r . ' . f !
Newport Daily Independent.
VOLUME TV. NEWPORT. ARKANSAS. FRIDAY. NOVEMBER. 25 1904. _NUMBER i&f.
BQBEBTS CONVICTED
OF CONSPIRACY.
„ Plea of defendant Was Tkat Act
Was Committed Unknowing
ly While Drunk—Small
Fiae the Penalty.
S Little RocA, N o v. 24. — The j ury
^ in the Roherts conspiracy case
returned a verdict of guilty last
night a&d assessed a fine of $50.
The Arkansas statutes did not
cover the crime and the state
was compelled to fall hack on
•k the common law.
Roberts was tried on a charge
of conspiracy to send Walter
Gregory to the penitentiary on a
trumped-up charge in order to
disqualify Gregory from testify
ing against him in his appeal
case before the White county
circuit court.
Gregory is the young man
whose confession of his connect
ion with the famous Lightle in
surance swindle led to the con
viction of both Roberts and Dr.
R. G. Lightle upon charges of
grave robbery.
Witnesses testified that Rob
erts gave an inmate of a house
of prostitution a gold watch with
the understanding that she was
to place it in Gregory’s pocket
qnd then have him arrested for
stealing it. Gregory was to be
enticed into the house by a con
federate, who was to introduce
him to the woman.
Marie De Vere testified that
she agreed to carry out the
scheme and was to receive $100
for her work. She afterward
changed her mind and informed
the police of the plot and other
witnesses later corroborated the
woman.
Roberts took the stand and tes
tified that he was drunk and had
no recollection of what took place
in the house. He admitted buy
ing the watch on credit, but did
not remember what disposition
he mado of it.
TVip nftnrnpvs for the defend
ant, Judge F. M. Fulk and Judge
E. M. Merriman of Little Rock,
and Judge M. M. Stuckey of
Newport filed notice of appeal.
governor’s name figures.
During the cross-examination
of the DeVere woman, who had
previously testified that Roberts,
in approaching her, had repre
sented himself to be the govern
or’s secretary, and had stated
that if she would carry out the
plot, both he and the governor
would be greatly pleased, a nov
el and rather complicated inci
dent developed.
Judge Merriman, who was
chairman of the legislative in
vestigating committee and had
no particular love for the gov
ernor and by his activity in that
prosecution, caused the governor
to look up his past record, in
which it was found that he had
been discharged from the federal
army for gross immorality, was
directing the cross-examination
and was exploiting at consider
able length this part of Roberts’
plan to pass off for the govern
| or’s secretary, when Merriman’s
co-counsel, Judge Fulk, who has
been styled Jeff’s “Little Rock
pardon broker, ’ ’ piped in and
asked that this whole matter be
stricken from the testimony and
the court ruled in his favor.
Politics makes strange bed
fellows, but none stranger than
the defense of Roberts has
brought about. The spectacle is
presented of one of his counsel
trying to place the governor in a
bad light and another seeking tc
protect his good name.
If the convictions of Roberts
are to be sustained in the highei
courts and his final hope of im
munity from punishment to rest
with his excellency, it looks like
poor polities, to say the least, to
have Judge Merriman figure so
prominently and in the man
ner above related in the cause
of the defendant.
WITNESSES IN CASE.
Jesse Zimmerman testified to
having sold Roberts the watch
and to a later visit by the de
fendant, when he promised to
send a check for same.
Policemen McDaniel and Felix
Houck testified to having heard
from Roberts his story of how he
intended to make it appear that
Gregory had stolen the watch.
Shem Key, the Little Rock
street car conductor who went
with Roberts to the DeVere
house, corroborated the state
ment of the other state’s wit
nesses, none of whom thought
Roberts was drunk when he
planned the scheme.
The defendant’s plea was that
he had imbibed too freely on a
visit to Little Rock and project
ed the scheme for which he ’ was
on trial. Louis Lorch, his only
witness, testified that he was in
a beastly state of intoxication
about the time he was said to
have visited the DeVere house.
Judge Trieber of the Federal
court has issued an order citing
Roberts to appear in his court on
Dec. 6 and show cause why he
should not be disbarred from
practicing before that court.
JUDGMENT GIVEN
FOR DEFENDANT.
Lorch’s Suit for $5,000 Damages
Ends in Verdict for
Hemingway.
Little Rock, Nov. 25.—A jury
in the second division of Pulaski
circuit court yesterday decided
1 in favor of the defendant in the
! e t_• _ T_T- _ \JT T
! SU1L UJ. LjVJUlO VO. TT . j-i.
Hemingway. Lorch sued for
$5,000 damages, claiming that he
was injured to that extent as the
result of an assault upon him by
the defendant in the Exchange
National Bank, of which defend
ant is assistant cashier.
When the case was called yes
terday a motion was entered by
; the plaintiff for a continuance,
on the ground of the absence of
! a witness for the plaintiff. It
j was admitted by the defense
| that the absent witness would
testify as claimed by the
i plaintiff, if he were present, and
; the trial therefore proceeded.
The contention of the defense
, throughout was that Lorch pro
| voked the defendant into strik
: ing him.
