, 1923-02-07

A"cioiSt VI hot Suiity was
In by the jury in the Ease of the
State against Clarence Williams, Cap
tain of Troop F. who was charged
with brutally beating a cavalry horse
on the morning of October End.
The cas- attracted much attention
n the courtroom was crowded all
day long with persons interested be-
aus they have a special fondness
for horses, and with the friends and
relatives of the defendant.
Williams vas represented by the
local attorney, Greever, while E. ].
Goppert acted for the State.
Some thirty witnesses were sub
poened by the prosecution; five were
called by the defense. The stories
told by the States witnesses and the
i've witnesses for the defense were
almost Numerically opposed to each
other.
The thirty witnesses for the State
declared, with varying degrees of m
phasis, according to what they hao
seen. that both horses had been
pounded with the butt of a green
cottonwood club by Williams; that
he had pounded them over the back,
the neck, the head for a time describ-
ed as from an hour to an hour and
a half; that the horse which had
died was not the balkiest horse, nor
the n which had received the most
beating, but that as the result of a
blow between the ears had given a
final plunge, jumped over the tongue
on top of its mate, and died. Some
witnesses for the State identified the
splintered blood-stained club and
swore that the blood was tricklinp
-1sUm Sthe horses nose and mouth
while lying in the street.
All but five of the States Witness
es were school children, ranging in
age from eleven to fourteen who had
witnessed the scene from their seats
by the windows in the school-house,
and at recess. One of the adults was
Mrs. R. A. Crosby from Billings, a
stranger in Cody, who had endeavor-
ed to find a humane officer or a
marshal at the time.
The witnesses for the defense were
members of Troop F. who still were,
or had been, employed by Williams
at the stables, and Williams father.
These witnesses swore that the
team hitched to a load Of manure
were not work horses but saddle
horses; that they baked when the
wagon stuck in a ditch; that Will
liams was called by Jack Hughes to
help him start them; that to accom-
plish this they slapped them with the
lines, petted them, switched them on
the legs with small sticks, tapped"
them on the nose; that the horse
that had died had jumped over the
tongue, hitting its nose on the
ground and breaking its neck; that
it showed no evidence of having been
beaten; that there was only a little
blood on its nose; that a horse al
ways bled a little when it died n
that the club exhibited by the pro-
secution was only used to lift the
dead horses head from the ground
when they loaded it into the wagon.
Pauline Cullen, the little daughter
OF the former undersheriff, was the
first witness called b ythe State.
With an intelligence and poise re-
markable in a youngster of eleven
she told what she saw from her seat
in the school room. There was no
shaking her testimony under cross
examination. She declared that she
saw Williams beat the horse with a
big club on the heau, neck and back.
She insisted that she could see easily
from her seat by the window. After
ward, when the horse was dead, she
saw the club with blood on 1t lying
near the place it had happened.
Annie Blaine told practically the
same story.
Ella Greenwalt was another wit
ness who seemed in no doubt as to
what she saw that morning giving the
impression Of being n sure and care
full witness, thinking well before she
answered.
Allen Langworthy testified that
he saw both horses beaten, one of
them Mt one time dropping to its
knees after being pounded on the
head.
Owen Rector told of seeing both
horses beaten over the head, neck
and back and recognized the blood
stained club which he had seen in
the street.
Paul Starr told the jury that he
stood during the fifteen minute re-
cess and watched the horses being
hammered.
Harold Williams gave s~ubstantfn-
1y the same evidence.
Ruth Hartigan wa sanother goos
witness for the State, slow and care