The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1952-05-01

.iS SeuASllSS AAXSO
Man Charged With
Killing Holmes Man
In a virtually deserted court
room Friday evening long afte,
nearly all Of the throng Of spec
tators who filled the plac,
throughout the day had depart
ed, Judge Arthur Jordan accept.
ed q plea Of guilty with a life
sentence from Travis Butler
This, however, did not become
public until Tuesday morning
although it.. had become fairl,
known by 'SMonday through
39olmes county's famous word OF
mouth communications system
The effect the plea will have
on the trial of his brother, w.
Tom Butler, is problematical
Credit was given District Attor-
ney Stanny Sanders and County
Attorney. Pat Ms, Bsrlett-forohav-
Ing Unanswered tn make ,oertsip
Travis Butler can be used as a
state WITNESS against Tom Butler.
On 'theH'other hand the two; hts
journeys appointed by Judge tJorc
dan rtel represent Travis, Butler,
| Were, D, credited with a. shrewd
,mlroYe to prevent their client from
a possible facing raf rithe, electric
ahans He can never be, tried on
the murder charge again, There
is; stilLrthe, unsolved question OF
whether he was or is insane.
Judge Jordan apparently.owas,
convinced that he is sane now.
Travis Buffers attorneys were
J. A. White and Representative
Ephraim Cresswell of Durant.
Under tie judges instruction
Sheriff Richard Byrd had taken
Travis Butler to Jackson during
the week for exarpinatipn, by an.
alienist. ION the stand a number
of witnesses, including the Rev.
Hayes Clark, pastor of the Pres
byterian churches at Lexington
and Tehulay testified that Travis
Butler was sane. The Rev. Mr..
Clark in his college courses and
otherwise has made extensive
study of mental cases. He testi-
fled that he talked with Travis
often at the Holmes county jail.
Sheriff Byrd testified that he
treated Travis like he would a
free man while in Jackson, TAX
ing him to restaurants to dine
and mingling with people with
out them knowing he was a pris-
oner.
Attorneys White and Cresswell,
who were serving without paw,
did a great amount of work, WIS.,
ting several county seats and
the state mental hospital at Whit
field, searching for records on
Travis Butler. They discovered
that in l94T he was committed
from Grenada county to Whit
field ;;--tlset--he~errive4-thereo on
the second of the month and
"eloped' on It'd fourth; and that
the only record there shows his
case to have been "undiagnosed. I"
they told the court. Search of
records in various counties fail
ed to reveal any record of Travis
ever having received a restora-
ton of sanity. For this reason
they declared he still is insane
in the eyes Of theslaw, and they
declined to allow him to make
Observation-Disclosures
much budding of attorneys and
Judge Jordan all day Friday. This
resulted in the acceptance of the
plea of guilty late Friday even
ing, Pauline Butler of Bates
vile, sister, of the brother, had
taken the stand and testified
Travis is insane.
Just beforel accepting the plea,
Judge Jordan had gone through
the tiresome task of drawing
from a metal box the names of
100 talesmen for the special ven
ire to try the Butler brothers.
They previously had been grant
ed a severance of trials. Sheriff
Byrd's deputies had a busy time
Saturday and Sunday Serving
thenIo0 prospective jurors who
were drawn from all over the
county.
The hundred veniremen spent
Tuesday at the courthouse. Short
ly before 5 pm, when only nine
jurors mad beer seferteo uuruf
so called, Judge Jordan adjourn
ed court until Wednesday morn