Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-04-13
The M'FARLAND TRIAL.
Excitement Unabated- Motley and Anxious
Crowd In Attendance.
Scehe Ia Court Meeting Of Father and
Child---The Whole Thing very
Ike New York.

NEW YORK, April 12.-At the Mo
FarIand trial to-day the corridors q
the courthouse were besieged at al
! early hour by motley crowd, curl
! Gus. and anxious to obtain a gOO'
. place. Near the dOOts, however, wa
| seated the prisoner. Shortly after tel
!. O'Clock he was left totally unguarde'
and alone. About 1890 AIN. lad!
dressed in black, with some preten
siOns to beauty, went and sat beside
Mcfarland and engaged him in con
versatiOn until the opening of court
She is supposed TO be his cousin, wht
testified yesterday. She was heavil!
veiled. Little Percy appeared sOOI
: after, kissed his father and shO0l
hands with the lady.
Nicholas NJ. Green sworn: In an
swer 10 Mr.. Gerry, he stated that il
the year 1867 he was retained in BOs
ton, in the hdbeds corpus case between
David Mcfarland and Abby Sage
sometime after, Richardson came into
his Office (evidence as to interview eX
cluded); saw Richardson subsequent
ly; (heTe ensued another question a,
to admissibility of evidence, showing
movements of Richardson and endeav-
/ Ors TO get possession Of Mcfarland.
children, in which Graham didn't
neglect to make capital and endeav-
0red 10 show that had the prisoner
secured possession of his boys, Mrs.
Mcfarland, rather than lose them,
would have returned TO her husband,
and Richardson would have stopped
in the pursuit). The senior counsel
finished by quoting the passage In
] which Richardson said forty thousand
I Mrs. Grundys would not keep him
from his purpose.
Counsel for defense thought the evil
dence sought TO be adduCed was mad
] missible. He wished to prove when
everything was progressing favorably
! for the return of his children and wife
to Mcfarland, Richardson was plot
ting 10 prOlong litigation. Would
prove that the latter employed GOun-
/ sci to fight of further examination.
Witness continued:
Only spoke to the prisoner once, his
manner was very strange; thought
/ him irrational, excited.
John A. Ward, physician, testified
and said the prisoner, on tee night OF
oath November, was in terrible state
| of excitement; talked about the chill
/ dren and threatened to kill himself
4 Gave him two grains morphine, equal
I to twenty drOGs laudanum. Prisoner
said Richardson was going to take his
wife and child from him; was of Opin-
/ ion that McFariand's mind was dis
eased; commenced attending his fam
! lily in 1862; they appeared very fond
I OF eGch other, and knew OF no disa-
! greement previous TO 1867; saw symp-
] toms of insanity in prisoner from 1867
/ to 1859; he had a disease making it
I impossible for him to sleep; prisoner
/ SAID he saw Richardson, il his dreams,
in his wife's arms, which arnYs him
nearly mad; in spring OF 1869 be was
taking immense quantities OF NOR
uhinei wOuld not have dared TO pre-
scribe such doses except in cases Of
cerebral disease; prtscner's symptoms
could not have been counterfeit; be-
tween spring and November Of 1868,
saw him every few days. Witness re-
membered q conv6 aatIOn with DR..
Miner. when they eESne to the con-
clusiOn that the prisoner had cOnges-
ton OF the brain, which threatened a
softening of the brain; it would have
been but short time Before such
would be the result if the excitement
continued.
Cross examined-Am only connect
ed with the prisoner by distant Tela-
tiOnship by marriage.
Here some important evidence was
adduced, respecting the professional
visits Of witness to the family of Nc
TEllHa. witness wa. cr4 e4aminadatgreat
length, but no nIO point obtained.
Court then took recess.
On ne-Gssembling Of the Court, DR..
Madison was examined and corrob-
Grated the testimony OF the previous
witness.
He was crOss-eXamined at length
Saw Mcfarland the night before the
tragedy he appeared physically
calm; said he was going Jersey to
get has son; Dan So ne had spent
5000; he had no more money, and in
tended 10 recover the boy by force.
John Z. ElwOOd, attorney, testified
that he knew the defendant quite
well; saw MIN, two or three days be-
fore the homicide, ,at his office; he was
4, ging to get a divorce. The witness
~Ss9eTed him mOnOmaniac on the
coz IT as domestic troubles. Ne
- 3uo]eC's ~ called upon him prOfes-
I;anoIi,. : a. III 20 - o. II HiEl 20 commence an
s'tio,,' s,Sj'1'' t'besre 1serR counts in COM
aioiDt aieiO't' 8rst for ., 'uiBai cQnyersa-
tiOn; second, Tor abducJl- - ~ aLiIS.a','
and third, for abducting his t,1u'5. it.'ti -
When he called he gave the VIII e9' a
history of his troubles; told him no.
fond be and his wits were of each /
other, and how happy they we're. In |
the morning when he was gong /
away, they would kiss each other; in 1
the evening they would walk in the /
garden. their arms entWined, picking |
flowers together; on the morning OF
the dav his wife left him, she kissed |
him atfectiOnately when he was going /
away, and he returned 10 ind her
gone: his mind was continually run
ming on the subject of his troubles; he 1
could not speak of his wife and chill |
dren without weeping; when he al |
luded to Richardson he would lu-
stautlV become excited; he seemed TO |
think the press was arrayed against /
him. and in favor of Richardson; re- |
Mcfarland having shown !
him an intercepted letter from Rich |
ardsOn to his wife. A number OF other I
letters were shown to witness, which !
ne identified as having been shown 4
him by Mcfarland. Prisoner stated |
that he got the letters out of his wife'S |
trunk; was quite excited when talk |
ing about them.
Cross examination by the District |
A n
suit against Richardson |
in consequence Of the difficulty IN |
finding the defendant at the time |
witness did not think Mcfarland |
insane; never had any acquintance |
with Richardson or Mrs. McF FaTland; |
Redirect-PrisOner stated that his 4
object in bringing suit was to vindi- |
cate himself and to show 10 the world /
that Richardson and his wife We're TO |
blame and not he; he observed that he 1
had lost a great deal of money in trying |
to obtain possession of the children. |
Mcfarland would not settle the suit |
for money. The prisoner once told |
him that proposition was made to
settle the suit for $4,000. The coun- !
sci here read the following letter from
Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Calhoun.
The letter from Mrs. Sinclair to Mrs.
Mcfarland, Of February p, 1870,
saws: Whatever you do, your friends,
your true friends, will accept. Do
not any longer entertain the NOR
bid idea that you are responsible for
the life of one who will break down
and perhaps ruin your children" She
qfonlises the support Of her friends,
suggests getting Percy from his
ma Ss soon Is possible, as he leans
ather :. e father aAd that feeling
Oward IL sided.
win be intel. ed by = letter Of Mrs.
This was fOllO
calhoun; -ING. February
FRIDAY Mo6R; =. " "at cah l