The Nevada journal. [volume] (Nevada City, Calif.) 1851-18??, 1857-10-02
THE TRAGEDY ON SPRING SIT E IT


Our city was thrown into state of
high excitement on Friday night last by
the announcement that one John We'd
der had been shot by Henry Plumer,
City Marshal For time much indig-
nation was manifested, which has grad
ually subsidized, though all traces of it
have not yet been obliterated. a Cor
oner's jury was called on the morning
following the fatal occurrence which eli
cited considerable testimony. An ex-
animation before Justice Clark on Sat
urday and part of Sunday brought out
other matters all of which we have pc
rused to arrive at the facts as disclosed
by the evidence. The testimony taken
in connection with information given us
by disinterested parties amounts to about
Il e following:
The deceased had been residing in
this city some seven months aud was
known somewhat as a sporting man.
For some months he had lived rnhappi-
ly with his wife, and for some two
months the pair have been arranging
for separation. About week since
the preliminary steps were taken to pro-
cure divorce, the wife bringing the suit
aud the deceased acquiescing in the pro-
posed separation and himself paying the
expenses of the suit. While matters
were thus pending, Mrs. Vedder taking
her child, took lodgings at the Hotel de
Paris. Vedder went to the Hotel and
obtaining the child took it to a ranch
some where in the lower part of the
county. He also sold, it is said, part
of the furniture of his house. Mrs We'd
der according to her testimony, was ac-
customed to he about the house on
Spring street great deal Of time during
the day and sometimes till quite late III
the evening. On the day preceding the
shooting it appears from the evidence of
Marin that Vedder procured a horse at
the Empire Livery Stable, and Mr..
McFaddcn swears to loaning him re-
vover all the barrels of which were
loaded. Corbitt swears he picked up a
revolver near the deceased a few mo-
ments after the shooting having one of
the barrels discharged. The same was
said to be produced in court and identi-
fed by McFadden. Other witnesses
testify to threats having been used by
Vedder against Plumer and Mrs. Veddcr
prior to the fatal occurrence.
Mrs. Vedder testifes that on the
night of the shooting which occurred a
short time before midnight she heard
Vedder ascending the back stairs to
the kitchen in which Plumer and her
self were sitting, Plumer with his
hands over his eyes. She knew the
steps to be Vedder's by the sound. He
was not accustomed to enter the room
by the stairs according to her testimo-
ny. On opening the door, she says,
Nedder drew pistol and telling Plum
er his time had come, fired. Plumer re-
turned the fire Immediately, and follow
ing Vedder who was retreating down
the stairs, fired two or three shots more
Plumer then left by the front door,
which at the time of the assault she does
not know if open or not She says she
went down the steps behind and saw
her husband lying on the ground with a
pistol near him. He was not yet dead.
She states that Vedder had given up
the house to her, had not stopped there
for three days before the occurrence,
and had promised to trouble her no
more. 1t is also in evidence that Plum
er said on delivering himself up that
Vedder came up the stairs and in at the
door and pointing a pistol at him said
his time had cnme, but that he could
not tell which fired first.
About the premises on the morning
following the fatal affair, no bullet marks
were found in the room where the first
shot is said to have been fired Two
holes which were apparently made by
balls coming in the direction of the top
of the stairs were discovered in the fence
and an clubhouse.
Dr. Wickes teslifies that he made a
post morten examination of the body
and found ball had entered the left
breast about an inch and a half above
the nipple The pistol which fired the
shot in the opinion of this witness must
have been above the level of the wound
or deceased was in crouching position
when the wound was received. In this
regard the evidence of DR.. Cleburne is