The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-09-23
|GOSSETT'S BAIL,
FIXED AT $4,000
(Continued from page one.)

we'll. He is as yet undecided as TO
whether he will return to his home
Immediately or remain in Greenville
for day or so. He went into a short
conference with Mr.. Price as soon as
formalities of signing the bond were
finished.
Mr.. Price said that the next term
of the Court of General Sessions at
Abbeville will be held in February,
and that although Gossett's bond re-
ouires him to be present at that term
of the court, it was not known wheth-
er or not the case would be tried at
that time. This depends upon the
pleasure of the solicitor of that cir
cult.
Argument for bail for Gossett was
made this morning by James H. Price
one of the counsel for him at'his trial
and on his appeal, while the motion
was resisted by Solicitor Homer S.
Blackwell of Laurens and former So
licitor George Bell Zimmerman Of
Lexington, who represented the State
at the trial and on appeal.
+: THE, case was habeas corpus pro-
ceeding to determine whether or not
Gossett was entitled to bail. He was
brought here yesterday from the
State penitentiary by Captain Day of
the penitentiary guard, having left
that institution yesterday for the first
time since he entered it in April,
1920.
The hearing was held this morning
in the courtroom of Magistrate J. L.
Ballenger, in the county court house.
The place was full of auditors. Cos
sett sat next to a window, with Cap
tain Day on the other side. The de-
fendant's father sat in front of him.
Relief and pleasure were evident in
the faces of both father and son when
Justice Cothran declared the latter
entitled to bail. y
Solicitor Blackwell for the state
said that his opinion , was that the
amount of bail should be sufficient to
bring the defendant into court when
called for, yet it ought not to be so
large that the defendant will be un-
able to secure it. He did not know
the financial circumstances of the
Gossett family, but thought the a.
mount should not be beyond their
reach.
Jas. H., Price for the defense said
that the Gossetts are hard-working
men of no great means, but that they
could give reasonable bond. They
have many friends. He suggested
from $4,000 to $4,000, if the court
deemed that much sufficient. He
thought there would be no dangerl
that Kenneth Gossett would leave the
state.
George Bell, Zimmerman for the
state said that in the last case like
this with which he was familiar the
amount had been fixed at $4,000,
but he did not know how the circum-
stances of the Gossetts would COM
pare with those Of the people in the |
other case.
Justice Cothran then announced
that he would fix the amount of the
bond at $4,000.
Mr.. Price then said that Gossett
would not like to go back to Able
vile just now to arrange bond and
asked the court to allow Clerk of |
Court Harry A. Dsrgan, of this coun.
ty, to take the bond and certify it to
the clerk of court for Abbeville coun-
ty, where the trial was held.
Solicitor Blackwell said that he |
had no objection to this procedure !
and that all he wanted was to make |
sure the bond would be good if it
turned out that it would have to be
estreated.
Justice Cothran then instructed
Mr.. Price to prepare the necessary
papers admitting Gossett to bail and
ordered that, in the meantime, the
defendant should remain in custody.
Four arguments were made in the
case.
James H. Price.
In opening his argument for Cos