Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-02-12
SENATOR GORE
MAKES DEFENSE
Sensational S t a t e m e n t S
Made at Opening of the
Bond Damage Suit.
THE DEFENSE SCORES.
Court Rules That Previous Actions of
Mrs. Bond or Gore Could Not
BE Reviewed.


progress was made in the first day
of the trial of the $4,000 damage
suit brought against Thomas P. Gore,
United States Senator from Okla
homa, by Mrs. Minnie E. Bond, wife
of Julian R. Bond, Of this city. Mrs.
Bond alleges Gore attempted to as
sault her in a hotel room in Washing
ton, March "a, 1918. Cores answer
is a general denial of the charges.
Drawn by the publicity given the
case and the prominence of the blind
defendant, hundreds of people packed
the courthouse, completely overflow
ing the seating capacity when Judge
George W. Clark called the case.
Each side was represented by an i'm
posing array of counsel and the
sharp skirmishes at the start pres
aged the bitter legal battle which was
to follow.
| Senator Gore and his wife We're
early arrivals in the courtroom. Mrs.
Bond and her husband also arrived
early, but Mrs. Bond left after stay
ing but ten minutes. One of her at
tornesy explained she was on the
verge of a nervous breakdown.
During the sensational opening
statement OF plaintiff s@case in
which the details of the alleged as
sault were recited dramatically Mrs.
Gore smiled and stroked the blind
statesman's hair. Mrs. Bond was in
the courtroom and showed emotion
as the events were related.
Select Jury Quickly.
The selection of the jury was ac-
complished early in the afternoon. 1t
is jury of young men, ten of the
twelve being under 80 years OF age.
Nine of the jurors are farmers, one
a broker, and two are statesmen.
The plaintiffs attorney anticipated
part of Cores defense by asking the
court to not allow the admission OF
any testimony tending % show de-
PRAYED actions of Mrs. Bond before
the Gore incident The Court ruled
that the recitation of any specific mis-
deed would not be permissible. This
in a way is also victory for the de-
Tense. as it will prevent the admis-
sion of a deposition taken in Texas,
said to have involved Senator Gore
with a blind school teacher of that
state.
ATTORNEY Ross Lillard made the OPP
ening statement for Mrs. Bond. He
said he will prove that Mrs. Bond
was introduced to Senator Gore at
dinner in Oklahoma City; that she
went to Washington March to ask
Gore to use his influence in having
her husband appointed internal reve-
nue. collector at Oklahoma City; that
she saw Gore frequently and was
given encouragement; that he made
an appointment with her at her hotel
on March "a; that she conducted him
to a room held by James Jacobs, OF
Oklahoma City, because her room
was in disorder and the parlors were
occupied: that Gore talked with her
thirty minutes, then seized her with
his left arm, put his hand over her
mouth and handled her roughly and
in the struggle that. followed her
glasses were broken, severely cutting
her hand; that she was saved by the
entrance of e. P. Robinson. young
lawyer of Oklahoma City; that Cores
act was witnessed by James Jacobs,
n p. Robinson and Kirby Kirkpat-
rick, of Oklahoma City. Lillard also
said he will prove that Gore told an