letters admitted.
 State Rests.
 The state rested at the opening of i the afternoon session of court.
 Attorney Desmond for the defense 1 then recalled Mrs. Perkins to the stand.
 | Mrs. Perkins Explains Testimony.
 He asked if she had any explana- lAOA to AIleth6 LII I1I0 IGSllLl1Oily SllG lAo1O given before the coroner. States At torney Hull objected, but the court overruled the objection.
 Regarding her statement to the cor oner that she loaded the gun, she said ! that she misunderstood the coroner when she answered that she loaded the sun for deer. She had meant that she always loaded her own shells, but the shells which were in the gun on the day of the shooting were put in by Thomas V. Coatchelly. Mrs. Perkins said she did sign the statement she made before the coroner, but she did not think she said the deer were eat ing her garden stuff, but thought she said tour" garden stuff. She al- ways loaded her own shells and never in her life bought any shells already loaded.
 To refresh the recollection of the jurors regarding the shells which had been offered as exhibits, Judge Greene had Major Hull state that the two vel low shells were not found in the house, but were offered merely to show what kind of shells were used in the gun. The exploded shell was taken from the right hand barrel of the gun, and the other shell, loaded one and gray in color, was taken from the left hand barrel of the gun.
 Both Sides Rest.
 DUH SlQoS 1GSb6u duu uuS6 GI6GIl0 directed the lawyers to proceed with the arguments.
 Attorney Burrows Begins Argument.
 In opening the argument for the state, Attorney Warren Burrows first attacked the reason which Mrs Per- kins gave for declaring that Coat chelly should never darken her doors again. This was because of the pound- ing which she said he gave her, but in Ivb tTzyn Tr his son, say that Tom did not strike her. At two periods after this Coat chelly stayed at the Perkins house. These facts. he claimed wiped away this reason and contradicted Mrs. Per kins on the stand. Attorney Burrows reviewed the support that Coatchelly had given to his wife the letter that he wrote from Texas saying that he loved his baby and wanted to see it. and the visit of Coatchelly in June, in which, the attorney claimed, no ami mostly towards Mrs. Perkins was shown.
 From the actions of Ida CoatcheIly in not asking for help from several people whom she met immediately aft CT she had seen her husband at the Allyn's Point station, the attorney ar gued that no fear of him was shown, and he pointed out that Mrs. Coat chelly's testimony of a threatening at titude on the part of her husband was contradicted by what Mrs. Lewis saw of their actions.
 The events of the shooting were re- viewed, and the attorney concluded with quoting that Coatchelly was merely a trespasser upon the Perkins property and was not there in attempt to commit a felony which would have been justification for the accused to defend herself even to the extent of taking life. His argument occupied 42 minutes
 Attorney James for the Defense.
 Attorney Charles V. James began the first argument for the defense, outlin- ing what the crime of manslaughter is, and saying that the whole question in this case was whether Mrs. Perkins had a right to believe that the man she shot and killed intended to do her bodily harm. If she had reasonable ground to believe he would kill her. she was justified in what she did.
 The attorney went over again what had been testified to regarding support that CoatcheHy had furnished towards the Perkins house, and claimed there was more than Coatchelly's desire to kiss his baby when he came to the Perkins house In June with a party of three other men in an automobile. It was the fathers intention to l1idnap the baby at that time, Attorney James argued. because Mrs. Coatchelly has in timated that the man showed no anx- tety to see his wife, but only to see the baby.
 In the course of his argument At torney James mentioned that Mrs. Coatche1ly was afraid of her husband because he had pounded her, This led to objection from States Attorney Hull on the ground that counsel for the accused had agreed not to make any claim on this account, Attorney Desmond disc1aimed having made any such agreement and it was brought