The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-10-29

The agitation started few days
ago when the Pensacola Equal SUN
rsge league passed resolutions de-
nounclng State Attorney Stokes be-
cause he declined to acquiesce In the
motion to allow Mrs. Florence Nc
GowaH, charged with murder in the
first degree, liberty, under bond,
went merrily or yesterday. The state
attorney remains firm that Mrs. Nc
Gowan is not entitled to bond Scott
M. Loftin, one OF the attorneys for
Mrs. MCGOWAN. states his position in
the matter and tells why habeas cor
pus proceedings were not instituted
Mrs. Fred Roege president OF the sufr-
rage league, says she was not talking
for publication when she quoted Judge
Sheppard as saying the action OF the
state attorney was an outrage: 0ud
the Judge, tSOugh loarh 90 make any
statement, said the ladies' evidently
misunderstood him. that he was not
familiar with the case and therefore
could not criticlse the st ate attorney.
In the meantime the suffrage league
put nine petitions In circulation and
obtained Rigners requesting the state
attorney to set at liberty the alleged
murderess. Many signatures were Oh
tanned In fact 1t was announced 'dst
HlSIlL LIaL over IWb HiAlhAGA DGDl'lhp
men and women. had signed tho peu-
tions.
LOFTIN MAKES STATEMENT.
Scott NJ. Loftin, attorney for Mrs.
MCGOWAN, issued the following state
ment last night:
I'm the interview Of State Attorney
John p. Stokes, published in The Jour
nal of this morning he used the fol-
Inc 10 20
III the defandant's attorneys had
reason to believe that their client was
entitled to bail they had the right TO
take the matter before the court and
present the evidence, and have the
question settled by the court. Having
declined to do this, the Inference is
irresistible that the defendants at
torneys themselves believed that their
client was not entitled to ball
cit Is not our desire TO enter into
any newspaper controversy relative TO
this matter, but in Justice 70 our client
and to ourselves II becomes necessary
for US to reply TO this statement made
by Mr.. Stokes.
when Mrs. MCGOWAN was arraigned
in court on Monday. oct 18th, md
pleaded not guilty to tho indictment,
we Immediately applied to the court
for bail. stating to the court that Mra.
MCGOWAN had been eNoneTated by tho
coroner's jury. and upon being re-ur-
rested before the justice of the peace,
had been allowed bail with the con-
sent of the state attorney In the SUM-
of two thousand dollars. and had ap-
peared at court 10 answer tho charge
against her and In view OF these cir
we believed she should be
allowed bail 20 answer the Indictment
found by the grand Jury. The court
stated that bail would be granted IL
the state attorney consented. but tho
state attorney stated in open court that
he would not consent to bail II Is
true. that when the state attorney re-
fused to consent to bail, we did not
make further application for the rea-
con that the only course left under
the circumstances was a habeas cor
pus proceeding. BY this is meant that
we would have had 10 file a petition
before the court asking for a writ of
habeas corpus. and upon the writ nc
ing granted we would have had 10 pro-
duce before the court all the witnesse1
for the state and the defendant. at the
expense or the defendant which would
have required several days. As some
Of the witnesses lived outside OF PEN
sacola this expense would have
TO a considerable amount
and as Mrs. MCGOWAN had no m cans
and her friends had already come to
her assistance in securing counsel for
her. she decided to remain in jail
rather than call upon her friends for
the money necessary 10 pay tho eE-
pense of a habeas corpus proceeding.
"As we have already stated we hav9
no desire TO discuss this matter
through the columns OF the news
papers as we are perfectly satisfied
To have the case tried by q jury rf
.-,.1,,o man and abide nv their YER