The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-21
STEPHENSON JURY
 VISITS SCENE OF
 RECENT TRAGEDY
Defense and State Agree to FiVe-Hour Limit for Argu- mentS-Jury May Get
 Case Today
By GEORGE H. CORNISH

The case of both the state and the defense was rested yesterday after noon at 4 o'clock in the trial of Rev. Edwin R. Stephenson, Methodist minister, indicted for murder in the second degree in connection with the death of Father James E. Coyle, rec tor of St. Pauls Catholic church, and the first argument of the state was begun at 4:22 o'clock by John Nor row, assistant solicitor.
 By the agreement of both the
 Stnte and the defense. immed
 ateIy after all testimony had been
 taken the jurors were allowed to
 visit the scene of the shooting at
 the rectory next door to the court
 hoUse. The jurors left the court
 room shortly after 4 o'clock. and
 nbO~t I5 minutes were consumed
 in the investigation.
 Neither the defense nor state att torneys accompanied the jurors to the rectory. they being taken to the house by the beiliff and allowed to make investigations for themselves. By special request of Mir Morrow, the assistant solicitor, they were given a piece of wire with which to probe the bullet holes In the side of the walls on the porch of the house.
 Church Bells ToIled
 At the time the jurors weri making their investigation, by stra1 coinci- dence there was a funerf in the church next door, and the iurch bell was tollng. A number of sople wofe .fe men on the porch of the priests home and stopped to watch the jurors ex- anime the scene of the shooting.
 As soon as the jurors had returned to the courtroom. tho attorneys for both sides agreed upon the time which will be cons tuned In arguing the case. Five hours waa the time decided upon to be divided equally between the state and defense.
 All indications yesterday afternoon were that the case will go to the jury between and 5 o'clock this aft ernoon.
 Indication of the plsa or the state for the conviction of the defendant was given yester raax sftcrnoon by tho speech of Mir Morrcw. Mr. Morrow began his remarks hy .eadlne the preamble to the constitution of the United States. and asked that Ahs tpry will recall the words Of that d1e1, ment when it goes to the ifry rooi1 10 decide tn cease.
 Special Pies
 A special plea was made that tho jurors do not let themselves be swayed by prejudice He appealed that they should put any personal feeling aside, and decide upon the case purely from the evidence. The ,sl, ao Re pa aFn l,zT entered the insanity plea solely as means of prejudicing the minds of the jurors. Judge Black of the defense objected 10 this statement, and 1t was excluded by the court.
 "The eyes of the entire country ars turned upon this Birmingham jury Mir. Morrow declared "They want to see whether a southern jury will free a murderer because of preJ- udice."
 Mir Morrow consumed 4e minutes of the time allotted to the state.
 B. II. Bell was the first witness placed upon the stand by the state la rebuttal yesterday afternoon. Mir. Bell testified that stephenson's char acter was not good. He admitted. or cross examination, that he had bitter feeling toward him. Stephenson was placed on the stand by th4 state, and he identified gun handed him by So- iicitor Tate as being the one he had used to shoot the priest.
 Gussman Tertifies
 The sensation of the afternoons session of the court was the testimony of Pedro Gussman. son-in-law of Stephenson, whose marriage to Ruth stephenson IS said to have been the cause of the shooting. Gussman was introduced by the state.
 Gussman testified that he was 43 years of age, and had lived in Bir- mingham i4 or IS years. He is paperhanger. he said.
 Gussman declared he had known Ruth Stephenson eight years Ho said he got the marriage license with which 10 marry her at the Bessemer court Father Coyle. he said. mar
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