The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-08
PEONAGE MURDER
 CASE WILL REACH
 JURY DURING DAY
Georgia Planter Declares Ab- soIute Innocence, Declaring Manning Had Probable
 Motive for Killings
By Associated Press


 rest with jury tomorrow. lln eyen.i dispassionate tones, the Jasper county planter, testifying in his own behalf today, declared his "absolute inno- cenceo of the charge. of murder and when court adjourned late today the trial had been concluded except for the two closing arguments and the judges charge.
 Williams will be either convicted of the murder of one of the men, for whose death he is specifically on trial, or he will be acquitted for attorneys on both sides argued this afternoon that there could be mo halfway yer diets" and the defendant himself told the jury in so many words that the killings were murder"
 A verdict of murder might be ac- companied by a recommendation for mercy carrying life Imprisonment.
 BLAMES FARM BOSS
 Clyde Manning, negro fram boss for IA years on the Williams place, and seif-confessed accomplice of the planter was pointed to by Williams as the man having a probable motive" for the killings. Charles c. King, pleading for Williams acquittal. told the jury Manning, ignorant of the pen atty for peonage, had become alarmed at the federal investigation and that the evidence indicated he was the only person who had motive for the kill ings.
 Mir King asserted the defense ex- pected to rely largely on Williams "alibi," which he said, Williams had es tablished "as far as possible" by de- scribing how he was at home the night the three negroes were killed, and as- serted the state had offered no legaN 8corroboration of the testimony of confessed accomplice as required by law.
 Graham Wright assistant attorney general. pointed to various testimony as corroboration, and said the law left 1t to the jury to make final decision on that question. He termed Manning in- capable of planning and carrying out the crimes under the eyes of Will Hams and his family" and named Will Hams as the guilty man.
 Manning also will be put on trial for the murders. 1t was announced today, the exact time to be decided later, and his attorney, E. Marvin Underwood. said he would not enter plea of guilty.
 "Clyde Manning shall not escape" declared Solicitor General Brand, in urging conviction of Williams. T could not under the law permit hlm to es- cape.''
 WILL TRY MANNING
 Manning had testified for the state that by Williams ordefs the negroes were weighted down with rocks and thrown alive into rivers or knocked in the head and buried where they fell and Williams taking the stand today briefly recited all he said he knew of the deaths of Lindsey Peterson, Willie Preston and Harry Price three drowned the same night in Newton county. He Is on trial for murder of Peterson, and he did not go into the other cases.
 The defendant accused by the state of .Georgia's 8 most atrocious murders" has watched the proceedings calmly throughout the trial. even smiling once or twice and today he was as cool as any of the spectators who packed the courtroom almost to suffocation to hear his story.
 FIRST CRIMINAL CHARGES These were the first criminal charges of any kind ever filed against him, he declared, in his 54 years of life, and told. proudly, it seemed. that his four grown sons were among the first to answer the countrys call to war. He admitted he might have been technically guilty of peonage. as he had worked negroes who owed him money. He had told federal investigators that when they first came to the farm, he added, and had also de- clared he always paid and fed these ne groes These agents replied the negroes on his place were among 'the best fed < and clothed" they had seen, he declared. If he were technically guilty of peonage most Georgia farmers also were" he added.
 II am absolutely innocent" he told the jury in conclusion as he reverted to the murder charge
 to 1,u Fad oov v.I; sv. <, with introduction of Rena Manning, wife of Clyde Manning, and Sheriff B. L. Johnson of Newton county in an effort to corroborate parts of Mannfng's story The woman testified the negro left wAtl Williams, Manning and Charlie Chisholm the night they were last seen aliye, as Manning had declared. Sheriff Johnson said Manning identified the three bodies found in Newton county and later con- fessed and told where the others could be found The negro's words were bornS out by investigation, the sheriff said
 ONLY DEFENSE WITNESS
 Williams was the only witness for the defense appearing upon the stand un' sworn which under Georgia law pre- vents cross-examination. The fact tha no other defense testimony was intro duced permitted Williams counsel tt open and close. No limit was placed or the, time of arguments and four attor neys spoke today.
 Nr. King opened for the defense, fol lowed in order by MT. Wright for th' state; w. H. Key of Monticello, Ga, fol tho defense and Solicitor General Brant for the state. w. M Howard, forme congressman from Georgia. will closs for the prosecution tomorrow, makin. the first address of the day and tn, final plea will be made by Green F Johnson of Monticello, chief counsel fo the defense About three hours are ex pected to be consumed tomorrow in ar gument
 Charges were flung back and forth a tho lawyers pleaded with the jury to : day MT. Key asserted it was ssunfair' to put Williams on trial so soon afte afrost-oniy about two weeks. he said and referring to Assistant Attorney Gen eral wright. sent by Governor Dorsey and Former Congressman, Howard. enl ployed by a group of citizens. told tn jury "the state has decided that if the, can't convict by evidence, they take tn position they will convict by lawyers
 Solicitor Brand charged the opposinl counsel with playing to the gallery and seeking to invoke race prejudice end declared the. murderer of the ne eroea should be punished: that unde fhe law they had the same right to pro teefion aa the white man, He als asked why Williams never inquired int the whereabouts of the Il negroes who's fiisappearance was q mystery until thei bodies were found
 Mill Man Stricken
 Anniston. April --tSpecial) )--Kno' Miller. a well known saw mill operate ,s of upper Tailadega county. wa ntricken by an acute attack of appen