Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-12-01

The preliminary examination of ALLEN A. HALL.
on the charge Of numbering G. G. PONDExTER was
commenced to-day, before Justices JOSIAH FERRIS
P. W. MAxEY, and JOHN COLTART. Attorney General
BATE, Hon. ANDREW EWING, and JOIN REID Esq.,
were the AttOrnies for the State and Ex Gov Neil.
s PRowY, Hon. E. II. EwNG, and Judge JOIN 5. BRIEN,
Attorneys for the defence.
Witnesses for the Prosecution
Mr. T. J. Seabury Direct examination bv Mr..
Bate. Ny Office is at No. Al, Cherry street. in Coop
er's building. Last Friday morning, between and
O'Clock l was standing in my door while there
| saw difficulty that occurred between Messrs
Hall and POindeXter | coming over about
o'clock, Friday morning and went into the door
Ny father and George Darden were standing in the
door. just stepped into the side of the door, stand
ing on the sill, some four five minutes reckon,
previous to the shooting; presently saw some per-
son coming up the street and in few moments saw
Mr. Hall step out of the NeloS office with a shotgun
in his hands He held the gum as near as remem-
ber in both hands, just ready to raise it, and hailooed
stop" He spoke very loud. l looked around
to who he was hallooing to. | saw little
negro boy running down the street and supposed it
was him. Presently he halloOed again. Then | saw
two gentlemen: one stepped up against the side of
the wall, that was Mr.. Venable; the other was
Mr.. PODdexter. He had his umbrella up, rather
dropping as thought. As MIR. Hall hallOOed the Sc
cond time. Mr.. Venable stepped to the side OF the
bHding. There was another gentleman between
Mr.. Hall and Mr. POindeXter, VINO he was l don't
know. He went against the wall also. The second
time Mr. Hall spoke he said stop sir the third
time stop / say" as near As l can remember it,
and upon that he fired Mr.. Poindexter reeed about
half round and fell upon his arm. The umbrella
fell upon the edge Of gutter into the street As soon
as he TELL 1 remarked to my father, Z" believe
he is killed. Let US go over and pick him up" Be
fore we got there Mr.. Childress out OF his Of
fee, and we picked him up. | then picked up his
umbrella with pistol in it. (The umbrella at the
request of the counsel, then prOduced) That
umbrella above Mr.. Poindexter when he was
shot. | saw the umbrella fail out of his hand 1
picked it up. The stick broken il now is, and
the hole in it. l then smut 1t down. lfOund Colts
revolver. 1t was laying in the umbrella, pointing
towards the wall, visible TO those persons in Nil.
Chidress Office. The pistol handed 70 AIR John =.
Thompson soon after MIR. POindexJer taken into
Mr. CRdress' office. 1t was medium sized Colt
revolver-nOt a navy, think. The pistol was not
cooked Judge the pistol was loaded, as saw caps
ON all the barrels. took it up IN the umbrella. The
umbrella l took in my keeping" kept until this
time, and found 1t the Condition Is now in.
Mr. Hail appearance the street first attracted
my attention. At that moment don know that
had seen Mr. Poindexter What attracted my atten
tentIun vas the hallOoing. expected there would
be difficulty that day AS came over accidentally
heard of pretty severe article in the Necs, but no
one had informed OF it then and was not thinking
about it. l did not hear but one shot. l did not |
hear Mr.. PoindeXter say anything either prior or
subsequent TO that shot judge was forty feet |
from where Mr.. POndeXter was At the suggestion |
of Mr. Venable measured this morning the distance
from the place where Mr.. Hall was and where MIR. |
Poindexter was. l measured it as nigh as 1 could |
Judge Ii was forty-three feet from where Mr.. Hal!
was to where Mr. Poindexter was when he was shot |
He did not advance after he shot, As near as l |
can Judge he was walking when no was shot. did |
not know he was the person Mr.. Hall ordered TO /
stop until he followed the second time, and saw
Mr. Venable and the other gentleman hauling up
AGAINST the sides of the house and him walking along
did not know him and had never seen him before
that know of. l knew Mr. Hall. cannot say ex-
1rtlv As TO the interval between the commands They
were in quick succession Ny best idea Is that he
followed about this way. Che witness here repeat
al the words in the manner Mr. Hall uttered them,
,s nearly as he cOuld) 1t was but very little at
pr the ..stoD say" before the explosion-not more
han three or four seconds. 1t seemed to me that he
vas raising the gun to his shoulder as he followed
.ston I saw" and fired as he got the gun
n a level don't think Mr. PoindeXter spoke at all
don't know that l can remember Of seeing any
,erson previous 70 the shooting, because was not
,xpecting ANYTHING of the kind. think saw Mr..
Barry and Mr. Fisher standing IN the Ae'oS office or
vas about 20 or % feet from Mr.. Hall. DE seemed
,rowding against the wall did not see pistol in
,Ir Poindexter's hand did not see 1t until took
up He was not in full view as his side was to-
wards me- his right side. was nearly about Oppo-
lite to him. / think the umbrella was in his left I
and His right side was in full view. Mr.. Darden
vas near me and my father standing in the same
nor Mr. Darden was above me. don't know
hat All had the same view. | standing little |
1 the rear of them. They standing in the
oor There was no obstruction between me and
he onposte side of the street. ] did not hear any
pna-ks before Mr.. Hall said stop. heard moth
,g IKE any question where Is he - ] was ! I
lTnost exactly opposite Mr.. POindeXter Mr.. Poin- ]
oxte was coming up the street towards the NelCs
aice going south-gong from the Commercial Ho- I
j towards the UNION AND ANERICAN ONCE. know t
here Mr. HaywOods office Is Mr. folndeXter was /
n a line between that office ana the UNION AND e
MEXICAN Office going from that direction towards i
70 T-XTov ,VD AMERICAN building. The place at Il
HIGH Mr. PondeXter fell was al distance OF U
3 feet from the Ne,cs office, where Hall was L
anding Also ON line between the points mention 0
/. Mr. Poindexter fell on the pavement The UNI b
rela fell of the payement did not assist in car
7ing him into Mr.. Cmdress' office assisted in
using him up and then Mr. Venable came up and il
" father also and l left him and picked up the W
nbrella There is one place in the umbrella that a
Oks as if a bullet had grazed the stick, and also
de in the covering had not seen Mr. Hall before c
that morning. 1t raining, though not Il
.rhaps, very hard. The umbrella was dipping st
,er his face when MIR. Hall said stop" A
mt know that | saw him raise the umbrel- fe
from that position. ! don't remember tha1
saw any motion of the umbrella before 1t fell d
ere may have been, but was somewhat excited al
r Poindexter died in a few minutes. SO
Cross-examinatiOn by Gov. Brown. AT the re- IN
,est of Mr. Brown, Mr.. Seaberry hoisted the UNI G.
ella and held it as he thought MIR POindexter car Ag
n itl Mr. Poindexter held it line with his W
yson He was walking along and he did not stop M
hen he was told to stop, but was still advancing. OF
soon as the gun was fred he commenced Keeling, ~