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ROBIN COOPER CROSS-EXAMINED Carmack's Slayer Holds His Own With Base-Noted Trial at Nash ville Progressing Rapidly. Nashville, February 22.-When the court adjourned tonight in the midst fo the cross-examination of John D. Sharpe, the honors were easy be tween the State and the defence in the Cooper-Sharpe trial for the slay ing of former United States Senator Edward W. Carma(k. Young Robin Cooper, under a bitter cross-examina tion of nearly four hours, held his own with ease. He was always cool, careful and displayed an inclination to be ab'solutely fair that evidently impressed the jury and just as evi dently exasperated Attorney General McCarn. The next witness, and the only other one of the day, was John D. Sharpe, another of the defendants. Sharpe told his story well under direct examination, and made a good impression. But he was turned over to Attorney General Garner, of Maury county, for cross-examination. Mr. Garner has somewhat of -a repu tation in his own county for clever work, but he was an unknown quan tity in Nashville. Wden court ad journed for the day the defence's counsel drew a long breath and were no longer in doubt as to Garner's ability. His cross-examination is of the rapid fire order. . John Sharpe is a man of high tem per and Garner soon had him beside himself. He contradieted himself on manay minor details, but never on the more important particulars. Once he got on. dangerous ground. On direct e-amlination Sharpe swore that he saw the kiling and that "Carmack fell after Robin Cooper had fired three times." One of the bullet wounds, a neces sarily fatal one, pierced the sena tor's neck within ofie-sixteenth of an inch of the spinal cord and came out under his tongue. As Sharpe swore that Carmack was facing young Coop er, aiming a revolver at him, this would be impossible to reconcile with the statement. On cross-examination Sharpe said, however, that Carma-ek turned !his th-ead just as the second shot was fir ed. He did not explain how the sen ator A 3uld turn his head far enough to permit the ball to enter the median line of the neck on a straight line. The State pushed Sharpe hard up to nearly 6 p. in., then asked that a con tinuance be granted until tomorrow, when it was alloived. Sharpe left the stand with a sigh of relief. His faithful -little 'wife, who ihas never missed a minute at his side in court, sprang up to meet him and cheered him with smiles and words of encouragement. Robin Cooper Testifies. Before cross examination began Robin Cooper testified to his rela tions with Carmack, which he said were limited to a speaking acquain tance. The crow-examination by Attorney General McCarn then began. "As a matter of fact you have nev er occupied a cell have you?' Objeetion sustained. In reply to questions witness said he was a lawyer. "You did a great deal of pardon work?'" "Only once. I got a pardon for Jesse Linder." "Your service then was principa ly to see Governor Patterson and t-he pardon board?" "I a.ppeared before both."~ He said Linder got fifteen years and served about two. The drift of the questions was evi dent-to show Cooper's connection with Governor Patterson and how in fluential they were. Attorney General McCarn suddenly switched to the day of the tragedy. "When did yo'i telephone Mrs. Burch, your sister, to find your fath er?" "About 9.30 a. in." "And you wanted your sister to keep dhim off tihe streets?" "Yes, sir." "Still your father had only left you a moment before'?" "Yes, sir." "When did you learn that your father was armed'?" "When he reached my office that morning." Several revolvers xw ere brought in and Robin was asked which one his father had carried on the day of the shooting. "I do not know," he said. "The nie.kel plaited one looks like it. 1 only glanced at it." The State's contention is that the gun sa.id to have been found near Carmack's body was in -reality Col. Cooper's. substituted for the one Carmack carried. Met Governor Patterson. Young Cooper said the automatic .revolver hie shot Carmack with was the first one of its kind he ever hreld in his hand. It developed, too, that while kokin;r for his f:ather the any of +hea ooey Robin met Governor Patterson and walked through the arcade with him at the governor's re quest. This was not testified to on direct examination. He was armed at that time and talked with the governor about the trouble. "How often had you talked to Gov ernor Patterson that day?" "Twice. Once in front of the Tu lane." "And were you armed then?" "No, sir. I got the revolver after I saw the governor the first time." "You had an animated conversa tion with Governor Patterson across from Carmark's office, after which you went and armed yourself?" "Not animated; just oonversa tio1." "You suggested your uncle, Jas. Bradford, to arrange the difficulty?' "You knew Bradford hated Car mack." "I knew he did not admire him." "Do you know whether there is any reason why Mrs. Eastman or Charles Warwick or Carey Folk should per jure themselves to deprive you of your life or liberty?" "I do not." The lawyers for the defence were fighting each of these questions des perately, but the court ruled against them. The Tragedy. Coming to the point where the Coopers were approaching Carmack just before the shooting, the State asked: "And did not your father say: 'There's the damned rascal now-we will go out and shoot it out with him?"Y. ",No, sir, he did not. He said: 'There's Senator Carmack; I want to talk to him." "Will you say what Senator Car mack was doing with that pistol from the time you saw him draw it until you got in his line of fire?" "He was holding it beyond Mrs. Eastman ready to shoot." "But he did not shoot until you got around the pole did he ?" "No, sir." He said the stone from ais searf pin was brown out by the concussion from Senator Carmack's revolver. "What was Senator Carmack doing when you began to fire?" "He was aiming 'his revolver di retly at me." "There had been no unpleasantness and you did not draw your revolver until you were shot ?" "I did not. I was shot before I opened fire." "Was he standing erect at the last shot?" "I can't say, die may have been falling." Robin showed the jury theo scar from the wound