St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1914-05-02
OPENING GUN OF A LEGAL Rat.
TIE THAT MAY BE FOUGHT
FOR MANY YEARS.
GUILTY WITHOUT
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT |
OpelOusas Still Puzzled Over Mys-
Served to Deepen.

OpelOusas, April 27.-The jur,
which for two weeks has been hear.
Ing the testimony m the case of VIM
Cantwell Walters, charged with the
kidnapping of Robert Dunbar, August
%. 1872. from the Swayze Lake
neighborhoOd. returned q verdict oi
guilty without capital punishment, q
O'Clock this afternoon, thus termi-
mating for the moment at least, one
OF the most celebrated cases that
has ever occupied the attention Of
the st. Landry court in the record OF
tbs historic tribunal.
The report of the jury was com
piled by body of men by general
concession one Of the most repre-
sentative ever empaneled in st. Lam
dry parish. 1t was composed of Geo.
Lang. bookkeeper. Eunice; A. P. Col
Inns. farmer. near Opelousas; CASTOR
Horaist. manager of oil mill, Sunset;
Funstin Soileau. farmer, Grand Pra.-
RE; Robert McClelland, farmer, near
Opelousas; e. Fisher, city contract
or. Opelousas; George M. Ca.llouet,
merchant. Port Barre; Frank Ol :
yer. farmer and merchant Frozard;
Hypolite Miller. merchant, Sunset;
Walter Sibille, farmer, Sunset; An
tome Lamaury, manager Farmers
Union Warehouse, Sunset; J. b. ST.
billie, farmer. Sunset.
The conviction of Walters sounds
the opening gun in legal battle
that may run through the courts for
years, and is certain to develop much
that is new In Louisiana jur.spru-
dence.
Without friends, without money,
old and uncouth and uncultured,
Providence has given Walters three
lawyers who believe in his innocence.
In Mississippi Immediately after his
arrest he employed Dale & Rawls, of
POplarvtlle, turning over to them the
meager means he then possessed.
The money realized from the sale
Of this property barely covered the
cost of the initial legal engagements.
But these lawyers believed in his
innocence and stuck to him, expend-
ing not only their own time, but their
own money IN developing his case.
Forced to trial in a country where
little credence was given his protesta-
tons of innocence, the distr ct judge,
through a sense of fair play, named
e. b. DubuissOn, one Of the leading
lawyers in South Lou :siana, to aid
in the defense. Undertaking the de-
Tense from. q sense of duty, Mr.. Du-
buisson soon became interested in the
chain of evidence de-
veloped in Mississippi: In substantia-
ton of the wandering tinker's story.
He 10. ned Dale & Rawls In giving the
best OF hia. talents. In the trial. and
now that Walters has been convict
ed, he has joined them In the prom
Use to exhaust every legal resource
and carry the case to the b CHEST
court in the land to prevent Walters
serving one day n the penitentisyy.
In Opelousas the verdict Is hailed
as v.ndicatfon Of the Dunbars AMI 4
q substant:ation of their identified
ton Of the child of mystery as Bob
be Dunbar. Most of Opelousas has
believed from the outset that Mrs.
could not be mistaken.
since have Strengthened that
belief. But Opelousas Il still puz1l-
ed over the mysteries of the case,
mysteries which the trial only served
to deepen.
Who kidnapped Bobbie Dunbar? II
Walters did it, how did this lame
tinker get in and out of the Lake
Swayze wilderness? Where is Bruce
Anderson?
These puzzles stand out more
in face of conviction than
they would have had acqutttal been
h ne SsNWv 4 lA1{
And in the light of the experience
thus far in this odd case of doubles
and tangles, they promise to remain
mysteries.
There were rumors here to-day OF
trouble in the event Of acquittal.
Gov. Hall wired Sheriff Swords yes
terday in response to fears commu-
n1cated. =i=54= = 2
The sheriff consulted with Judge
Pavy and District Attorney Garland,
and they did not deem that there was
any cause for alarm or need for
roops. i. Sheriff Swords tonight wired
the Louisiana executive the verdict. |
and told of the order observed. The
promise which Gov. Hall made to
Gov Brewer of Mississippi had been
kept. i
There were few rides in the prs
IN, and the sheriff's brother. sEwe:l
Swords. stood ready to rush relief.
but there was never any sign OF
The force Of deputies was
not even increased. There was GU
rios:ty and tense interest, but no
P. c. Dunbar. father Of the boy
whose loss and. according to the