The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1915-11-28
WATSON WINS
POINT IN CASE
BY A RULING
Judge Lambdin Allows Him to
Show Writings Are High "a.
Class.
THE TRIAL CONTINUES
Objection of District Attorney
Brought on a Contest and
Fight Over the Point Took Up
All of Morning Session.

AUGUSTA, Ga, NOV. 2.-ThOmaS
f. Watson on trial in the federal
court charged with sending obscene
i matter through the mails, won a point
/ in his case this afternoon when Judge
w. w. Lambdin, presiding, ruled that
Watson might try to show by "A wit
ness that his writings other than those
mentioned in the indictment We're of
high class nature" Objection on the
part of the government had caused
! the entire forenoon to be consumed
| in argument over this point The wit
ness, John M. Barnes, former Thorn
son (GaD postmaster. stated when
his cross-examination was resumed,
| that he considered Watsons writing
| literature of the highest class"
Watson, it had been indicated, pro
| the author of high class literature"
would not publish or mail obscene
and improper matter.
A large crowd had gathered for the
opening of court in expectation of a
lengthy legal argument of whether
|
! duce before the jury his character as
an author. After lengthy argument on
this point court was adjourned last
night without n ruling having been
made Watson had brought out
through cross examination Of John M.
Barnes, former postmaster at Thorn
son, and the first witness called. that
Watson was the author of a number
OF works Of history and fiction. Wat
sons next question was as to the ma
turc of these works.
Are they high-class or low-class
works." asked the author, who as a
member of the Georgia bar acted as
his own counsel.
Mr. Barnes, introduced by the
government to show that the publ
cations containing the alleged OBJ
scene matter had been mailed, had
got as far as saying they are high
" when the prosecution interrupted
and reiterated the governments con
| tention that II was not pretnent to
the case.
"The only thing that is pertinent,
the only thing necessary to be proved
! in this case" stated the government
| prosecutor, 'is whether or not the
defendant was responsible for mail
ing the matter mentioned in the in
dictment and whether the jury be-
lieves that matter was obscene"
! Watson argued that he had il right
' 10, to fI,a 0ta IL, ntiIf q
The government admitted that, say
J ing he might place his character In
! evidence in a general way" but that
for the defendant to show he had
written high-class litera lure, which
/ the government prosecutor said he
might admit did not bear on he
question of whether or not Watson
was guilty of having mailed obscene
matter. Watson had also indicated
that he proposed to ask the court fot
permission to show that the indict-
ment had been brought against him
over the protest Of former Postmas
ter General Frank M. Hitchcock.
Interest in the trial appeared to
have increased today, to Judge from
the even larger crowd at the court
house than was present yesterday
when the case began, but the progress
of the Uial itself dragged slowly,
WatsoA, 1t is charged by the gov
eminent, was responsible for, mailing
alleged obscene matter in copies OF
his publications containing attacks OF
the Roman Catholic church.
In taking up nearly every point TO
day the prosecution took occasion tc
reiterate it's contention that the case
rested solely upon whether or not
Watson was responsible for the ar
tcles having been mailed and
whether or not they were obscene
The question alluded to yesterday Of
whether Watson personally, or the
Jcffersonian Publishing Company, a
corporation. was responsible for the
articles having mcen mailed, had not
been brought up again durnng the
forenoon arguments.
The defense, taking up the question
Of Watson's legal right to attempt to
show that the general trend OF hls
writings was TO uplift rather than
tear down public morals, soon broad
ened their argument TO take IN the
v.,hAtkGr mr. tEp de