The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-09-24
Six Hours Devoted to Arguments,
Bond and Melton Speaking for
the Defendant and Simpson
Contending for Conviction
INSTRUCTIONS Are
GIVEN BY COURT
Points Out the Law and Possible
Penalties Testimony Conclud-
ed Wed. Afternoon = Defend
ant Unmoved by Orators

After more than six hours of argu
ment by the opposing attorneys, the
Thomas murder case was given to the
jury this morning at ll;4O. to decide
from the tangled threads of testimony
and argument whether or not Willie
Thomas. the defendant, was justified
IN killing his father, J. A. Thomas.
Immediately following the instruc.
uons given to the jury by Judge Frank
NJ Bailey yesterday afternoon, Oscar
Simpson. county attorney, opened the
argument for the state, talking about
an hour and a half. He was follow ed
by Alger Melton for the defense. who
IN a forceful, logical manner present
ed the evidence introduced, point by
point. At the close of his speech last
night. court recessed until $50 this
morning, when Reford Bond continued
the argument for the defense. His
plea was elo luent and carried with It
strong trend of argument to the eff
feet that the hand that caused the
death OF j. A. Thomas, struck in the
defense of helpless mother and sis
ter
The closing argument was made BY
Oscar Simpson and those who heard
the representative of the state real
lied that he was delivering one of the
best speeches OF his life Not a detail
in the mass of evidence introduced
was overlooked not point was pass.
ed up as inconsequential and he clos
ed with strong plea for the convic-
ton Of the accused
Through the entire procedure of
the case and the hours of argument,
Willie Thomas, the defendant. sat at
the counsel table. apparently unmov-
ed. From opening statement TO clos
ing argument he maintained the same
stoical countenance, whether indiffer-
ent or whether the full realization of
impending possibilities has dawned
upon him, who can tell?
AT the conclusion of the testimony,
his mother, Mrs. j A. Thomas, and
his sister, Miss Leona Thomas, both
witnesses in the case. were admitted
to the court room. During the lengthy
argument they sat at the council table
by the side OF the defendant. weeping
steadily. silently. Their faces alone
of the Thomas family told of the
tragedy that has visited the home and
burned its ever-to-be-forgotten brand
on the pages of memory.
The taking of testimony in the
Thomas murder case was concluded
yesterday afternoon about o'clock
following which Judge Frank NJ. Bal
ley gave his Instructions to the jury
and argument of the case was started
by the opposing attorneys. The in
formation in the case charged murder.
In his instructions Judge Bailey de
fined the crime of murder as outlined
in the statutes, likewise the crime OF
manslaughter, naming the punishment
prescribed for each crime. In regard
to the charge of murder, Judge Bailey
said. IF the jury finds from the evi-
dence introduced that the deceased,
j. A. Thomas, was killed in the man
ner charged, that the act was premed-
itated then the defendant is guilty of
murder. In this connection, you are
instructed to designate in your verdict
whether or not the punishment to be
inflicted shall be life Imprisonment or
death.
Your verdict might be manslaugh-
ter in the first degree In case the
verdict is for manslaughter in the first
degree, the punishment may be fixed
al not less than four years in the peni-
tentiary In case the verdict is man
slaughter in the second degree, the
serdict may be not less than two
years in the penitentiary or more than
four. Or II may be one year in the
county Jail or fine of $1,000. or both. ="
Regarding the testimony introdac-
ed and the consideration of such by
the jury, Judge Bailey instructed the
CONTINUED on Page Three.l