Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-02
ABE POWERS GIVEN
FIVE YEARS. TERM
ON LARCENY CHARGE
First Man Convicted Of IN
tereSt in Alleged "Gamb-
ling Syndicate, " Gets Linz
itof Law

IL vi Law
The jury returned a verdict OF
guilty" against Abe Powers We'd
nesday for larceny after trust ana he
was sentenced to five years in the
penitentiary, the maximum penalty
allowed by law. Powers attorneys
announced that they would make an
appeal.
A sensational development in the
trial of Abe Powers, on charges of
larceny after trust, came Wednes-
day afternoon as the case neared It's
end, when one of Powers attorneys
In MS argument to the jury, frank
lY admitted that Powers had been
engaged in swindling scheme, but
declared that the offense Of his
client only amounted to simple lar
ceny, and not larceny after trust.
Larceny after trust is punishable
by from one to five years. Simple
larceny is punishable by one year
or $1,000 fine.
Gentlemen Of the jury, am I'M
| der oath like you,' said Samuel D.
Hewlett. one of Powers attorneys,
In his argument IT am not trying
to hide anything from you. 7 am
not trying to tell you that this man
did not commit a crime. 1 am GO
ing to tell you the facts even If 1t
hurts my client. This case Is pure,
simple larcen yand should not be
treated as anything else. Holley
was as deep in the mud as Powers
was in the mire. Wade Lamar was
trying to skin somebody and Powers
was tryingsto trim them both"
| More State witnesses
Before the arguments started We'd
nesday morning the state introduced
several additional witnesses: H. G.
Green. of the Western Union Tele-
graph company, and G. w. Oliver, Of
the Postal company, who testified
that Powers neve received any mon
ey by telegraph from November IL
through November 10.
Oliver N. Confer. clerk of the Ok
ford hotel. 161 Whitehall street, testi-
fed that Powers stayed there from
October 80. until bis arrest, with a
|
and who always paid the bills, and he
testified further that maid at the
hotel who was to have been called as
a witness left Atlanta suddenly at
midnight Tuesday for Washin gton,
| ID. c. Another witness was n. l..
| Davis, of Indiana, who testified that
| he saw Powers operating the tele-
graph wires at the West Peachtree
exchange" where he said he was
fleeced out of $4,000.
In closing for the state, Solicitor
Boykin introduced various parapher-
MALTA confiscated in his raid on the
| West Peachtree place, including
wrappers for money, chalk, black
board, eraser, bogus money, letter
heads of the turf exchange and al
legged corporations and kilograms eX-
changed between Powers and Lamar
and Holley.
The defense closed with an addi-
tional statement from Powers in
| which he declared that his right
name was F. Powers, under which
| he registered at the Oxford hote,
and that the reason he took the name
| of Abe was because Lamar and Hol-
ley, being religious and prominent in
their home towns suggested that
make names be used by all Of them.
Two wealthey farmers of Akin,
S. C.-Wades Lamar and H. c. Hol-
ley-described to a ury in Judge
John D. Humphreys court Tuesday
how. as they claim, they were swim
died out of 900 by gang Of wire
tappers in Atlanta
Their testimony was the feature
of the trial of Abe Powers, charged
with being a ring leader of the gang.
whe nthe trial opened Tuesday In
the Fulton superior court.
Lamar was on the witness stand
throughout the morning session, tell
ing how he and Holley were invei-
gled to the so-called turf exchange
on West Peachtree street, where. he
claims, they were fleeced out Of their
money by clever scheme to bet on
the races. Holley, who was the
principal witness at the afternoon
session, corroborated Lamar's story.
Solicitor Boykin, who is prosecut-
ing the case, had in the courtroom
an oilcloth blackboard, packages of
bogus money, telegraph instruments
rugged to storage batteries, and other
paraphernalia of the sort confiscated
in the West Peachtree raid.
Power attorneys sought to defend
him with testimony that he himself
did not take the $1,000. They fur
| Their sought to show that Holley al
lowed his money to be bet on the
races and went so far as to go back
to his home, and return with a check
for $4,000 in an effort to win more
! money.
An interesting phase Of Solicitor
Boykins examination came when he
brought out from Holley and Lamar
the statement that they could not
find the West Peachtree place When
they went there with city detectives
but that it was discovered most cas-
! lily when they went there the next
day accompanied by Mr.. Boykin.
! Lamar was the first witness at the
trial of Powers, who was indicted for
| larceny after trust, the indictment
being based upon the accusations of
Lamar and Holley.
! Powers trial began at o'clock
| 1t took more than an hour to Sc
! lect the jury.
How He Met Powers
II am a farmer and live stock man
of Aiken" said Lamar in opening his
! testimony. about two weeks ago last
Saturday I was in Atlanta and met
man who called himself Tom