Shortly after 4 o’clock in the
afternoon the case was given to
the jury and within a few min
i utes a verdict was returned in
favor of the defehdant, award
ing nothing to Lorch.
WATSON-ERWIN WEDDING.
Invitations are out to the wed
ding of Miss Elizabeth Caldwell
Watson and Mr. Claude Mayc
Erwin at the Methodist church
Wednesday, December 7, at 8 p.
m., to be followed by a reception
at the Watson home.
The contracting parties are
both popular and prominent in
local society, and coming of old
Jackson county families the wed
ding will be quite an event. Mr.
Erwin is a bright and promising
young member of the Newport
bar and the bride-to-be is a ver>
pretty and refined young lady.
■ The Independent extends con
gratulations in advance.
Chickens and eggs at Bowen’s
Cash Store. 70dtf
CLUB INAUGURATES
ANNUAL DANCE
For Thanksgiving Evening in
Happy Style—Enjoyed by
Large List of Society
People.
The entertainments of the
Newport club are ever enjoyable
and muchly anticipated by so
ciety folk, of whom a large num
ber attended the Thanksgiving
dance of Thursday evening, and
they will not only cherish pleas
ant memories of the one just
past, but carry forward the
promise of the future, in that
the ball is to become an annual
affair.
The reception and floor com
mittees, composed of Drs. G. K.
Stephens and C. E. Carroll,
Messrs. J. M. Berger, Jr., I.
Bottenstein and C. M. Erwin
were fully equal to their duties
in the direction and management
of the affair, which proved a de
cided success, testified to in the
pleasure of all present.
Club sandwiches and coffee
were nicely served during the
evening, and the music by the
Batesville orchestra continued
through several morning hours
to mark the progress of the
dance.
PERSONS PRESENT.
Messrs, and Mesdames 0. S.
Lawrence, Allie Huddleston, J.
H. Abrams, R. J. Wise, Owen
Walker,Mesdames J. W. Stayton,
Jean Diaz, Misses Hal, Hester
and Josephine Phillips, Lou Min
or, Jennie McCauley, Tillie
Sprigg, Esther Neill, Lucile Tay
lor, Noreene Kinman, Imogene
Bandv. Janie SteDhens, Mable
Stayton, Aubrey Arnold, Louella
Percival, Bessie E. Watson, Sue
Armstrong, Louise Irby, Lucy
Brandenburg, Della Bernstein.
Messrs. I. Bottenstein, Jos. M.
Berger, Jr., E. L. Boyce, Alcorn
j Ferguson, A. Arndt, F. P. Skip
Iwith, Joe Bevens, Robt. Neill,
!W. T. and Frank Dunn, Wm.
IRisley, Adam Lockard, B. H.
: White, Sprigg Foushee, C. E.
| Carroll, Sam Meyer, Norman
Wolff, Ernest McDonald, Jos. M.
|and Jno. W. Stayton, W. T.
j Parish, Tom Dillard, Charles
Hoimes, E. C. Waterman, Claude
Erwin, George Stephens, S. M.
Stuckey, C. R. Rhodes of
Osceola.
JAMES EDWARD
CLIMBS BACK.
Miss Dorothy Stephens Makes a
Big Gain in Vote Today.
Other Changes.
—
Jas. Edward Wilmans. 673
Ernest Theodore Phillips 576
Edwin Johnson. 527
Wm. Wallace Dutton . 505
! Charles Jones Brandenburg 497
Dorothy Stephens 375
I Jeannette Henry. 257
! Thelma Smart 25
James Edward Wilmans is
j again in first place, after a day
in the wake of the leader, and
Miss Dorothy Stephens polls the
largest vote for the day, placing
her at the head of the girls, with
i a total of 375. The boys,, who
, thought the girls were no run
ners at all, will yet be shown a
thing or two, for this contest
was for beauty and sweetness,
and mankind by a large majority
usually sides with femininity on
this subject. /
See our new crushed plush
belts and tegs. In burnt orange
and brown. Just out. Bowen’s
Cash Store. " 66btf
:
Don’t Travel;|
i 1
>er|
The use'’oCthe Long
Distance Telephone lines
of this company will save
you many a journey, long
and short—Every town
of importance in Texas,
Arkansas, Oklahoma and
Indian Territories within
reach. Also far distant
points in the North and
East.
The Sooth westemTelegraph
and Telephone Co.
DR. IRA H. ERWIN
£YE, EAR, NOSE
AsptD THROAT. .
ki
OFFICfi-8 and 9
Wishon Building,
NEWPORT, ARK. j
WHS Be
Your Money
In this Bank. S?^ve
your motley *nA
time by having an
account with a good
**!tiable bank.
Arkansas Bank and Trust Com
Capital $100,000.
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS.
J. W. Grubbs, President. Nathan Graham.'.V.-Pres.
Chas. G. Henry, Cashier.
B. B. Bond, M. D. Campbell, S. D. Campbell,
G. D. Clements, R. F. Drummond, W. D. McLain,
F. D. Fulkerson, C. J. Saenger, Abe HeilegersJ
0. I). Watson, L. Minor. L. E. Willis,
J. S. Wilmans.