The Mena weekly star., 1921-04-21
SIX YOUNG MEN LISTEN TO JUDGE
Hear Words of Wisdom From the Lips of Aged Jurist at Opening of Circuit Court-Verdict in
 One Case.

Six young men, all of whom seemed to be in good health and possessed of the usual amount of physical strength, sat in the circuit court room at the court house Monday afternoon and heard Judge J. S. Steel open the April term of court by giving instructions to the grand jury.
 The half dozen young men who might have been engaged in some galnful occupation had it not been for that mischance of fortune that made them prisoners of the law, heard with evident, interest the white headed jur- ist's interpretation of the various statutes in the criminal code of the state of Arkansas.
 Of all the crowd in the court room that witnessed the formal opening of the April term, none gave more heed to the judges talk to the grand jury than did the young men, whose fate now rests in the hands of the court, and whose present address is the county jail
 The prisoners were Clyde Taylor, charged with robbing the Potter post office; L. H. Beckwith, charged with forgery, Jess Beck, charged with rob bery of the Big Fork postoffice; E. W. Culp, charged with the s. 1. Wood store robbery; Frank Pardon, charged with forgery; Ben Chambers, charged with wronging a young girl near Egg ger.
 Judge Steel gave as usual lengthy interpretation of the criminal code and accompanied portions of his instruc- tions with interesting observations from his long experience in the judic- iary At the conclusion of his talk the grand jury retired. On Tuesday morning the body reconvened at the court house and immediately started it's work of investigation of reported crimes.
 The grand jury of the April term is of the following residents of Polk county:
 H. M. Frederick, Mena.
 J. H. Anderson, Mena, Route g.
 Frank Harshman, Mena.
 R. s. Gam, Mena, Route 1.
 Tom Hicks, Mena, Route 1.
 W. T. Myers, Hatfield, Route 2.
 Phillip Abernathy, Big Fork.
 G. H. Johnson, Hatfield, Route 1.
 B. H. Barton, Cove.
 Joe Allen, Cove.
 Alvin Bailey, Vandervoort.
 l. A. Henderson, Vandervoort.
 J. J. Ross, Wickes.
 Lesley Lewey, Wickes.
 J. w. Cunningham, Mena.
 J. J. Cotton, Opal.
 Ii. M. Frederick of Mena was chosen as foreman of the grand jury. J. s. Hinson was named as special bailiff to wait on the body during it's work.
 Iii addition to Investigating the crimes charged against the six young men now held in the county jail, the grand jury is also expected to give at tention to number of other reported infractions of the law. Illicit sales of liquor will come in for thoro search ing if the instructions of Judge Stee! are carried out.
 Tuesday morning Judge Steel had the calling of the civil docket and when this was settled to the satisfac- tion of the local bar, the first case of the term requiring jury was called.
 This was the suit of Lewis against Wright, being an appeal from the justice court of s. H. Smith.
 The jury which heard the Lewis Wright case was composed of c. E. Anderson, John Combs, F. J. Grein- CT, Sim Lawrence, Tom Edwards, J. E. Wilkins, w. P Whisenhunt, o. B. Heath, E. P. Titus, E. B. Twiford, T. R. Bates and H. Gam. Evidence was offered to show that Mrs. Dora Webb. acting as agent for Mir and Mrs. Newt Lewis had sold to the defendant, certain house furnishings from the property at Ninth and Hickory ave hue owned by the Lewis's. It was claimed the goods in question were sold at less than their real value. A jury in the Justice court gave a yer dict for the Lewis's for $100. holding at that time Mrs. Webb had no au- thority to act for the Lewis's. Addi- tional evidence offered on this point, evidently convinced the jury in the circuit court, for after considerable delberation a verdict was rendered in favor of MT. Wright.