, 1860-07-23
The WAlton..MntfheWs AFoxe01'


The testimony in the case Of the walton
Matthews murders is now al before the jury,
and instead Of tho prolonged inquest having hsd
tho effect to uuvsil the my AteTy, it only seems
to render the whole affair more complicated.
The perbon toward whom suspicion has been
pointed IL Charles JET 4rds, and 1t must Be con-
fessed that, taking the testimony which has
been produced On The inquest, the orcumsian-
ces are strongly sgainst him. So rong are
these cirepmstancegt And 10 closely llnked TO-
oether. that many persons Who read tho teatl
mony have fu!y made rp their minds that he Is
,nr ;::urderer, And many Ok these pefsoos eSen
now find no ditilcu.:, IN reeone,.ng re 9n1e h
testimony, each part With the S'ue ..n,;,tsS
remembered that the murders were cou'i t4'r4
bet1een twenty-five minutes pA-t AID nsllpa*s
eleven o'clock, on the night OF June 3o1n. 1ne
evidence all agreed thaE the person WHO nfea
tho pistol was dressed in light eoLoTea clo'nes,
such u we're found in Charles Jenards room ~
the Union Hotel, in BrookiJn,-shat the man
bad no beard, and that Jeffazds strongly Iesem'
lied The murderer. Ths conductor Of tho 4th
ayenne car testified that the pefson who came
into bis car and passed out IT tho front door
looked like Charles Jetfarts, and waa dressed
ia light clothes. Mary Ann Dav.s testified that
the man who fired the pistol and ran into tue
a1eaway Of no. 81 was dressed IN light eiothes'
aud resembled JefI4rds. Then pistol was
found at the same place, BY policeman, and
then Charles JetIards wss ont that night in the
upper part Of the city, and did not get to hls
hotel until about half.past twelve O'Clock. Jea-
ards known ana proven enmitJ to Walton -
shown, all pointing directly to him as the prob
able murderer. On the other hand, Miss uavls
swears that the man who fired the pistol r.
mained in the area about ffteeu minutes, which
would preclude the possibility of that man be-
| ing the one who boarded the 4th avenue car,
md recognized as resembling Jefarda- Then,
sqain, Ar De Vancene swears positively that
when Jetfards came TO his house thas night
| be wore black clothes aud Panama hat
| Now If the one that fired the pistol wore Light
| colored clothes, and that person was Charles
Jeffards II is evident that he must have changed
hrs clothes between 1Gtn a.rees and brooklyn.
| The boats of The South Ferry run every hall
hour after fifteen minutes past II o'clock r. H.,
SO that JeiI1rds must hare been ut the ferry
house on the New York side at Is minutes pas
! IL, in order to reach Brooklyn at the hour
/ spee,t,eo y, De Vaucenr. This would would
gf1e hin only ons half n1ar to 60 from the 10.
cality Of tho murder to the ferry, distance 81
/ about three miles, and in the meantime to
change h,s clothes, II it really was he in the
light clothes who did the murder, and then re-:
manned in the area fifteen minutes. The pistol
tound near the locality, with two barrels dis
charged. is sworn ia as nat that Of Chafles
Jeffards In giving this resume of the testl
mony, We do not desire to prejudice the case,
| for the il quest has terminated in the Coroner
iur7 holding Ctrr:es Jetfards for trial for the
murders, but it is given to saow what SORT ol
| technicaIities are generally seized upon to Gre
ate doubts in the miuds OF jury men.