Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-01-28
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

~ " ~ ~ \ ~ u II II ~ b N Y T.
CRIMINAL CouRr.-when our report closed
yesterday, the Court was engaged upon the tlial
OF Mary McFerson for killing one Nancy Buck.
hannah, both colored, on the 9TH day of Septem.
The Acting District Attorney. Mr. M,,,.
opened the case, and was followed by Mr.. Norris
Tor the defence; after which the prosecution
Otesr John ~. Wise, sworn -Testiaed "a ,o
the freedom or the prisoner, and the two colorrd
witnesses for the prosecution
foty Bh'khdHHan, colOred, Sworn-Was not
present. when the heating took place; on Monday
about O'Clock, a. m, prisoner came into wit,
nesses house; witness spoke to her and she AK
ed witness If she had got n warrant for her; wit
ness answered, no; she then went TO the kitchen
ana got piece OF wooden sleeper that had been
under the floor, and tried il against the wall and
~ broke; she then laid il down and took piece
Oh BOARD, which she broke over the head Of de-
ceased she then took up d chair: the blow with
the board mashed the bone in; she then split the
chair in pieces over Nancy's head; the seat of tn.
chalr was split in two with the force of the blow;
u was common chair with wooden seat; q p
ceased, who was sitting at the time of receiving
the blow, now fell to the hoor; the bone vas
mashed into the brains, and the skull was ~ Lit
open across her head Nancy asked prisoner what
she was going To beat her for! and the prisoner
replied that she had not said what she was going
TO do; this was when the prisoner first came in,
she SAID 10 Nancy that she should not 90 out till
sne (the prlsoDer) said sO witness held on TO the
prisoner while she was beating Nancy, until she
pushed the witness away. and then witness hal
toedi witness ran out of the house and called
lot heIP the prisoner remained in witnesses
house till the officer came and took her away.
witness never heard the prisoner make any
threats against the deceased; the deceased was
visited Dy Doctor, and fingered for some time
afeIward, when she died-say three weeks after
The beating; the decreased was struck repeatedly
with the chair, and the prisoner was still beating
nei when witness ran out of the house 10 call for
beIp; when the prisoner beating the deceas-
ed, she exclaimed that 'what she intended to do,
she would do, '
tTcSS-eTGmiHsd When the prisoner rSt came
INTO the house she seemed very quiet: witness
only asked her to sit down. the decreased only
asked her II she was come to beat her a.ain
NO other conversation took place; Jobl, Iomax
was sitting there but when he saw her so violent
he went ont for an officer; the deceased had been
SICK previous to the beating but was at that time
Hncn better; she had had physician while
SICK the deceased was about twenty five ve,rS
oiu, and had never been married; she never was
very healthy; she had symptoms of fever; the
piece OF board first used was of oak wood sew
eIal inches in width, and broken in two bv the
olow; after the beating, the deceased w $ placed
IN bed, and never got up again
Mary j. Ho,cord, sworn.-Never saw the pris
oner before the day of the Occurrence. y,aS r..
when the officer came I'M she had lust thrown
tne pieces of chair down on the floor and stood
IN the middle of the room SWEARING. she said
then that she had intended to kill the deceased
ana all that she regretted was that she had no
snle with her; witness get basin of wafer and
wa the blood of the head of the deceased;
tns doctor Was sent for and he gave orders as To
heI treatment, her head bled very much and was
cut all over the top part was all mashed in: the
ChalI was ciae ked apart; DIR. Willett attended
tue deceased; the prisoner acted very coollv ali
the while witness saw her; the deceased suffered
great deal while she lived, and was beaten on
nei sac ana arms, and very badly bruised she
was a small ard delicate woman
CToSs-srartned.-The chair was second hand
oat was good one, and sound before the prisoner
usso II was lying in the floor when witness
went In witness lives within one door of the
house where the beating took place
Owcsr James Woil1rd acknowledgement TO
oe IN the n-ig hborhood at the time of the occur.
renee, ana drove over there; when witness got
mere Mary McFerson had Just come out of the
door; the deceased was lying there bloody. the
prisoner boosted OF what Sue had done. and said
sue ndu not given the deceased 5 much a, she
had intended; saw a broken chair did not notice
u particularly; stopped there but a few NOM ntS
Dut TOOK the prisoner away, and she admitted
,hdt she had done what occurred; she was moi
faculties Va e'
Cross ram'nsd.-s'aw the chair, but did no,
hoIice whether IL was split not; the prisoner
ala not aPpe;T like she had been drinking
* Is: Hughes sworn Witness and officer
"oIIaTd were riding along the street i'm a bnUov
ana seeing a crowd went in; law a colored wo
man lying at one side of the room bleeding very
ihuch, and heard the prisoner, who had walked
IN, say that Sue had done il; she admitted that
the chair Was the weapon she had used. s,yp :,
cnalI broken ln Pi-cesi il looked like a chair re-
Gently whole, but now broken and drmoIiSb
she appeared To b- quite wrOthy
CToSS-sJdIIIHed.-She was not DRINK. n.ve,
knew her before > WI
Dr.. John E. WHisu, sworn -Attended Nancy
Buckhannan; saw her the day after the iniuIiss
were lhn'ctrdi she had Il number Of wounds on
the sea p, especially the light side OF the head
sh~ had no use Of her Ti1ht arm which was badly
hrnisedi she could not bp touched without
screaming with pain; there was 4 flacture of the
sAhil on the right side of the Uranium and the
hdlI was driven through against the brain. the
skull was not crushed, hut a simple fracture. al
Tended her until she died; there was onIy one
fracture; when witness first saw her she was
sinking under the wounds; the sea 10 was separa
Pu from MS connection with the skull; witness
PIootd the wounds; the scalp sIOuyh.d off and
f,n ued, she died from the wounds, particularly
rom The sloughing off of the scalp; IN. state OF
her health may have Influenced that effect: She
hdd hot as much physical viyor as a person in
300 h.1lth; the wounds were the controlling
CduSe OF her death; witness treated her between
three ana Tour weeks before she died
ne examination was arrested here and the
Court adj jOurnsd ~ ~
TO day, The Court met at the usual hour and
tne uial OF Mary McFerson for the murder of
Nancy Buc khannan was resumed
Dr.. John T.. WHEN was called for crossex,m-
lnatlon, and testified tn being called in To see the
deceased, day or two after the we unds had been
lnhlcted; knew II must have been thirty-six
hours aiteIWard from the Cond ton of he yoi,ndS
tne wounds were ragged and when witness was
called in, il was too late to close them tooetber.
hdd witness been called in 1T rst IL would have
bern possible, perhaps. TO close them the wounds
made no progress toward healing from rst Ia
last, and healthy action could not be produc.d.
ne whole scalp was dead, and in pressing il
matter flowed from the wounds on all sides No
one OF the wounds was necessarily mortal if in
nlcted on hrman head The decreased stated
70 witness Thai she was pregnant; that she had
ieit the child moving in the womb, until a few
days PRIOR To her death, when il ceased tn move
This fact she did not communicate TO witness
uhtll d lew days previous 10 her death She re-
Cured stimulating applications, and witness
gave hef wine during the time she lived She
was not d hdhitudl dTinker Of liquors The death
was Produced by the wounds
Aand bIo'cH sworn Lived in Polly Browns
bouse at the tune Of the beating, but was not
present at the time the beating took place; on Sa
tn7ddy previous the prisoner gave witness some
clothes to wash; she brought them to witness;
tue SICK woman said tina. she had torn I'D some
OF the prisoners clothes. and the prisoner took
piece OF board and struck the sick woman over
the head with ID. cansinu a ..ash snue inc hos In