Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-16

jury, Mrs. Coart and l were on q
missionary society program togeth.
er. One afternoon after school (shc
was a teacher in the local schools)
l had started out to the home of Mrs.
Coart, and some friends came along
in a car and picked me up. I got
off in front of the house and went
in, seeing the door open, at TIE same
time calling to Mrs. Coart. / re-
ccived no answer, but soon Mr.. Coalt
entered ana said that Mrs. Coart
had gone over to the home of a
neighbor fer few minutes. 1 told
him to tell Mrs. Coart what 1 had
done on the arrangements for the
program and for her (Mrs Coart) to
check it over and let me know. l
started to leave after laying the pa
Ter down on the table, and Major
Coart intercepted me; heScaught me
in his arms and kissed me and held
me by main force and would not let
me go, though L begged him to do
so, and told him I would cream il
he did not. Major Coart said, 'Ce-
leste, it would never do for you to
leave here in this condition l asked
him if I had ever conducted myself
in a manner that would give him
| cause to think / was the kind OF
woman he seemed to assume that \
was, and that if our friendsf ips in
the past were being mistaken by him
in such manner then / thought it
was time to break Off. He said that
I had not done anything wrong, but
that he had simply lost his head,
in explaining his action"
Replying at this juncture to a
question by the solicitor, Mrs. Nc
| r n
tell Mr.. McNiece was that 1 knew
he would resent it and that he
might be dyed in the blood of Major
Coart. I did not tell Mrs. Coart be-
cause I knew it would cause her to
lose what respect she might have
had for Mr.. Coart. I left the Coart
home and. walked home and there
after l avoided him on every &C.
casion I could. 1 loved Mrs. Coart.
and she was friendly and lovely to-
ward me, and we kept up those
friendships thereafter as we could
More Forced Attentions
After that experience, the Coart' s
came to see the McNieces three
times consecutively before they re-
turned visit, according to the testi-
mony of Mrs. McNiece. A few weeks
later, she told the jury, she met
Major Coart down town one after
noon after school, and she was
carrying some books. He asked per.
mission to carry the books for her
and she permitted him to do so.
After they had walked together for
a short distance, he said, according
to Mrs. McNiece, II just must talk
to you about something that per-
tains to all our happiness" and she
EYNnvrr fhaf r1o Ill o%-5
the line Of conversation and asked
him not to mention it.
On another occasion, according to
the testimony of the witness, she
was walking to het home about a
mile from the city when she met
Major Coart with a party of friends
IN an automobile, and he got out of
the car and walked home with me,
taking advantage of the occasion to
| inslnuate infidelities on part of Mr..
| McNiece with me. I asked hin.
to cite instances of Mr.. McNiece's
| intidelity, but he did not. On that
occasion, he asked me to let him
know If l was ever free. I told him
that l loved my husband dearly:
that l was true to him and did not
| bel1eVe him untrue to me, and that
nothing only death could separate
u.s."
Replying to an Interrogation by
the solicitor, Mrs. McNiece stated
the aforementioned incident occur.
req the afternoon just preceding the
killing OF Mg, McNiece in his Of
flee at the courthouse the next
morning by Mr.. Coart.
The witness related other in
stances OF alleged emotional demon
STATIONS of the defendant toward
her, one Of which was at a picnic
at Juniper. at which Mr.. Coart was
present, as was she and Mr.. Nc
Niece. In conversation while she
was in swimming and Major Coart
! was on the bank, the matter of her
going to Lawrenceville during the
summer to visit her people came up
and she stated that Mr.. Coart asked
her If she wouldn't write to him.
Sne showed her resentment, accord
ing to her testimony, and swan
away from him. whereupon he is
SAID to have remarked that "you
needn't get SO mad about it; only
meant a friendly letter."
Still Received by McNieces
The witness also referred to one
| instance of being in the presence of
| the defendant alone when she says
he told her that Mrs. Coart was not
the sweet, lovely woman she (Mrs.
McNiec9 thought she was"
On cross examination by Mr.. Pal
mer, after he had been careful to
| get his objections into the record,
\ Mrs. McNiece stated that on the &C.
casion' she was at the home of Major
| Coart, when Mrs. Coart was absent,
she did not walk all the way home,
but was picked up by some friends,
named Childs, Miss Gussie Pearl
Childs being in the car. She admit
ted that Mr.. Coart, after the Incl
dents related had been received into
the McNiece home, apparently gra-
ciously, but the witness stated that
he had cultivated Mr.. McNiece's