Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-07-18
LIFE FOR ZIMMERMAN
Attorney Wilson Charges YOFkVllle
Enquirer PFGjudlCed Public Mind.
MOTION FOR new TRIAL WAS REFUSED

mUll lUn NLW lhAhL Hho hLi ooLD
Says County Newspaper Printed
Much That Was Untrue About Mo-
ted case-Jurors Were Prejudieeo
Despite Oath to Give Verdict On
Law and Evidence - Whisonant
= Bateman and Crisp Sentenced to
Pay Fines or Serve imprisonment
Albert Zimmerman, convicted last
Thursday of the murder of j. PINK
Huggins, November Z, 1921, and rec
commended to mercy was sentenced to
life Imprisonment by Special Judge
Frank MCGOWAN Friday afternoon,
after a motion for n new trial had
been overruled. Zimmerman's coun-
tenance did not change when sentence
was passed upon him. He told the
Judge that he had nothing to say why
sentence should not be passed, fur
ther than what his counsel had already
said.
Blamed Enquirer for It.
Solicitor Henry was not present
Friday afternoon to refute the argu-
ment of Zimmerman's counsel for a
new trial fC- their client. w. b. Will
son, Esq, oil Rock Hill, Zimmerman's
chief counsel charged that his client
had not had fair trial because of the
fact that "the paper here in York,"
meaning The Yorkville Enquirer, had
written so much about the case and
had printed so many news stories and
rumors, much of which was untrue,
that the minds of the general public
had been unconsciously influenced
against his client. Mr.. Wilson alleg-
ed that the jurors were honest when
stating on their voir dire that they
could render a verdict in accordance
with the law and the evidence; but
argued that they could not have help
ed forming an impression prejudicial
to the defendant because of "the paper
mere III 1OIh. ne Sliu lii'I a. |iNiSS
carried by "the paper here in York"
were written in such manner as to
convict his client and that these ar
ticles had been copied" by other pa
pers, with the result that the case had
been "cussed and discussed" through
out this entire section.
Continuing his denunciation of "the
paper here in York." Mr.. Wilson said
that if not in this case then in other
cases the paper had sought to create
the impression that lawyers were en-
gagged in the business of framing up
evidence for defendants and had con-
stantly paraded the Higgins case and
other cases before the general public
with the result that a biased impress
sion was bound to have been uncon-
sciously reached by the jury. He said
that it was evident to him that the
jury based its verdict on conjecture
and not on the facts as presented in
the court There was no question of
the fact, he admitted, that the Whole
case was "a dirty mess"
He attacked the argument of Solici-
tor Henry before the jury declaring
that the solicitor posed as an author
ity on human nature, and that he was
noted for his dogmatic utterances.
There was no question or the fact, he
said, that the manner IN which the
solicitor presented his argument "was
bound to have weight with the jury"
He contended there was not the
slightest scintila of evidence to show
premeditation on the part Of the de-
fendant and there was no evidence to
show that Zimmerman had malice
against Huggins.
Mr.. Wilson admitted that there
were no legal grounds for appeal. He
had no fault to find with the charge
of the presiding judge and there was
no criticism of the conduct of the case
to be made.