The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-08-06
SAM DOSS GIVEN PRELIMINARY
HEARING
Bound Over to Circuit Court and
Bond Fixed at $4,000.

The preliminary hearing before J.
P. Zolman, justice of the peace, of
Sam Doss was held at the Court
House on last Monday, and after ex-
amining five witnesses on the part of
the State and three on the part Of
the defendant, Esquire Zolman an
nounced that he would bind Doss over
to await the action of the Grand Jury
and fixed his bond at $3,O0O,which
Doss very promptly gave.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Clyde Morsey had, after the Coroner's
inquest, filed his affidavit before w.
F. Arnold, justice of the peace at
Desloge, charging Doss with murder
in the first degree, for the alleged kill
ing of Otto Huitt at the picnic at
Desloge on July 3, 1915. On the re-
turn of Prosecuting Attorney Henry
Davis, and after some investigation
by him, he saw proper to cause his
assistant, Morsey, to file an affidavit
before J. P. Zolman, charging Doss
with murder in the first degree for
the alleged killing of Otto Huitt at
Desloge July 3, 1915, and dismissed
the affidavit filed before Judge Ar
mold.
The facts brought out by the wit
nesses examined by the State were
as follows;
DR.. J. H. English, Coroner, testi-
fed as to the five wounds found on
the body Of Otto Huitt, either of
four would have produced death.
The other four witnesses on behalf
Of the State, each testified that they
did not see the first part of the fight,
that is that part wherein Huitt had
made an insulting remark to Judge
G. o. Nations while he was speaking,
and had stabbed Doss under the right
eye and then clinched Doss and threw
his left arm around Doss's neSk and
attempted to cut Doss's throat5 but
began by detailing the facts just as
Doss and Huitt were separated and
from this time sn, the States evidence
tended to prove that Huitt had been
taken hold of by Deputy Sheriff John
Hibbitts and one or two others, and
Doss had been taken hold of by two
or four men; that there was at the
time of the first shot, some twenty
or thirty feet separating the two,
and Doss wheeled and rushed upon
Huitt and shot him five times.
The testimony of the three wit
nesses on the part of the defendant
tended to prove that Judge Nations
was speaking from the steps leading
up to twenty by twenty platform;
that Doss was out in front of him,
with Deputy Sheriff John Hibbitts
Immediately to his back and rather at
his right side; that Huitt came up
and brushed by Hibbitts' side, took
his position behind and to the right
of Doss and made an insulting re-
mark to or concerning Judge Nations
and that Doss remarked that if he
(Huitt) did not want to listen to
Judge Nations, he (Huitt) could go
away-or words to that effect; that
Huitt, with an oath, stabbed Doss un-
der his right eye, and Immediately
threw his left arm around Doss's up
lifted right arm, attempted to cut
Doss's throat, but in doing so inflict-
ed severe cut upon his (Huitt's)
left hand and fingers, and gave Doss
a very severe wound on his left face,
following the lower jaw bone from
Just in front of the left ear to the
point of his chin; that from two to
four men grabbed each of them and
separated them; that Huitt, with
oaths, was advancing, knife in hand,
to Doss, and Doss stated, "You son
of , you can't cut my throat"
and pulled his pistol and advanced to-
ward Huitt, shooting as he advanced
until he had fired five shots and snap
ped his pistol once; that Huitt began
to sink or fall after the second or
third shot, and finally fell face down
ward and across some bushes.
The State was represented by Hen
ry Davis, Prosecuting Attorney, and
B. H. Boyer; the defendant was rep
resented by Benz. H. Marbury, w. L.
Hensley, F. A. Benham and William
HrHn,.