Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-06-05
EXAMINATION OF THE RIOTERS.
PoLlcE Couar.-CusaING, J.

EXAMINATION OF THE RIOTERS.
Police CouRT.-CusaING, J.
The Court came in at 8 o'clock, Saturday
afternoon, when Matthew Hale Smith, George
F. Farley, J. A. Andrew, Edward Avery,
VIM. L. Burt and John w. Browne, sever
! ally appeared as counsel for the prisoners,
charged with the murder of James Ratchelder.
Mr.. Sanger, the District Attorney, was not
| present, and no witnesses had yet been sum
| moned.
Justice Cushing read a list of the witnesses,
and officer Ham accounted for them various
ly, some being Oh board the refenue cutter
bound for Virginia, with the fugitive Burns.
Mr.. Matthew Hale Smith moved that the
! prisoner be discharged
The motion was supported by J. A. An
drew, Esq, who said that here were II men
! kept from Their homes for the last eight days,
on charge of committing the highest crime
| known to the law, and yet no one was pre-
| pared to prosecute the case for the govern
ment.
| The Court refused to entertain the motion
| for discharge, and decided that what witness
| es could be found, should be examined.
Subpgnas were then issued.
Mr.. Sanger here made his appearance in
| Court, together with nine or ten Of the wit
nesses.
The prisoners ere now brought in.
Mr.. NJ. II. Smith moved that Roberts be
examined separately, as he was i'll the lock-
up, under charge of the police, before the dis
turbanee occurred.
The Court said it would be inexpedient to
take that course, because the same ground
would then have to be gone over two or three
times.
The complaint was amended, on motion of
Mr.. Sanger. SO as to repre- ent that the killing
was by some sharp instrument, instead of by
powder and ball.
Mr.. Sanger said one of the chief witnesses,
Mr.. Taylor, was so sick as to be taken home
i'll carriage, but the Court said the exanina-
ton might proceed with the other Witnesses.
Sitas Carleton sworn.-Am i'll the employ of
| U. S. Marshal Freeman; was i'll his employ
last Friday, May IS ; did not know Batcnel-
| der when he came here; first saw him after
| he was stabbed it was between the Marshal's
door and the outside door, opposite the south
door on the back side; he was one of the
olemost at the door was standing and trying
to work himself out kind of sideways, think
he was little nearer the door than the foot
Of the stairs when first discovered him
was under the gas light; could see one half
the door as stood; there were about Is men
| i'll the passage way between US there had
|
| been forced; they first attacked the east door;
held on to it; then they attacked the west
| door; the Marshal halloed to his men think
had left the east door When they attacked
| the west; Batclelder was trying to extrieate
| himself; went ihto the MarShals door with
Bateheider; think the Marshal caught him in
| his arms as he went in; LETT him there, and
when | saw him again he was dead and lay
within a foot Of the north door OF the Mar
shars Office did not examine his person.
| CrosS-e1aasined--Actedu under no orders but
those Of the Marshal, the doors We're fastened
before the attempt to break in understood
that these guards, about 40 in number, we
armed with guns; do not know whether any
one was armed while the doors were shut;
! before the man was killed, think saw arms:
saw two or three clubs III the hands OF the
Mars 1als mcn saw other weapons after the
attack on the west door, saw pistols imme-
diately after the killing; there were so pis-
| tolls IN the building; there was no opportuni-
| ty to go out after them counted the pistols
| over, myself, some oil the pistols were loaded
| after Batchelder was killed; there were swords
III the building at the time of the attack-pis-
tolls, clubs aud swords; don't know of any
other weapon.
Isaac ButlGrd-sworn--Am U. S. weigh
err; was in the Court House Friday evening
d
Court street; looked out and saw people COM
ing very thick and fast had barely time to
getia before the crowd rushed a yairst the door;
| 1t was about two minutes after saw them
iirst; there were about so or 60; we got the
! officers Ill, shut the front doors, and locked
EN-, the crowd were disorderly; ten or a
dozen stood around to keep them from Dustin
III the door; seN eral attempts were made;
then they run round the house to the south
! erly door on the west side; could see them
] and hear them CO.
The next attempt was by throwing brick
bats and stones, breaking the windows; left
| the east door, and just as they were taking
Batchelder to the Marshal's Office, l passed
him near the foot of the stairs about three
feet from the door and helped to put out two
colored men; knew he was hurt, because the
| blood spouted out on me and OH the floor;
there was so much noise we couldn't hear
| what anybody said: two men were carving
him into the Marshal's office; of these two
colored men, one of them was most out. and
the other had his whole body inside; we
showed them out and shut the door; thought
| I'd better leave. so | retreated and went back
! into the entry way; we couldn't fasten the
door, and they jammed it in agin; then we let
EN- come, 1t they would come; they forced it
| second time; this was after / saw Batchel
der; it might have been two minutes after
| got to the door; saw foot or two of timber
come through the panel of the door.
Then we placed ourselves on the stairs for
defence; nobody came in for two or three
minutes, when officer Ham put his head in;
heard several guns tred one pistol was fred
from the inside after Batchelder was carried n.
they were fired on the outsd de first; was in
the passage way then; it was before | passed
Batcheder that heard the first firing; think
it was OIL the outside; went aud turned Batch
elder over as he lay on his face, dead, six or
seven minutes after first saw him in the pas
sage way; did not see any wound; he was all
blood clear up to his bowels till the door was
forced the first time, we all of US had clubs
was supplied with arms by the Marshal after
the attack was not furnished with any strong