Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-06-17
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COURTS
q q n u n
Chancery Court June Term 1921

lL6akeSVllle bHiS "eSk, opening Nou
day morning with Chancellor " A.
Griffith Of Gulfport on the bench
and R. p. Stockton of the same city
as stenographer. with local officers
OF the court all present. The major
part of the first day was taken up
with presentation of the set Of rules
which were recently adopted by the
of Chancellors of Mississippi in obe-
dience to law enacted by the asst
legs ature, governing and systema-
tizing the practice and procedure IN
such court. Griffith was very EN-
phatic in his announced intention to
adhere to these rules aud he invoked
the cooperation of counsel to help
get them into effect, for the conven-
fence and better understanding and
working order of all concerned, as
rapidly as possible.
The ordinary routine OF running
over the docket and disposing OF
such business as could be done for
the first day was gone though with
and adjournment taken for the, day
| that afternoon at a seasonable hour.
TUESDAY
Tuesday morning was taken up
with consideration OF divorce and
land title cases and clearing of the
motion docket. That afternoon the
Habeas Corpus hearing transferred
from Forrest County in case OF Joe
Barrett, convicted OF Grand Larceny
and sentenced to three years in
State Pnitentiary, appealed to Su
preme Court, case affirmed. and Sen
tence suspended by Gov. Russell un-
til July Goth. until Pardon Board
could review case. After argument
on the legal points through the after
noon, Chancellor Griffith announced
that there was some doubt in his
mind as to how the case should be
decided it all hlnging on the true
definition of the word "reprieve' but
that he would resolve the doubt in
favor of the defendant as the law
provides, and allow him to go free
Che had been rearrested under order
of the Forrest County Circuit Court
Judge) until July goth. in order not
to work a hardship Oh him, it being
shown he was the father Of four
motherless children and The time
only so short and he to be held bs
the $1,000 appeal bond to Supreme
Court. 1t seems that was some
doubt as to property ownership OF
property involved in The case, Barrett
the defendant having claimed it him
self, and Gov. Russell believed the
facts as presented in petition to him
warranted full Investigation by the
pardon board to see il there had not
been miscarriage of justice, so that
if so full pardon could be anted,
as the Constitution gives him the
right in such cases of technical
guilt before the law.
WEDNESDAY
The principal part of the forenoon
of Wednesday was taken up with the
trial OF the land contest between
Paul Leverett, compt. ard Toney
Mccain, DIT. This'case was quite
complicated one, being between
two negro citizens of the kaootown
community community, and II ran
all the way back to swamp aud pur-
chases from the U. S. Govt, titles to
some OF which were quashed by the
McI4aurin Act. of Cong ress, and
through a homestead contest and
subsequent proving outs The de
cision went In favor of Leverett. be
getting the one forty iu the traction
al sectional or Lot claimed. and Nc
Cam retaining the north forty on.
when he lives.
The afternoo of this dav was given
over to tha Habeas Corpus hearing
lin the Hard Mcleod murder case.
A few witnesses we're examined on
the state side, when was conducted
| by E. w. Breland, retained counsel
| for the prosecution in the murder
trial proper. Then the balance of
| the afternoon was consumed With
witnesses which the defense put on
and some rough language testimony
was developed bv them as the pur-
norted speech and threats of the