Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-02-28
Trial of William Miller.

o'clock, A. NJ.
This was an Indictment for the murder of
Charles Green, Portuguese, at the town o.
Natchez, in this County, on the 9TH dav Of
October, A D. 1856. The Indictment CHARGED
William Miller with having killed Charlie.
Green by shooting him with pistol
ATTORNEY For State, J. J. Kleine
Dist. Atty, Thos. Wells, Asst; For Defend.
ant, Gen. ?. II. Harris and L. W. Granger
jurors VIM. 0. Murray, Foreman NJ
Robinson. Chas. White, John Bendle. W
Taylor, A P. Spear, W. W. Bordwell, Ira
Coffee, J. NJ. Brock, E. c. Fouchee, Jane:
Jones, John Spellman.
Two venires were exhausted to obtain q
Jury in this cause, and the empanneline
was not completed until q o'clock, P. NJ
L. Il Williams, W. I. Sexton and j. B
Barker, Esqs, were appointed as triers Of
chailengers for actual bias on the part Of
jurors called.
At . o'clock, P. NJ, the panel being full
the jurors above named were sworn to try
the cause; after which the Clerk proceeded
to read TO them the Indictment, and state
the plea of defendant, to wit. mot Guilty y
District Attorney Kleine then proceeded to
open the cause, by a brief statement to the
Jury OF the evidence he expected to intro
duce on the part of the State
Gen. Harris here asked for separation Of
the witnesses called by the District Attor-
ney, which was ordered by the Court
The witnesses called and sworn on the
part of the State were, W F. Stanbaugh
James Cooper, Florence Salisbury, Joseph
Levitt, Frank Martin, John Wood and 7
Elliott; and the substance of the evidence
| n na
may be given briefly as follows:
That, on Sunday afternoon, October 5th
1856, Chas. Green, Portuguese, together
with some half a dozen of his Portuguese
friends, who lived short distance from the
town of Natchez, came into town; that, al
an hour before sunset, Chas. Green and his
comrades went up to the store of Rodman &
Hunter. and there drank some claret wine
That prisoner and a desperate of the name
OF Louis Chevaler came into the store soon
after, and Immediately manifested DISPOSE
ton to get up quarrel with the Portu-
guese, that prisoner and Chevaler succeed
ed N getting up something Of disturbance
by prisoners rolling up his sleeves and
using harsh language towards the Portu-
guese; that some demonstrations were then
made by both parties-prsoner throwing a
shovel among the Portuguese as he passed
out OF the door, and the Portuguese taking
up some pick handles in defense; that Green
at this time stood with his arms stretched
across the doorway to prevent the rest of his
Portuguese friends from passing out, but
some two or three of them succeeded in get
ting out, returning, however, almost imme-
diatcly and laid down their pick handles
All was again quiet for a few minutes, when
! rrfs and ftbavnl;ar paI
standing at the west door of the store, and
Chevalier bounding in at the north Tor 'front.'
door, drew a pistol and told those in the
store he was ready for them p that the
Portuguese then to d Chevaler and prisoner
that they were friends to them. did not want
to fight, and partly persuaded and partly
forced Cheyalier to give up his pistol to Mr.
Stanbaugh, the clerk that the Portuguese
then called upon prisoner aud Chevalier to
drink friends, which they did, and peace Sc
cured to be again restored,
That after this, prisoner and Chevalier
began several quarrels with the Portuguese
which quarrels the Portuguese succeeded
each time in quelling, calling upon prisoner
and Chevalier in terms of friendship, and
telling them repeatedly that they did not
want to fght-that they liked the Ameri-
/
ever, they had confused scufie, in which
prisoner had one Of his shirt sleeves torn
off that peace was again restored, through
the entreaties of the Portuguese, and pris-
ones asked VIM. Stanbaugh for new shirt;
s. told prisoner to wait until the next morn
ing, and he would give him one that pris-
oner, during one of the quarrels, ran be-
hind the counter and seized double bar
relied gun, but this weapon was taken from
him by Mr.. Stanbaugh. Prisoner and
Chevalier left the store of Rodman & Hun
ter, and went up to the store of Lombard &
Co., where prisoner procured a shirt and
put it on. Prisoner and Chevalier there
boosted of what they had done and what
they could do with the Portuguese; prisoner
asked the clerk at Lombard's for his pistol
the clerk, Mr.. Powell, told prisoner not tC
take it thai she, (prisoner) would be sorry
for it in the morning"
Prisoner and Chevalier then spoke of 60
ing down to Rodman & Hunters store, tc
''clean OUT the Portuguese As they were
starting to 90, Chevalier said to prisoner,
Give me your pistol, have more sense thar
YOU" Prisoner said. mo. I'll keep it my
self" Prisoner and Cbevaier then return
ed to the store of Rodman & Hunter, and
soon got up another quarrel with the Per-
tugcse; through the entreaties of Charles
Green and the other Portuguese, this quar-
rel was quelled. and most of the parties ac-
knowledged their friendships by drinking
that prisoner, during one of the excitements
went out of the front door, drew his
pistol from his boot, and walked to and fro
before the door with pistol in hand. Prise
ner again went into the store; peace seemed
to be restored; some ten or fifteen minutes
elapsed; prisonsr sat upon the counter, and
Chevalier stood at the back part of the room
with his face towards the door; it was now
nightfall Charles Green was standing not
far from Chevalier, talking with him; Che
valir began using some words which caused
Mr.. Stanbaugh to fear that another quar-
rel would be the result, and he stepped be-
tween Green and Chevalier. No very hos
tile demonstration was then made, and Green
passed to where prisoner was seated on the
counter; Green placed his hand upon prls-
oner's shoulder in a friendly way, telling
| him he ssliked the Americans that they had
better be friends and not fight, etc. While
| Green was saying this, prisoner left his seat
upon the counter, and went out at the front
door. drawing his pistol as he went out
prisoner stood two or three steps from the
door with his pistol "a Colts Revolver) in
his hand; Green stepped TO the door, with
his left side towards where prisoner STOOD,
and said to prisoner ''Come into the house,
what are you standing out there for -
About the time Green said these words,
prisoner raised his pistol and fred at Green.
Green raised his right hand convulsively to
his left breast, and stepped out of the door;
several shots were then ired (some wit
uesses say two, others three our four, but
none testify positively on that point;) some
of those in the store then went out and
found Green lying on his face, some twelve
or fifteen feet from the front door. Green
was taken up and carried into the store,
IL / u.sroJ onca and was dead He