Evening star., 1927-04-20
PUBLIC DRINKING
DENIED BY CLOTH
10 Lawyers Unwilling to
Handle State Case Against
Arlington Prosecutor.
By staff Correspondent of The Star.

By staff Correspondent Of The Star.
COURTHOUSE Arlington County.
Va, April 20.--WilIiam C. Cloth, COM
monwealth attorney OF Arlington
County, pleaded not guilty today in
the Circuit Court here to charges of
drunkenness in public places. filed by
Thomas d. Baillie, editor of the Chron-
ic1e, Arlington County weekly.
z The opening of the trial was de-
layed for more than an hour while
Judge c. Vernon Spratley endeavored,
almost hopelessly, to find an attorney
willing to represent the common
wealth in prosecution of the charges
against Judge Cloth.
After calling in rapid succession
the names of fifteen prominent Arling.
ton County attorneys, all of whom
were excused because OF long friend
ship with the defendant or for other
reasons, the court announced that
'tl1is thing has got to stop some time"
and thereupon called into his cham
bers State Senator Frank l.. Ball,
president of the County Bar Associa-
tion. and other officers of that organ
ization, and decided to appoint as Mr..
bdllile y attorney 1aiISH Is 1o1hSAt q
Falls Church lawyer.
Serves With Reluctance.
The court announced that 1t was
only fair to Mr.. Garner to say that
he would serve with great reluc-
tance."
Three candidates who will run
against Judge Cloth for common
wea1th's attorney in the next election
were among the attorneys called by
the Judge at the outset. All were
excused when they explained that 1t
would be personally embarrassing to
them under the circumstances to
prosecute their opponent In the cleo
fions. These men were Amos G..
Crounse, Walter u. Varney and w.
Thomas French.
In opening the defendants case, be.
fore a crowded courtroom and a jury
specially requested by the defendant,
John S. Barbour, counsel for Judge
Cloth, announced to the court and
the jurors that he expected to show
that the charges were without founda-
ton, and that they were filed by per-
sons having motives Of political re-
venge and personal anirnosity.
Witness Is Accused.
Mr.. Barbour created a sensation
when he referred to the prosecutions
first witness, Mrs. Florence Cannon,
who was attractiyely attired in black
satin dress, as witness who, he
expected to prove, drank liquor on
one of the parties" involved in the
complaint.
IT will show" Mr.. Barbour declared,
''as to this first witness that If any
liquor was drunk, she was participat-
ing therein and Judge Cloth was not. !"
Mrs. Cannon was called to the stand
shortly thereafter to testify regard
ing the charge that in 1924 Common
wealth's Attorney Cloth was intoxi-
Gated in the lounge of boat en- route
to Norfolk and that he was later un-
der the influence Of spirits in the Er-
mory at Norfolk.
Attorney Barbour told the court that
he would waive the statute OF linnita-
tions regarding the first two charges,
because he expected to prove that they
were false. Other charges which Mr..
Barbour said would be disproved were
that Cloth was intoxicated September
8, 1926, at the Marlboro Race track:
October 80, 1926, on public street
In the town Of Arlington, Va. and
on December 80. 1925, on a public
highway In Arlington County.