Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-11-23
Trial of Trayer and Wilson.

OH Tie lTIdl Vi lleiPHAi Ai"yNi anu llSI
Wilson indicted for the murder of William
Coleman, is taken from the notes of one o
the counsel and is believed TO be correct il
every important particular. Much that wa
detailed by the various witnesses is o
course omitted, but all the material fact
are given.
WILLIAM CRAIG, (Town Sergeant1 sait
that on Sunday morning, August Nth, be
tween and o'clock, he was sitting in ;
chair before his door, when John Peer call
ed him. He went to meet him and Pee
stated that he had been informed by the
folks at his mothers that Coleman had no
been seen for two or three days. and tha
he must be sick or something be the matter
He went over with Peer TO Coleman's shop
the door that they entered was not fas.
tened. Peer or ened the door and Craig
went in first. They went up stairs, after
Peer had removed one or two planks thai
had been put in the way; the first room
that over the shop-was the one in which
It was supposed Coleman slept. The bed
clothes were spread over some plank-the
bed was out of doots. There were two
chests in the room, both open, and some
things out of them on the floor He walk
ed across the room, and then %eht down
the steps to the lower room. When he got
a few steps down, he discovered very dis
agreeable smell, and when he got near the
bottom saw Coleman lying on the floor al
the side Of the room. He called 10 Peer,
but without waitlhg walked to where Cole
man was lying. He noticed the blood on
his face-he was lying on his side, his legs
drawn up little. The smell made him so
sick that he did not examine farther than
to see that a wound had been inflicted on
the right side oil Colemans head above the
ear. He and Feer left the house together,
and he came up street to get Magistrate
he saw that Coleman had come to his death
by violence. After the Coroner's jury was
summoned, Peer drew the staple Of the door
at the east end of the room in which the
body was lying, which was fastened by a
strong paddock. While the jury were ex-
the body, he noticed hammer on
a table near to Coleman's feet. Mr.. Nc
Coy picked it up and handed it to some Of
the Jury. 1t was bloody, and some gray
hairs stuck to it. 1t was a singular ham,
mer and he never saw one like it. The
hammer was produced. Mr.. Craig attend
ed TO the burial, and during the day had the
house partially examined. Every thing
that had locks on it had been opened, ex-
cept one small trunk which had little or
nothing in it. When the body was LAID on
the plank, it could plainly be seen that blood
issued from the head and from the body,
about 18 inches lower down: He was
near neighbor Of Coleman, the ,latter's house
almost adjoining his stable. He had no re-
collection Of having seen HIM after IL or
o'clock on Tuesday. He did not remember
of ever finding the front door of Coleman's
shop open more than once or twice, but was
not there often. A newspaper, Bible and
pair Of spectacles were lying on the table
no candle there, but candle-stick that had
been used was on the stairs in the shop
He thought Coleman had been dead two
days or moie when found. He saw Tray
er there the day the body was found and
the next day, when he was very busy help
ing to look for money. Coleman had told him
he was worth $2500-any one who knew
about his business would suppose he had
money. A candle could not be lit in the
room where the body was found without be-
ing seen at Peers and that direction. That
was his furniture room.
DR.. DoNAGHE attended The inquest as
He made very cursory examii
nation. The wounds were rather on the
left side of the forehead. He noticed no
wound Oh the back part of the head. FL
ther of the blows would have produced
death. He inferred that the wounds were
made with the hammer lying near. The
hair On the hammer corresponded with Cole-
mans eyebrows. If the blows were given
by man in front; they must naturally have
been gwen with the right hand.
EDMUND PEkkIKs twho was arrested in
Greenville as an accomplice it the murder
and acquitted by the examining Court said
he boarded at Trayers. On the Thursday
night the murder was committed, or sup
posed to have been, Mr.. Ast called at
Trayer's, and after staying d little while
went on towards his home. He hadn't
more than got home before MIR. Livick came.
Livlck sat down and engaged IN converse
ton with Trayer, and during the conversa-
ton Perkins weht to sleep ON the floor
he didn't know what time it
was, he was awakened by Trayer and Will
son shaking him, and calling him John, as
usual. They said to him Come and go
with us and steal some roasting-ears and
kill man, Their faces were close to him,
and they spoke in low tone or whisper.
Both spoke the same woids-dld'nt know
which spoke first. He said to them, "Let
me sleep, don't want TO go' They then
left him and went out Of the gate. After
they got a short distance from the house
10 Or so yards--he got up and went out OF
the gale. He looked up and down aid saw
them going towards town. He didn't know
what they were going after, but followed
them to see. They turned to the left To-
wards the bridge, and he lost sight Of them
Tor few minutes. When ne reached the
corner, he got sight of them again. He fol-
lowed on and saw them go to the place
where the murder was committed. lie
didn't know anything about the place at
that time. He saw them enter the lot and
the door of the house. The door was pull
ed to after them, but an opening was lett
He then saw a mans arm raised as If ne
was going to make blow-immediately
the lioht @was banshed." whether lnten-
tlonally or not he didn't know. He heard
and saw no more,bdt went back to Trayers
as quick as he could walk. He lay down
on the floor as usual, and commenced think
ing to himself, ''supposing they had killed
a man and l being living in the family
there, and if this murder was found out or
these men that people might suspect me