The Nevada journal., 1857-12-25
(Reported for the Nevada Jouraal.l
Trial Of Henry Plumer for
the Murder of j ohm Vedder.

This cause was called on Monday
Dec. 21st, A. ID 1857, al 10 o'clock
Counsel-Wm F. Anderson, District
Attorney, assisted by Henry Meredith,
Esq. for the prosecution, and David Bel
den, J. R. Mcconnell, and George S.
Hupp, Esqs. for the defense.
Jury-G. j. Denny. VIM. Savilley,
j. S. Moore. J. Laramie, G. Jameson,
s. G.. Lewis, N. q. Miller, N. Pifer, G..
S. Getchel, Andrew Hayes, Geo. King,
n. Martin.
Iestimony ofMe Prosecution.
Thomas Couch-I live on Pine street
in the city of Nevada and was there at
the time of the killing of John E. We'd
der. About II o'clock that light l was
in bed and heard a woman screaming.
She passed by and in three or four min
utes after she returned and said her hus-
band was shot | then went over and
she told me that Plumer had shot her
husband. | then took candle, went
down the steps and saw the body of
John Vedder lying on the ground. A
man by the name Of McCloud was with
me. Ny house is about sixty feet from
Vedder's. There are two entrances to
the house of Vedder, one in front and
the other by an alley leading to a stair
case in the rear of the house. When
frst saw Vedder his head was lying
down the hill and his feet towards the
staircase. He was lying upon his back
with his arms extended in lateral di
| rection. | saw one wound on the left
SIDE of his body. 1t was about five min
utes after | heard the woman scream un-
til | saw Vedder. | went into the front
| door of the house, which was open when
she reached it. All the doors seemed
to be open when | entered the house.
| think there was fire in the stove when
| | went there. | remained there about
four or FIVE minutes before any one else
came. w. B. Garvey and =. Ii. s. Cor
| hett next came to the spot. When
went down the second time there WIS
SIX inch Colts revolver lying about IA
| foot from the left hand Of the deceased.
! picked it up and saw that it was load
ed, and was about examining it more
closely when Pat. Corbett took it out of
my hands. LII take that pistol" said
he, coming up to me abruptly, and reach
ing out his hand he took it aud placed it
In his bosom. He then went up to the
room where Mrs. Vedder was sitting,
who, with Corbett and Garvey left the
premises a few minutes afterwards. l
saw three caps upon the pistol. | was
near the body about five minutes when
| first went there, and at that time |
saw no pistol lyi g upon the ground.
Cross -Eramined-l had been asleep
before | heard the woman scream The
back door of Vedder's house can be seen
by person standing in the front door
lie entrance to the back room of the
! house is much easier and more access-
ihe alley. There is fence running at
right angles with the alley about six or
seven feet from the stairway. There
was but one candle on the ground when
| picked up the pistol here is one
window in the end If the house | saw
a cap under the hammer but cannot say
whether it was eject or not. The
man who held the light was standing
about three feet in front of me when |
was examining the pistol. | thought
that Curbett was policeman and that
he had right to take the pistol when
he demanded it of me. saw portion
Of a cap under the hammer Of the pistol
| Win hot
could not tell whether it was broken or
| not.
James III. BaHard--I was in view of
| Vedder's house on the night of the Kill
ling and heard either three or four re-
ports of firearms. | saw the flashes of
every shot l heard, land was about two
or three hundred yards distant at the
time. The flashes had downward ten
dency and were all about in the same
| direction. | do not recollect of having
seen any lights about Vedder's house at
the time of the shooting. The marks
If the balls in the fence had also down.
| ward tendency.
Cross -Era"''@ed-I had just gone to
bed when | heard the reports, and was
awake at the time, was lying upon
settee in front of the window near the
centre of the room. The shots | heard
may have been fired Inside Of the house
If Nedder. ! do not remembe: the po-
sition in which | was lying when | saw
the flashes.
Vm. c. Asher-I was al Vedder's
premises on the night Of the shooting.
When | reached there the deceased had
been taken into the house examined
the premises on the day after the shoot
ing aud saw one ball hole in the fence
and another in a small house near by
The hole in the fence had about the
direction which ball would naturally
take If fred from the head of the stair
way. lsaw no other pistol marks bout
the house. L examined carefully, and
found Il ball about two or three feet from
the fence where | discovered the bullet
hole. picked it up and have it now
Ill my posse sslon.
Cross -Eramined-The fence along
Ii