The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-09-15
xocZ.

murder efMrs Virginia B. WlANon and her infant
daughter, and with being engaged in . conspiracy
to kill J. P. Winston. was held yesterday in the
Hastings Court Room and was constituted of JUS
tees Evans Wingfeld, Bray, Farrar, Cowles and
Ro ,ster. The accpsed was duly set to the bar In
custody of the Sergeant; Messrs Mayo and Lyons
for the prosecutions. John II. Gilmer, Esq, was
the elected counsel heretofore assigned John VIII.
lians By the commonwealth.
After enquiry by Mr.. Gilmer 90 to whether the
two charges against Wilsms could not be resolved
into one, and the one alleging conspiracy quashed,
the court decided to proceed the present charge
| to which Williams had plead not guilty, viz: OF
being accessory to the murder of Mrs w. and her
child.
We have already, on two several occasions, given
the testimony in the murder in full, and it will
only be necessary at the present time to recapiu-
late those points. inculpating John Williams. No
thing new was ELECTED in this examination.
Joseph Scott, q slave, deposed that after he
came back from the residences of neighbors,
whom he had aroused, he saw John come down
out of his room into the kitchen. John did not go
out of the house. but said "Lord, what is that
One night, some week or two previous to the
murder he heard Mr.. Winston call Jane and en-
quire who that was at the door In the yard He
heard Mr. w. call two or three times and was
about to answer when Jane replied by saying that
she had sent John down stairs to lock the door,
which abe had forgotten to do John was down
stairs. This was about 12 o'clock at night. Wit.
ness was up attending to his sick wife. He did not
know that any one was in the yard at all.
Nelly Scott, Josephs wife, evidenced that John
he nioht Tho ronr
der, and that she did not see John until Monday
morning after the commission of the murder,
VIII IN she had finished alarming the neighborhood;
then she saw him come down stairs. He asked her
to come into the kitchen and not be crying and max
ing fuss In the yard She answered, q horse ought
to cry on such an OCCASION let alone woman. He
th sn said: It was Gods will and it obliged to
be done" She had never heard John making any
tareats. When Jane came out of the house, the
morning of the murder and gave the alarm she had
no Ratchet in her hands or blood on her dress.
John Workman called-Mr Gilmer objected to
resolving Mr. Wa testimony. He judged from its
perusa in print in the Dispatch that it was not ad
missibe. The court decided that the testimony
had not been officially before them, and Mr. w. pro.
ceeded He said that he hired John Williams last
year for T. J. Glenn 81 Co, and that he was very
troublesome. He (Mr W had one day an alterca'
ton with John and told him he must come earlier.
John told him he could not, because he was over
worked at home Mr. w. told him to speak to his
master about it, that this should not be So John
replied that he had had SO much to do in the morn
ing for the house that he could not get to work in
time, and that ne should put stop to it he could
and could do it. Witness asked him how he would
do it. John said he knew how to do it. and would
do it,
Mr.. Joseph P. Winston was next sworn. Mr.W.
looked pale, though not very emaciated. He
walked feeble, and there a serious restlessness
and anxiety about his features, and wjldness in
the expression of his eyes somewhat peculiar
though to be expected. He gave his testimony in
low, calm voice. recollect about week before
this occurrence, about IL o'clock, just after had
gotten into bed, that heard some one at the back
dining. room door and the door unlock. Had told
my wife would get up and see what was the mat.
ter. Did So and stepped to the back porch, ne ar
the window, and hoisted the window. As well as
can recollect, called out three or four times to
know who that was at the door, but received no
answer The last time called, Jane came up from
the lower yard and tolo me she had sent John to
iOCA ITO uoOI, WAiCu udu lOlSUttcu W lOCk anu
that he had gone up stairs to his room. l could not
see who was at the door. shut the window down
and heard nothing more that night. l was at the
window Immediately after the neise was made, but
no one answered my repeated calls until Jane re.
sponded. The kitchen to the left of my back
door. l saw Jane very near the left door. The
head of the bed lay near the window, accessible to
the fresh air. My gold watch was stolen from its
usual hanging place the night of the occurrence
My pocket book was in the wardrobe 10 its usual
place, but was undisturbed. saw John the Sun.
day previous to this Monday.
Miss Lavina Pankay, Mr.. rs wife's sister, cor.
roborated Mr.. WIS statement. Said she heard the
noise at the door and Mr. w. get up and 60 to the
window. He called three or four times after rails.
ing the window before any answer was given him.
Then Jane answered Mr. W. and said she had for.
gotten to lock the door and sent John down lock
it. She did not hear John make any reply or see
him. No one made any reply until after the third
call. If John had been outside Of the back dining
room door in the gard she could haze seen him. If he
was standing in the door she could not of course
see him from her window. miss P. was sleeping
in adjoining room to that occupied by Mr. and
Mrs W.
DIR James Bolton and Francis j. Dean were then
examined at length to the position and character
of the wounds, and the position of the parties
when they were inflicted. They agreed that
Ratchet inflicted the wounds on Mr. and Mrs w ,
but considered that the wound on the head
of the infant was inflicted by some broad,
blunt weapon Supposed to be a wooden roller
shown in court) In reply to some enquiries of Mr.
Gilmer. who desired to prove that the wounds
we.e inflicted by one person (iane) with hatchat
she first striking one, and then leaning over and
striking the other-Dr B. stated that If two per.
sons were not engaged in striking at one side
| and the other the other-one person must have in.
fiictei blows one side and then went round til,
| bed and inflicted blows on the other side A c.se
| examination had convinced him that the blows
could not have been made by striking across the