The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-11-05
THE DRINKERS FARM MURDER.
TRIAL OF j. J. PHILLIPS.
The Testimony of Joseph Drinker
DIR. W. r. Farrar, b. r. Pitts,
and Miss Roxana Pitts.
TIE BROTHER AND SISTER OF TIE SUP.
POSED VICTIM IN COURT.
HIGHLY INTERESTING AND IMPORT.
Ant EVIDENCE.

vi luc mouse OI DcIcSaIcS was UlleO Will
spectators, drawn together by the an.
nouncement that the witnesses for the
prosecution would be heard in the case OF
the Commonwealth against Phillips. From
the eagerness with which the details OF
the testimony were received, it may be in
terred that the interest in this mysterious
murder case has in nowise subsidized.
At the opening of the court all the
jurors were found present, having been
under the care of the sheriff since Satur-
day evening.
The witnesses for the Commonwealth
were called and sworn at the clerks desk
after which those for the defence were
also sworn. Rules were issued against the
absent witnesses for the defence, by re-
quest Of the prisoners counsel.
Colonel Johnson said that he felt that in
this case it was very important that the
witnesses should be separated. With this
view, he moved that while one witness
was tcstifying all the others be excluded
from the room.
The Judge stated that this was motion
he never failed to grant in case Of so
much Importance. 1t was therefore
ordered that the witnesses on both sides
be furnished seats in the Senate cham
Der, and come into court as their pre-
sence was required.
Mr.. Joseph Driukcr was first called. He
testified that on the 2Sth Of February last
be found the dead body of woman lying
in the woods. She was lying on her breast,
with the left side of her face to the ground.
One hand was extended, and the other was
Of hn hon .
filled with pine tags, and the knucklcs
had been kDawcd by some animal. Her
clothing was not disordercd. A handkcr-
chief with hole through it was between
her hand and head. 1t seemed to have
been tied around her head. The hole was
round, and there were a few grains of pow
der in the handkerchief. Witness did not
examine the body very carefully, but re-
marked that the nose Of the corpse was
broken. She wore a purple calico dress
and dark gray sacque; and straw hat,
trimmed with blue ribbon, hung on q
whortlehcrry bush near by. Witness
lived about half mile from where the
body was found, between the New Market
and DarbytOwn roads. From either Of
these roads there is access to his house.
hihited to the jury, and explained by the
witness.
Examination resumed The spot where
the body was found was about eight yards
from a by-road, and about 100 from the
main road. The country thereabouts is ge-
ncrally grown up in white oak sapling and
other underground. There were buggy
tracks coming around through the woods
from the Darbytown road, striking the main
road between the house of witness and the
place where the body was found. We
saw a lady's tracks in the road, as if she
had got out of buggy and walked around
to the left hand side. An old hoop pole,
about four feet long, was found at the in
tersection of the road, but witness noticed
40 other weapon. Took the hoop pole and
walked to town with it.
To the court: found the body at about
O'Clock in the afternoon. Was walking
along the by-road when my attention was
attracted by something lying few yards
distant. Found it to be woman, and soon
discovered that she was dead. There was
A little water or blood settled IN the ground
under icr breast.
To a Juror: could not discover any
horse tracks which could be identified.
Gould not tell where the buggy turned
around but it did not appear 10 have gone
further than the place where the lady's
tracks were seen.
To Mr.. Young: On the Tuesday before
the body was found there was driZZling
rain; "Wednesday was clear; Thursday,
the day | found the body, was q disagreca-
BILE, rainy day.
Cross examined by Colonel Johnson: {:
In front of my house, between 1t and the
woods, there is large open field. There
is also an open space before Mr.. Turner's
and Mr.. Pleasants's houses. Coming from
the DarbvtoTn road to the place where the
BODY was lying, vehicle would probably
be observed from either house, but 1t
could be driven through another way. The
bv-road is used for hauling wood. picked
np the hoop pole near the Junction of the
bv.road and the main road, on Wednesday.
I was on foot when l discovered the body.
| could easily see it from the by-road. 1t
was not deposited as if it had been Sc
creted.
To Judge Crump l could not trace the
buggy tracks past the place where found
the body. There were wagon tracks past
the spot. Could not see where the buggy
turned around, although the road was
muddy.
Judge Crump: Would it have been pos
sble for that buggy to have turned with
out leaving distinct traces
Witness: don't pretend to say either
that it turned off or went on, but do say
it couldn't be tracked any further. Could
not see where the buggy left the man
road. noticed these tracks on Friday
morning. No buggies had passed since
Thursday. In going along that by-road
from the main road to the spot you pass
an ice. pond. 1t was pretty full Of water
at that time. =,
To Judge Crump: The only marks OF
footsteps near the body was slight inden-
tation, as if from the heel OF boot, near
the head. When l first found the body
there we're whortleberry bushes all
around. but they were subsequently tram
Med down a good deal. While waiting for
the coroner's jury we made up little nre
in the by-rOad. ,u
To Colonel Johnson When the BODY
was found, the ground upon which 1t was
lu;ng was not more clear than that around.
Colonel johnson: How, then, could you
discern the foot print near tue mead OF 'he
corpse! h-. hrt
Witness: Well, don't know why ouI
what saw tell you; what dlan seo'
can't tell you. ,,.., >, ;, =
have been driven aloug IN the daytime
as the deep ruts and Stumps seem 20 law law
heen avoided. | have often driven aions
there though in the night,
Colonel johnson Are there not se'eiai
in that vicinity