The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-09-17
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
TRIAL OF WILLIAM B. PORTER. FOR
MURDER.
fREPoRrED ron THE DrsrArcH.l
Louisa Circuit Court -Rich'd h Field, Judge,

Iher Attorney, James L. Gordon assisted by Charles
l.. Jones' Esq. For the defence, Messrs. Hacketf.
Robertson & Gordon, and John 8. Fleming The
Commonwealth Attorney having sent the Grand
Jury an indictment charging the said Porter with
the murder of Williams, it was returned by them
endorsed "a true Bill; the Court then adjourned
until Monday, the 12fh that being the regular Coun
ty Court day, in addition to the anticipated trial
of the prisoner, brought out crowd of peoplefrom
this and adjacent counties, unprecedented for
Louisa Courthouse, famed for It's large gatherings
The indictment having been found true on Satur-
day. the prisoner was on Monday arraigned, aud
through his counsel de,nurred to the indictment and
to each count thereof, which demurrer was by the
Court overruled. The prisoners counsel, next of
fered plea In abatement, alleging informalify in
the proceedings before the examining court; which
plea was rejected. The prisoner then plead mot
| guilty" whereupon, the Commonwealth was an
nounced to be ready to proceed with the trial: So
| likewise the defence. The venire summoned by
the Sheriff was then Called failing TO obtain the re-
qulslfe number of unexceptionable jurors, the
Judge from the bench issued new summons, and
the jury was fully made out early on Tuesday
morning, the 18th, when the examination OF wit
| nesses commenced.
| lst witness for Conmonwealth.-WmF F. Leake.
Heard, on Sunday evening, 2lst of March last
that the body OF man was found in the South Anna
river, the premises of the prisoner: went To
| the place aleng with Mr. West; did not 90 by for
Porter, as he had been to preaching that day. but
| sent boy from Mr.. Vests to inform Porter; when
| he returned they found the body under bluff
some fifty feet high; when it drawn out of the
water, witness and others Immediately recognised
it, water at that place some two feet seven inches;
| when found, there was strong rope or BEDFORD
| tied tightly around the above the elbows and
| the wrists were also confined Qby the same rope)
| behind; it little after sunset when Porter
! came down to the place where the body of Dick
Il Williams was; he took up Williams hat examined
4 it, walked around the body, and then stopped down
near the face, and examined it closely for some mo-
| nents and rose up, but said nothing; did not ask
| who 1t was, by whom he was found, or express
| either surprise sympathy. Witness thought this
very strange conduct, though he did not notice any
particular embarrassment ON the part of the pris-
oner it was dark but that prisoner or any one
else who knew Williams, could readily have recog-
| niZed him. There was very severe cut on the
head extending from just above the right ear to the
back of the head, and another blow or cut on the
same side of the head across the ear; either blow
| might have caused death. On Monday, witness
| found tracks--three distinct tracks-leading from
prisoners house down to fence, and thence on to
| the bluff beneath which the body was found; there
was also trail, or the appearance of some one hay
ing been dragged, visible for several hundred yards
On Wednesday before the March Louisa county
court, witness was at Mr.. Buffers when boy came
Tor the prisoner, and informed prisoner that Will
Hams was at his house; prisoner requested witness
and one Harlow to so with him and help to tie VIII.
