J N STARNES, Sworn In For The State, 191st To Testify

Reading Time: 4 minutes [558 words]

J. N. STARNES, sworn for the State in rebuttal.

There were no spots around the scuttle hole where the ladder is immediately after the murder. Campbell and I arrested Minola Mc Knight,

to get a statement from her. We turned her over to the patrol wagon

and we never saw her any more until the following day, when we called

Mr. Craven and Mr. Pickett to come down and interview her. We stayed

on the outside while she was on the inside with Craven and Pickett. They

called us back and I said to her, " Minola, the truth is all we want, and if

this is not the truth, don't you state it. And she started to put the statement

down. Mr. Gordon, her attorney, was on the outside, and I told

him we could go inside without his making any demand on me, and he

went in with me, and Mr. February had already taken down part of the

statement and I stopped him and made him read over what he had already

taken down, and after she had finished the statement, Attorney

Gordon went to Mr. Dorsey's office and then he came back to the police

station. After he returned the affidavit was read over in the presence of

Mr. Pickett, Craven, Campbell, Albert Mc Knight and Attorney Gordon

and she signed it in our presence. You (Mr. Dorsey) had nothing to do

with holding her. You told me over the phone that you couldn't say what

I could do, but that I could do what I pleased about it.

CROSS EXAMINATION.

No, I did not lock her up because she didn't give us the right kind of

statement; as to the authority I had to lock her up, it was reasonable and right that she should be locked up. I did that for the best interest of the

case I was working on. No, I didn't have any warrant for her arrest.

She was brought to Mr. Dorsey's office by a bailiff by a subpoena. I took

her away from Dorsey's office and put her in a patrol wagon. I expect

Mr. Dorsey knew we were going to lock her up, but he did not tell us to

do it. No, he didn't disapprove of it. I didn't know anything about her

having made a previous statement to Mr. Dorsey. I think Mr. Dorsey

said she had made such a statement. I saw her the next day in the station

house. She didn't scream after leaving Dorsey's office until she

reached the sidewalk. And then she commenced hollering and carrying

on that she was going to jail; that she didn't know anything about it, or

something like that. No, I had no warrant for her arrest. She had committed

no crime. I held her to get the truth. Mr. Dorsey told me I could

turn her loose as I pleased. That was after she made the statement. I

told him as to what had occurred and that her attorney, Gordon, was

coming up there to see him. I told Col. Gordon that if it was agreeable

with Col. Dorsey, that Minola could go as far as we were concerned.

Well, Mr. Dorsey had more or less to do with the case that I was working

on and I wanted to act on his advice and consent. He called me on the

telephone and told me that if the chief thought it best or if we thought it

best after conferring, to just let her go.