The Caucasian., 1913-07-31
RELEASED FROM JAIL.
A. G. Renfro and Mrs Lizzie Loop
ard Are Free, Perhaps Temporar-
ily-No Bills by the Grand Jury.

1t is scarcely possible to express
in words the surprise resulting from
the release from Jail Of A. 6. Rem
fro and Mrs. Lizzie Leopard, on the
report that the Grand Jury has
found no bills against them.
Renfro, butcher at Hosston, La,
in an affray shot and killed James
Brooks. He was charged with mur-
der but claimed he had killed in
self-defense.
The homicide for which Mrs
Leopard was jailed, the killing Of
her husband, has been given the
fullest publicity.
It may be true that the action OF
the Grand Jury in not finding bills
against Renfro and Mrs. Leopard, at
least for nanslaughter, may have
been predicated on evidence not dis
closed, but while the authority, of
the Grand Jury is great, the liberia
ton of individuals charged with
murder is not conducive to the OBJ
servance Of law, nor operative as q
deterrent to homicides committed on
the flimsiest of pretexts or imagin-
ary insult. Did Renfro kill Brooks?
If he did, he should have been in
dicted at least for manslaughter,
which is bailable, and tried by a
DIV, Of II
Jury RenfrO is not exOnerated, but
is liable to Indictment for murder
by the next Grand Jury. Instead Of
being satisfied with the Grand Jury's
ignoring his case, he should have
desired trial by jury for man
slaughter, when his justification for
having killed Brooks would be es-
tablished and he would be forever
free from a reaching of the law for
this killing.
The same observation applies to
Mrs. Leopard.
Did she shoot and kill her hus-
band? This fact being admitted, the
only issue to be settled was and is:
Was she justified? She is not re-
lieved of the crime by the action OF
the Grand Jury. and, as Renfro, she
may be indicted by the next Grand
Jury. She is not and can not be safe
from judicial jeopardy until she
shall have been tried and acquitted
by a jury Of twelve men. This state
ment is not deniable. Had the Grand
Jury indicted Mrs. Leopard, she
would have been released on a nom
inal bond, and in due time her ac-
fquittal would have followed by a
jury if the killing Of her husband
was shown to have been justlfiable.
As a rule the Gaucasian's leaning
is toward the woman when in trou-
bic, but the readiness Of women in
the use of the handy gun or pistol
with murderous intent is becoming
| too serious for maudlin senllmen-
ltality. It is conceded that a good
woman may be provoked to desper-
alton by the mistreatment Of her
husband, but with such exceptions
Of the killing of men by women
have been on the slightest Of provo
cation, suggested through jealousy.
As stated in the Caucasian Of re
cent date, of seven cases of murder
tried during this term Of the court
only one conviction was secured, a
compromise, the convicted being
Bunch, the man who murdered his
wife.
The crime Of murder is being en-
couraged through he laxity OF law
reinforcement. Within the past six
weeks there have been committed
four killings in Caddo Parish includ-
ing Shreveport, Of which two have
been ignored by the Grand Jury.
Is it singular or surprising that
| the murderously inclined commit
murder deliberately, and that the
| ready shotgun, the rifle or the pistol
| is always handy and ready for use
when two men may differ in argu-
ment, frequently over the most trl-
fling Of matters.