The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-07
FIVE Coon TRIAL
IN MURDER OF
VETERAN
Father-in-Law Given Supreme
Penalty by Georgia !.
Jury.
BY II. C. SHERRILL.
BY international News Service.

by international News service.
NEWMAN, Ga, Sept. 7.-Excits-
ment prevailed here today as Cow
eta Superior Court speedily COM
pleted arrangements for trials of
the five other men charged with
murder in connection with the alb
duction and staying Of Willard
Trouton. World War veteran,
August 10, last. Trouton's fath@ln-
law, J.. w. Minter, last night was
given the supreme penalty by ju-
rors after two hours elaboration.
His two sons. Grady and jeff
Minter, were expected to face trials
for, their lives. today. Besides them.
two of the aged mans sons.in.laws.
L. L. Goodrum and Floyd Weldon,
and a family friend. Walter Felt
man are charged with the murder.
Trial Of Elder Man Brief.
The elder Minter, q wealthy
Coweta county farmer, heard his
doom after one OF the shortest
criminal trials in the history Of
Georgia. Yesterday morning he
went before the court and pleaded
mot guilty" Last night at $40
o'clock the jury returned q verdict
Of guilty and failed to recommend
mercy.
Failure to recommend mercy on
q murder conviction in Georgia Is
almost certain death.
Although he plead not guilty a
the opening Of the trial Sheriff
Carpenter presented a signed con-
fession to the court In which he
laid bare one Of the most daring
and cold-blooded murder plots
brought before a Coweta jury. De-
Tense attorneys did not attack the
authenticity Of the document but in.
stead based the mans only hope on
temporary insanity.
Says Daughter Was Mistreated..
II Just couldn't stand to see my
daughter mistreated any longer
Minter said. Trouton and one of
the Minter girls had been married
for some time and local citizens
termed 1t an ELL mated match. -
Domestic troubles were continually
brewing, they said, and the wife Of
Trouton went home to her father.
She was living with him at the
time of the kidnapping and Staying
Several months previous to Trou-
toms death his girl-wife went home
and a charge of wife beating" wa
filed by her father. Trouton was
arrested and held in Jail for several
days.
The thought Of another recon
Citation between the two almost
drove me mad" the aged father
said. "By killing him this was
impossible and I knew my daughter
would get no more beatines."
Minter's confession duplicates TIL
five other men as direct accessories
to the murder.
Received Letter From Veteran.
According to it. he received a. letter
from Trouton few days before the
Staying in which the World War
veteran told Of his love for his wife
He also warned Minter against at.
tempting to prevent a reconciliation.
In planning a way to keep them
from getting together" the girls
father drove to Atlanta and called
his two sons and two sons.in-law
into the death conference. Here the
bold plot was laid and it went
through without a single miscar.
riage, he said.
The five then drove back to New.
nan, waited for nightfall and called
Taltman in to assist them. He is
said to have lured Trouton from his
home by asking him to take a
walk" While going down Newman
streets. the five men drove up in an
automobile, placed Trouton in the
car. and drove him to his death.
To Seek New Trial.
They carried the dead man to a
spot on Line creek about eighteen
miles from Newman. Here the
father is said to have riddled his
body with bullets. They then
chained weights to their victim and
threw him into the creek.
His body was found three days
later by a fisherwoman.
Immediately after the jury re-
turned their verdict last night de-
tense attorneys announced they
would file q motion for . new trial.