The Chattanooga News

ASKS TO DEFEND
MAUDE MOORE
Bluff City Lawyer Believes
Girl Who Killed Leroy
Harth Was Justified.

RAISING
RELIEF
FUND

Knoxville,
Sept.
15.-(Special.)-
Offers of
not
only
financial as-
sistance, but also of legal aid, are
being tendered
to
Maude
Moore,
pretty stenographer, who is charged
with having killed LeRoy D. Harth,
prominent business man of this city
A fund is now being raised by J.
M. Martin, of Lonsdale, a suburb of
Knoxville, with which to pay off the
mortgage on the little home of Mrs.
Minnie Moore. mother of the unfor-
tunate girl. This mortgage is for
almost $400, stated Hal H. Clements,
counsel for the defendant. This comes
In addition to the other funds to bear
the expense of the defense before the
Knox county criminal court next No-
vember.
From Bluff City comes a voluntary
offer of additional legal aid. B. R
Sams, an attorney of that city, and
stranger to the defendant, has ex-
pressed a desire to help in any way
possible, explaining that he is of the
opinion that she did only what she
was forced to do. His letter. written
under the date of Sept. 11, and which
Was received late Saturday afternoor
reads:
"Having read the story of the trag-
edy in which you are involved, and
after careful study of your case from
what I have been able to get from the
papers, I am fully convinced that
you acted entirely within your rights
and the law.
"A nirm beiief in your innocence.
and a feeling that you were fully
fustified in the course you have taken,
prompts me to offer my services in
your deferse.
"The privilege of representing your
cause is all the fee I ask. I suggest
you show this letter to Hal H. Clem-
ents, your counsel, and act upon his
advice.'
"The assurance of friendship and
sympathy extended us in this unfor-
tunate affair is a great help to me,"
said Mrs. Moore.
"You don't know how proud I am
of that Ietter," Maude Moore de-
clared. "I'don't know the man, and
never saw him nor even heard of him
before. Whether Mr. Clements sees
fit to use his services or not, the offer
is appreciated more than I can ex-
press.
Maude Moore, in speaking of her
crime. said: "I am sorry that I had
to do it," she sighed, "and even when
I did shoot, I hoped that it would not
kill him. I didn't want to kill him.
I just wanted to protect myself."
She declared her confidence in Mar-
tin Hunter, who befriended her after
the tragedy, and who is charged with
being an accessory to the killing. She
said that she realized that she could
never have had an opportunity to
have married Mr. Harth. "But if I
had, and with all his money, I would
rather have Martin."
She expressed great appreciation to
Judge T. A. R. Nelson, of the Knox
county criminal court, for reducing
Hunter's bond from $5,000 to $1.000.
Mrs. Moore, who is employed at a
local clothirg factory, said that she
had made only $3.50 last week. She
told about going after her money Sat-
urday morning.
Felt Like Marked Person.
"I felt like a marked person and
could scarcely hold up my head when
I went in," she related. "But I soon
saw that I had no reason to
be
ashamed. My friends
were
very
comforting to me."