Evening journal., 1918-05-10
State AGAIN wins
IN DOPE Cases
Three More Negroes Are
Convicted of Traificking
in Banned Drug
IENTENCE ALL
ON ONE DAY

Efforts Of the State to wipe out the
rrovvine trafncking m dope" in this
.ity took an encouraging and definite
orm Yesterday when three convictions
81 negroes were secured and one dc
lendant on the same charge pleaded
ruilty in Court Of General Sessions.
Grace Foster. James Young and Otis
Wren. all negroes. stood trial on in
dlctmenls for violation OF the drug acl
in selling heroin and were adiudged
Vuilty by iuries: Edna Kane confessed
. her part in the transaction OF sale
" the compound.
Sentence in all the cases was de
ferred as il is desired TO have all the
prisoners, found guilty of the ofense'
sentenced at the same time. Three
ptlrer negroes-Joshua Laster. Frank
West and Mary Dennis-are yet TO face
The court on the same charge.
The first case called for the court $
attention yesterday afternoon was that
Of Edna Kane. She. the only one IN
dioted on the charge not represented
BY counsel. changed her plea OF not
guilty TO one Of guilty. Enda told
he court that the only part she played
IN the handling Of heroin was in con-
reving a package OF the dope" from
Josh" Laster to a purchaser, and re
ssfving the money for the package and
turning IL over TO Lasters wife.
The case OF Odis Wren. on the charge
ri selling heroin TO Charles Palmer,
was the d1rst dope case called Tor
lr-ial at the afternoon session OF the
court. It was tried in Court Room NO.
: before Judge Heisel, and a jury ana
resulted in the conviction OF tho ne
Ero-
Charles Palmer, the States chief wit
ness. said that on December %, last
Christmas Day. he went TO Wren's room
on Klund street FOR the purpose OF
huying one-duarter OF a drachm of
heroin for which he paid Si75. Tho
witnesses wife was with him at the
time. lie used the drug later, not by
podermically but by smiling 1t into the
nose.
After a little wrangle with Mr..
Handy over The admissibility OF the
question. Mr.. Green finally succeeded IN
getting before the witness a question
ss 10 what eject the heroin had upon
him. He said that IL sort o. made
me feel drowsy at first
Mr.. Handy dnzzed the witness as
20 who was In Wren's room at the time
of fhe purchase. He said there were
some persons but he didn't remember
inst who. He asked Wren, he said, II
wren had amy OF the stuif.' Wrer
asked him what nc wanted-r (whicf
meant cocaine), or II (which mean
heroIn1 Hereplled u. stated the quan
Eity and was given 1t.
Questioned as TO whom he had tol'
Of this matter, first The witness re
plied that Il had been Detective ser
Qeant Green and certain detectives. li
had gotten into trouble over heroin
pleadlng guilty 70 selling the drug, an'
he thought 10 better. for him to glN'
up lis use. At the same time thi
misery he suffered when he couldn
get ~ convinced him that all he coul'
do 10 prevent others from becoming
addicted to it would be good thing
Since March A., he went ON, he has no
used the drug And he wound w
replying 90 a query by Judge heisel
IT am better for it, because I'm a maj
again.
palmers wife Mary. said she ha'
gone with her husband 20 Wrens an'
saw Wren give him the package h'
bought. She, herself sniffed some o
its contents. 10 was the lrst time sh
had done so. She felt sleepy afterward
dropped into slumber.
This was all the State offered in di
rect testimony. Mr.. Handy outlined &
the jury the defence, which was a com
plete denial OF the alleged purchase