The log cabin Democrat., 1921-01-13
MERR|MAN TOFACF
 COURT ON CHARGE
WOULD SUBYERT JUROR
Merriman Also Faces Grand Jury Ex- aminatiOn-Haski Bond Ex-
 ended to Saturday.

hearing on the charge of attempt ing to wrongfully influence veniremen called for examination, when the jury in the Martin Haskins case was being selected, will be given George Merri- man in circuit court on Saturday morning. Following his arrest We'd nesday upon the order of Judge George w. Clark, the defendant was released under bond of $500 for his appearance and was at once sum- moned for examination by the granI jury No finding by the grand jury had been made public up to noon to- day.
 The formal charge against Merri- man reads in part as follows: That the above defendant had attempted to influence the verdict of said jury wrongfully and improperly, in the event of his selection upon the jury in the case of state of Arkansas vs. Martin Haskins, and to induce an in- 1 fluence said juror to return a verdict of not guilty" The courts order to Merriman to apear Saturday also de- 1 tailed the charge, in part, in the fol- lowing language: 'to then and there
 show cause why you should not be adJudged in contempt of said court by unlawfully attempting to influence E. Martin, an elector and talesman sum- moned by the sheriff of Faulkner coun- ty under and in obedience to the or special veniremen to serve upon the jury in a certain cause wherein the sttae of Arkansas was plaintiff and Martin Haskins defendant; and to re- turn verdict of not guilty in said case; and at said time, you, the said George Merriman, knowing that the said E. Martin had been so summon ed as such talesman, and which acts, if true, constitute gross contempt of court"
 The charge against Merriman re- suited from disclosures made by Esker Martin while under examination for jury service. When questioned as to his knowledge of the case, he said it had been detailed to him by Merriman, who declared the defendant deserving verdict of not guilty. Merriman was then summoned into court and the formal charge made by Judge Clark.
 A sentence of three years was the verdict returned in the Martin Has kins case late Wednesday afternoon, after the fate of the defendant had been in the hands of the jury for slightly more than one hour Upon petition of counsel, Judge Clark ex- tended the bond of the defendant until Saturday morning when motion for a new trial will probably be presented, which if overruled probably will be followed by an appeal to the supreme court. The conclusion of this, the third trial of Haskins, was as dra- matic as unexpected, few expecting that the jury would be able to reach a verdict even after protracted de- liberation.
 Judge Clark fixed sentence of one year in the penitentiary for Will Fuller, negro, indicted for grand lar ceny. Fuller was one of the six in- dicted by the grand jury Monday. He was arrested soon after the bill had been handed to Deputy Sheriff J. I. Summers. In court today, Fuller en- tered a plea of guilty to the charge and his punishment was fixed by the court.
 No report has been made by the grand jury since the first six indict- ments announced in open court Tues day. Examination of witnesses is be- ing continued at steady rate, it was said
 The court excused J. s. Dickens from further service on the petit jury, on account of serious illness in his family.
 A jury trial of the case of Brinn Brothers vs. Lyons Brothers, involv- ing an alleged debt, resulted in a yer dict for the defendant. Counsel for the plaintiff made a motion for a new trial, which was overruled by the court. Jurors in this case were: R. H. Maddox, L. J. Troutman, J. c. Garrison, W. J. Gardner, s. H. Rus sell J. M. Bergman, c. M. Howard, W. H. Petty. S. B. McCollum, George P. Carter, H. W. Parham and J. A. Hooks.
 The case of s. w. Watson vs. H. G. Pate, involving the sale or lease of lands belonging to the plaintiff, went to the jury before adjournment today at noon. Arguments by counsel in the case concluded the morning sit ting. Jurors in the case are: P. V. Hamilton, George Shaw, Jr., H. D. Baldridge, J. R. Holmes, F. J. Snow, Ad O'Guin, A. Y. Hogue, F. P. Nell l son, J. A. Clanton, c. c. Phillips, l.. 1