| liams; said he wished to carry Williams to his wife
and if she wished to live with him. she could CO. it
not, Williams must quit his premises; boy hand
prisoner pistol after he had started from Buffers;
Williams wife and Porter's wife were sisters Will
liams is strong man; Porter has always been re-
puted very kind and peaceable man, and no
thing to his prejudice heard, save his connection
with the Misses Perry, one of whom he married and
| another of whom was the wife Of Williams then
living at Porters house. Witness identified the
rope with which Williams bound
Shelton Harlow.-W ent down to the South Anna
river, hearing that some one was found there dead
this was ON Sunday evening, Goth of March last sent
tor Porter in going to the river found trail and
Eolln p0 70 ,xbs,
hundred aud five yards from the bluff at the river
beneath which Williams was found Porter came
down, and after getting there, examined the hat of
Williams, walked round the dead man several times
and then stopped down and looked into his face and
rose. and made no remark whatever. Witness did
not think that prisoner tn t occasion either look
ed or spoke as he usually did; he looked very much
thrown back, and his voice seemed to stick in his
throat there were the tracks OF three persons 90
ing from Porters yard to river and the tracks
OF two persons going from river to P0rter's; saw
the blows the head of Williams, sufficient to kill
| any one The tracks of two persons, with heavy
| brogue shoes, were visible and made by persons
walking very closely both to and from the river
and to and from the yard of the prisoner. Witness
staedd with Williams the night he found Porter
was there on the next day, (Monday,) and witnes;
again noticed and remarked on the strange, unusu
| al, and Hurried manner oil the prisoner. The heaC
OF the TRAIL or impression OF the dragged BODY is
direct line from Porters house; the bluff beneath
which Williams was found, is very Steep and some
fifteen feet high. @
CRoss- EXAMINED BY DEFENcE.-Prisoner looked
badly seemed disconcerted witness did feel badly
and so did all who were present; witness has know
prisoner some twenty-five years; he, the prisone,
was always esteemed kind, humane ana peacea
BILE man, and witness never heard of anv difcni,,
between prisoner and his neighbors until after ts
| prisoner had gotten these women with him (mean
ing the Misses Perry and Mrs WilliaIns) The BODY
of Williams was first found on Sunday morning Nv
| negro who was crossing the river ON his way to
Treviian's depot; negro went on to the depot and
| on returning, went to Mrs. Chewning's where he
has wife, and told what he had seen, first mans
hat, and then on looking closely, saw the ton
OF his head as the wind waved his hair to and fro.
Mrs. Chewning sent the witness to the house OF
| a Mr. West, (now absent from the 5tate) and West
sent hoy for the witness and they ON togeth.
| er to the bluff as aforesaid.
DIR. John Eastman sent for by the Coroner
TO make examination OF the wounds on the per-
| son of the dead man; saw two very severe wounds,
one ON the back OF the head, and the other imne-
diately across the right ear; cannot say whether
| or not, these wounds were sufficient to produce
death also found that the dead man had been shot
on the right thigh hip, arm and also On the inside
of the lett leg; such blows were inflicted on the
head of Williams likely TO produce compression or
conclusion His hands were tied very tightly behind
him. and also his arms closely confined by the rope
being drawn around them, above the elbows; cannot
say whether sofettered would or would not be
killed by being thrown from such precpce; (sees
| the rope with which Williams was bound and
| seem to have been inflicted with stick or stave
| with rough or jagged edge Very little decompo-
| sifon had taken place on the body; Williams was
| a strong, athletic man.
CRoss EXAMINED BY DEFENcE.-The injuries
received from the shot would not have killed VIII
liams. Prisoner had always been considered kind
and peaccable man, charitable to the poor but had
lost his standing and position in socefy very much
after his connection with the Misses Perry. Wit
| ness had heard some very unfayorable reports
about prisoner since his intimacy with those wo
| men, whose character was very bad. Porter mar
! ried a sister of Mrs. Williams, both were Misses
| Perry and sisters TO the Miss Perry now IN jail,
| under the charge FOR numbering Williams Porter
lost reputation by visiting the Misses Perry before
he married OF thern nevertheless his neighbors
! liked him aud considered him good hearted, Kind
| man.
| Davis Eastman was sent for Monday morning,
.lst March. and went TO look for tracks and found
the trail similar to that described by the former
witnesses, going from near porters house 10 the II
yer and returning witness noticed one track as being
smaller than the other tws and thought that was
woruaIis; saw the dead man, readily recognized
him described the manner IN which he Was tied,
as stated by other Witnesses Never heard prison
er make any positive threat against W liians but
heard him say that Williams was too mean 70 I'VE
and oI ept to be killed; that said w Niilisnls was iurk
Ing abou&hs plantation, and that be expected tnaf
Williams Mould apply 10 witness 70 magislrate 70
give him Warrant 10 arrest OF bis tprtsoner y
negroes but that witness would not grant q