The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-30
NIGHT SESSION
 HELD IN TRIAL OF GUARDSMAN
Judges Speed Up Key Case-Defense Testi-
 mOny Begun

feial. .)-Much speed was shown today in the trial of Joseph Key. second former guardsman, to be tried in con nection with the lynching of William Baird, miner, during the 1921 coal strike. More than score of witnesses were examined and the state reested its case this afternoon. A night session was held tonight in an effort to complete the case by Thursday, when trial of Roy Patton is scheduled to begin. A large crowd was in the court room at 9:20 o'clock this morning when inc jury was sworn in and Corporal Keys indictment was read to the jury. The defendant pleaded not guilty.
 J. D. Sides, former jailer of Walker county, was the first witness for the state. Testimony was similar to that in t,ie Lancaster case. M. Daniel, mail carrier, testified to the finding of the body of Baird on the road two miles from Jasper, and identified pictures of the deceased and cartridges found. A. B. Legg, Walker county coroner, who held the inquest, identified clothing of Baird. R. NJ. Ellis and J. A. Bal lenger, members of the coroner's jury, described cartridges picked up at the scene. Dr. A. NJ. Waldfop, health of | ficer of Walker county, described at length wounds in the body of Baird. B. H. Hartly of Tuscaloosa, former mechanic of Company M, on duty at Townley during the striba, vas again an important witness for the state. He overheard conversation from members of Company M, he said, about going to Jasper" Corporal Key Being present Sorry of His Part
 Some time after the lyuching Of Baird he said he 'heard Fey say he was sorry he was member of the mob On cross-examination by defonse attor- neys he admitted having thre, uniformu in his possession and faiG he was or dered to bring them batk to the aruory at Tuscaloosa.
 | Clyde Springer, menDer oi Company NJ, testified he saw @iddy cars the morning after the lyI eAing. He said he heard Key say he tied tosiel shop | lBaird's neck when be vas taktn out 5ziL He was soIiowesi by Ps e BfyAsi, Clarence Mason, !. D. Avis, Mrs. phlt- lips, J. T. Guin, telegraph opetat0r; ". D. Craven, Nolen Hudson, ]. J. Turner, Arthur Avery, c. Norris, former wit nesses.
 Captain McMeans was or the stand 40 minutes. He was n duty at Jasper during the strike. H. identified cart ridges and said he fl Had hniforms on walls of the barracks and ,ound pat of pants with the T Na, J. ". Kesi omit. He was cross-& mined at lengt,l More Witnesses Arrive
 Ben G. Searcy was the first witness for the defense. He was on patrol duty the night of the lynching and did not see any cars leave or come in camp during the night He heard Corporal Keys voice, he said, relieving him from duty at 4 o'clock. He was followed by Corporal Crew, Wesley Halton and Wesley Moore.
 A large number of defendant wit nesses arrived from Tuscaloosa tonight. The case will likely go to the jury to- morrow afternoon.
 Robert J. Lancaster, former sergeant, tried last week, was found guilty and sentenced to IS yaers in the peniten- tiary. Pending his appeal he was lodged in the Jefferson county jail at Besse- mer, Ala, where he would be close to his family, living in Tuscaloosa county. Key was corporal of Company NJ, which was doing patrol duty at Townley in the strike zone.
 Defendant on Stand AACJ toOh tuc IOHlHOC III ula own defense. He entered a blanket denial of any participation in the lynching. He said that he went to bed at 9 o'clock on the night of the lynch- ing and did not get up until o'clock the next day. He underwent a rigid cross-examination from Horace c. Will kerson, states attorney
 Charles Watkins and Kelly Watkins were two new witnesses introduced by the defense. They testified that they were on parole and saw Key at 4 o'clock in the morning when they were relieved from duty. Jim Carroway tesA tified that he saw Key in bed on the night of the lynching.
 Lancaster to Testify The defense placed number of character witnesses on the stand. They all said that the character of Bryant Hartley, star state witness, was bad. Among those so testifying were J. E. Howell, P. J. Ramey, J. D. Tidniore, A. D. Griffin, S. T. McMillan, Willis Wiggins and man named Davis, Lancaster. who was taken to the Bessemer jail following his conviction, was brought back here tonight and will be placed on the stand tomorrow as defense witness.