The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-08-06
Circuit Court Ad-
journedW Wednesday
Emmett Thomas Case Consumed Much
Time-Jury Disagree a. To Ver-
dict, and Case Passed.
Report of Grand Jury Shows What
That Body Did-Somebody Started
Something About Shortage in Ice
Weights.

Weights.
Circuit court remained in session
until Wednesday afternoon of this
week. The report of the grand jury
published below shows what that body
did.
The case of the State VS.. Emmett
Thomas charged as one of the parties
to the killing of Sam Dubose on De-
cember 5, 1918, was begun on Thurs
day July 20. A venire of ESQ men
was summoned but this was exhausted
ed before jury was secured. The
panel was finally made up from the
two regular juries.
1t will be recalled that Dubose was
shot down in the public road in front
of the house of Johnathan Thomas on
the date above named. One of Du-
bosses daughters was the wife of Ira
Thomas, a brother of Emmett
Thomas on trial at this term of the
court. About five weeks before the
tragedy she had become mother and
at the time of the baby's arrival, was
in Grenada. Upon returning home,
she, it seems, alleged that her hus-
ba IDS treatment of her was no bet
ter and that he would not provide
for her and was almost cruel at
times. AS a result she made up her
mind to leave her husband and to go
back to make her home with her faith
er. In company with her step moth
er, she started home, carrying her
babe in her arms, the day before or
two days before, her father was
killed. On the way, the distance was
perhaps not much over a mile, she
was overtaken by husband and the
brother on trial she alleged, and up
on her refusal to return home, he
took the baby away from her and
started off with it. Whereupon she
consented to go back. She alleged
that she was treated with great in
dignity that night and that later she
sent her father word to get the Of
ficers to come and take her away.
Acting upon this request, it was IN
evidence that Dubose did come to
Grenada to consult officers. The
officers no doubt thinking it was Just
a family affair that it would soon
blow over, no affidavit was made,
it was therefore just one OF those al
fairs hard to get at by officers. Du-
hose returned home, it seems, and the
next day his wife and another daught-
er went to get his daughter who was
held as she stated under duress. Du-
bose and a son, or perhaps MS TWO
sons, accompanied the wife a part
of the way and waited awhile on the
road side for her to return with the
daughter desiring absolution from
her husband. But it is claimed that
after waiting while, he heard,
great commotion and loud talking
near the premises where his wife went
and where his daughter was thought
to be, so he and his sons proceeded
along up the road, as the prosecution
claimed, to the relief of the wife and
mother if they were being assaulted.
Johnathan Thomas home was on the
road side between Dubose and where
his wife and daughter wore, and in
passing there he was shot with
load of buck shot and killed. There
were several shots Cred; the State
claimed that Dubose was also shot
over the fact that Dubose was car
rying shot gun and that he also
had a pistol in his pocket. The de-
fense asserted that when he passed
Johnathan Thomas home and when
Johnathan Thomas, with whom Du-
bose Was friendly and who had only
the Sunday before spent the day at
Dubose's, walked out on his gallery,
that Dubose's son shot at him, where
upon, the defense asserted, that the
other Thomases got busy with their
guns in selfdefense and to protect the
life of their brother. Ira Thomas and
Meek Thomas and another brother
were also at Johnathan Thomas
home at that time and their shot
guns were there also. They stayed
that they had only little while be-
fore been out bird hunting, fact
which accounted for their all being
together and having their guns. The
buck shot shells, they asserted, were
only on hand in case of an attack
by Dubose which they asserted that
they had every reason to expect. The
State held that Dubose would have
been unworthy to have been father
had he not gone to the rescue OF his
daughter and that he started out not
to kill or to seek trouble, but that he
carried his weapons only for defen-
sive and not offensive purposes. The
State asserted that Dubose had ev-
cry reason to believe that Jonathan
Thomas felt friendly to him and that
he nor his boy or boys did not fire
at Johnathan Thomas and that Ira
and Meek Thomas were hid behind
the end of the house and that when
Dubose got opposite them, they
stepped out and fired the fatal shots.
Dubose fell on his gun! and there was
a pistol in his trousers pocket. Two.
witnesses were put on the stand at
this trial who swore that Emmett
Thomas told them he fired the shot
that killed Dubose. Unfortunately
for the prosecution, Dubose carried
q concealed weapon. He had right
under the circumstances as he seemed