The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1918-02-14
COPPEDCE MUST
SERVE GANG
SENTENCE
FOUND GUILTY OF ASSAULT AND
SENTENCED AS FOR MIS-
DEMEANOR

/
, remain six months in Jail or pay a
! fine of $1,000 On the first part of
his sentence he will have no choice
! On the latter he may pay or serve.
The jury in his case remained out
last night an hour in Macon before
verdict was brought in II was sim
ply a finding against him for assault
which in the eye Of the law is a mis-
demeanor. If he had been found gull
Y Of the charge made against him.
he would have been handled as for a
felony. much more serious punish
ment might then have been afflicted.
Judge Matthews imposed the full
limit under the verdict brought in.
He could net have made ii more Sc
we're. There was 10 notice OF appeal
at the time hut motion can be made
IA err
The case has cost Crisp county
heavily, although il was pushed
through in reasonably short time.
Judge Ross concluded his argument
! for the state just before the jury was
| turned ever to the sheriff for supper
! His speech was scathing accusa-
| ton agaias' the defendent in which
/ he condemned him for what he charg-
| ed was a "deliberate attempt to steal
! from the young woman whom Cop
pedge is alleged to have attempted
to criminally assault. her precious
; honor"
Defends the Woman
/ Seemingly the solicitor had become
| aroused by the attempt of w. D. Nc
! Neil, who closed the argument for the
| defense, to cast cloud upon the Sta
les main witness, and Judge Ross de
Tended her and arraigned the accused
for what he termed was base sub
mission to his brutal passions.
The solicitor at times fired the pack
ed audience in the court room, and
it was necessary to keep them in or
| der
The morning session of the court
was taken up by the state in submit
ting rebu tai evidence The girl was
| called back to the stand and she in
dignantlv denied that she had led
Icppedge on, and that she had encour.
aged any advances on his part. She
told in Il straight forward way the
struggle with the accused, and how
she had desperately battled for her
homer
Denies Accusations
She denied that she had entered
into any arrangement or understand
ing with the defendant to meet him
at his room at the Cordele hotel. which
the defenden had stated in his state
ment to the jury, was the arrangement
which he'd been entered into between
him and the girl during the dinner
hour on the fatelul day when they were
left alone at the defendants store in
Cordele
Ordinary Fleming was next called
by the State to testify as to the mar
riage license which he had signed for
the accused and The girl. and how the
ceremony was interrupted a the Jail
where the defende2t was lodged
}. &. Coppedge and Mrs Sarah Woo
ten were called to tell of the girls
character. This character was elo-
quently defended by the girl herself
when she denied the main body of the
statement made by the accused The
girl with visible indi2 ion denied
she had fallen for COppedge and that
she had artfully asked him to kiss her
She denied that she ask him to pull
down the shades to his room windows
and that she was at any time afraid
that SON ethina would happen to Cop
ipedge
Dispute as to Age
There was considerable among the
Witnesses as to the girls age The
Ordinary testified that the ceremony
was net performed on account Of in
formation that lie had received that
she was not eighteen
The grea est gain made by the de
Tense during the session yesterday
was the admission on the part of the
States witness. Mrs Woodson, that
the girl had insisted on the marriage
and knew what she was doing.
The evidence in the case as brought
out by Mrs WO0dson developed thai
the brother Of the accused had offered
her two thousand dollars to marry
the accused, and at the same time
Offering to pay the witness to pro
cure the marriage. which the witness
according to her testimony, sEurned
Shortly after the noon recess Wed
nesday the arguments in the case were
: begun. when O. r. Cover opened fol
; the State. speaking for forty-fve min
!: utes. followed by j. H. DodsCn as the
: first speaker in behalf of the defen
: dant Attorney w. d. Mcneil conclud
ed the argument for the accused last
ed until after five and it was through
ont based on the accused's statemen
which he declared was the mos
straight forward thai had been submit
: ted to a jury.
The charge of Judge Matthews last
: ed for about an hour and at eigh
: o'clock the jury had retired to thei
: room to deliberate ON their verdic