in his shoulder. "Is not the wound or course of.the bullet distinctly upward?" asked Gen. McCarn. "Apparently." Did Not Denounce Ca.rmack. "Did you, in the spring of 1908, to Attorney Peeples, denounce Senator Carmack with profane oatihs and bit ter language!" "I did not use profane or bitter language I may have criticised the senator's political course.'' "Did you use the expression 'God damn Senator Carmack?' " "No, sir, I did not." "Did you use that language about Senator Carmack in this senatorial contest with Governor Taylor?" "No, sir, for I was a warm sup porter of Senator Carmack in that race." The attorney general floundered a minute at this stage and then went back to the time of the shooting. "As the senator drew his revol ver," Robin testified, "I moved in and the Eastmans moved over toward the inside of the walk." The counsel for the State consulted a moment and thren to the surprise of every one the attorney general said: " That is all your honor." Judge Anderson re-examined the witness briefly. "I desire to make a statement," said Robin. "On cross-examination I was asked 'if I was armed when I talked to Governor Patterson. I was, but I want to say that the gov ernor did-not know it. Sharpe on Witness Stand. He was then exeused and John D. Shrpe, another of the defendants, was called to the stand. He was questioned by Gen. Meeks. Sharpe is a tall, athletic, dark man, of mid de a;.e, hair sprinkled with gray and piercing black eyes. He said he had been .constable three terms, sheriff two terms and representative one term. He said he was away from Nashville for two days preceding the shooting. having gone to St. Louis at the reqluest of Governor Patterson to oet the laiuer's son,. who had enlisted i the ar:ny. Sharpe said that being ired f:t m thij trip hie slept until nearv 11I a. m. the day of t.he shoot in;;'.nHe did not see the Coopers the morin peOeding the shooting nor th i +h befre and hna not comn munieated with either of them the night before or that morning. ."I saw Col. Cooper in the Maxwell House about 3 p. m. that day, " Sharpe testified. "I spoke and pass ed on.'" "About 4 p. m. I met Representa tive Matthews. While there talking the Coopers came up." "Was there any agreement to meet there?'' " There was not." "What happened?" "Col. Cooper asked me to go to the Governor's Mansion, and I agreed. We walked.'" Carmack's Name Not Mentioned. Sharpe said Carmack's name was not mentioned on the walk until Rob in saw Carmack, and that then Robin tried to get his father away. Sharpe said that he turned and walked to ward his own house. "When about half way across the street," he said, he turned and looked down the street. "Why did you look- down the street?" "Well, many things .came to my mind. I knew there was an unpleas ant feeling between Col Cooper and Senator Carmack. His son, Robin, had betrayed anxiety to get his fath er away. I turned to see what might be the result of the meeting. I saw five people. Robin was in the street. I saw the senator step out towards the curbing, his hand thrown back to his hip pocket. When he got in my line of vision again, outside the pole, I saw he had a pistol in his hand. As Robin got near the pole Senator Car maek fired. Carmack shot twice." "What did Robin do?'' "He jumped inside and swung around the pole.'' "What did he do I "He shot three times." "What then?'' "Carmack fell after the third shot.' "Where was Col. CooperI "Standing near the pole." "Did you meet a young lady I Met Miss Skeffington. "I met Miss Skeffington a few minutes after the shooting. She said what is that?' I said 'shooting.' She said who is ahooting? I said 'between Col. Cooper and Carmaek.' A minute later she said: 'Mr. Sharpe, you are jesting;' I said 'no, I am not, and I fear Mr. Carmack has been killed." Sharpe said he was not armed that day and does not own a pistol. "Did you bear Senator Carmack any malie?"' "None, sir. But I opposed him very strongly in his campaigns.'' "Were you friendly?"' "Personally, yes. He called me EWart Comn STiLL AND IN E THEY WIL COM All Winter I Heavy Shoe When in need Clothing, Shoes, We Will Sav< I Thanking the ge their past patror I fully ask a conti promising to giv and square deal Ewart Corn John when we met and often consult ed me about train schedules on poli tical trips."' After the noon recess the direct ex amination of John D. Sharpe was re sumed. The witness denied specifi cally ever having said that Carmack should have been dead and in hell for twenty years. He had probably said some hard things about the senator's political methods. "Take the witness," said Gen. Meeks. Gen. Garner's first question elicit ed that Sharpe and the Coopers were close friends. The witness declared he never saw the revolver Robin Cooper used until the boy was shooting it, and had no knowledge of Robin Coop er or Robin Jones wanting to bor row a gun. The State's theory is that the automatic revolver is John Sharpe's, and three times it has had the number on the gun -entered in the record. Worked for Patterson. Sharpe said he went out in the cam paign for Governor Patterson and did a great deal of work for him. He said he ,never had any private con versation with Carmack and never heard him discuss the Coopers. '"If the Coopers and you had kept on nort-h. there would have been no killing at the telephone pole?"' "Not at the pole, no, sir." "You felt so apprehensive of trou ble that you broke your promise to go with Col. Cooper to the Governor's Mansion, and started Jome?" "Well, yes.'' The defendant fought off these questions, but Gen. Garner pounded them and repeated them half a dozen times. "Those shots were fired very rap idly, were they not?'" "Yes, close together." "So the shots went into Carmack all at once before he fell?'' "No. After the first shot Cartack turned his head around and began to fall.'' "You saw it all. You saw Car mack dead and the son of your best friend shot and you went home?'' "I started ihome. I intended to tell my wife what had happened and return to the scene. "Here is Senator Carmack's revol ver, the one found near his body. It is a dark pistol, yet you say on that loudy day you saw this pistol at that distane?" "I did." 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