Obituaries: Lee "Buddy" Smart, 1935, Winn Parish, LA
Submitter: Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
Source: Winnfield News-American
Date: December 6, 1935
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Negro Released After Fatally Shooting Another

Coroner's Jury Renders Verdict of Justifiable Homicide

Vestal Rogers, negro of Atlanta, was ordered released by a coroner's jury
Monday of this week when he was found guilty of justifiable homicide for the
shooting and killing of Lee "Buddy" Smart, another negro of the same
community, about eight-thirty Sunday morning.

Evidence given at the coroner's inquest held Monday indicated that the Smart
negro had threatened Rogers and was about his house with a gun supposedly to
carry out his threat.  Rogers in order to protect himself had to shoot first.

Officers were summoned and Rogers was placed in jail to await the verdict of
the coroner's jury, which released him.

Those serving on the jury were J. M. Gwin, W. Poole, George H. Harrison, John
Higgs, and Jim Jordan.  The inquest was conducted by Dr. J. F. Faith, coroner.