The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-09-15
.,,rc.Oltyer Trial.

,',or which terminated on Saturday last IN
,so .couittsl of Mr.. Ayrc, was published IN
this paper upon the occasion of the pfe'lm-
vary examination some months since. Inc
testimony of the female witnesses was not
tsren at that time. We copy the mann
,,arts Of their testimony below. On Friday
lac, the following evidence was given:
Mrs.. Kelley: reside in Washington !;
10 hecn acquainted with Ayre since IN!
rSr,hood. My fathers house was the hrS'
he came to in Washington when ne came ~
This country, and have frequently v'Ss.ea
them. Have known Ellen since ss'1 III"
r;rl ber character was uublemshed. INC
49, Of srorn could never be pointed NJ
t hns She visited my house frequently, ana
aa.stv has characterized all her actlohs.
i've sixty miles from MIR. Ayrc. ~,
Az ~ Uoimcs being sworn, testified 1--we
G., Ni1nnnrville. one and q half miles from
Al a,rn!S. have lived there all my life ; have
heen intimate With Ayre; his reputation
has been perfectly good; never heard any
thing against him. Ellen $1,000 rs hlSn Us
any one: was looked upon rs 4 model OF
nronriety. Except for this calamity. there
fontd not be blcmiSh on her character.
Miss Mary Hunter: reside III Loudoun,
and am halE-sister of George Ayrc. Have
lived with him thirteen years. Was WIN
him last summer and fall. DR.. Oliver and
his wife came to Ayrc's house on the 18th
June, 1869, and were received with every
kindness. He came with two children OF
Mir. Hail. They left in September or oc-
tober, and received their kindness up 10 the
time they left. knew nothing. OF TINS un-
fortunate affair till he lett, but knew there
roc somethiuc the matter. He abStained
from food. his eyes wild, and haggard, and
niercinr. and his manner different from
what IL had ever been before. tie continued
In this condition till he left, getting worse.
10 had ALWAYS been an aflectionate brother,
Int a short time before he lelt he was rude
e. me for the first time III his he. lie Is
a kind husband and loving father. Was
never rude to me before III MS HE. WAS
with Mr.. Ayre when he had an lnterEle"
with his daughter, with his arms over her;
both i'm tears. He got up and went out, and
then came back and put his arms over her
again: and when he went out l went TO
NeIl}s and asked her what was the matter.
She told me and went to him ana begged
him not to do ANYTHING rash, and he told me
IN 90 away, that his mind was made up.
NV niece's character has always been unln-
Deached. She moved in the best society
and was ALWAYS considered Il modest and re-
firing GIRL. Dir. Oliver. while at our house.
administered medicine to Nellie in July and
August. I saw DR.. Oliver make passes OF
meSmerjsm for headache 4; saw HIM DO II on
more than one occasion. Alter one OF these
occasions he left the room, and soon alter
she left, following him.
Cross-eXamined he practlced these
mesmeric passes over her head AS ms Sl%-
pestion don't know whether it cured her
headache or not. He was out III the hail.
and came to the door and called her, ana
told her he would not 60; said she would
not co. He then came into the room and
made mesmeric passes over her head ana
shoulders, and then went out, and she fol-
lowed him into the hall where we were III
the habit of sitting. | had other evidence
of this. They were in the sitting-roo1n III
the evening; all the chairs in the hail. l
was standing in the door, ana he uNed mis-
ewes on me, and in short time was 80
affected | did not know what to do. lie
was repeatinea piece OF poetry at the time.
| don't know whether it was the poetry or
the eve, but suppose it was the eye. lie
told me he was Il mcSmcrlst.
Miss Ayrc: | first met Dr.. Oliver III
AleXandria, 14th of June, 1869. was going
from Richmond home he was also going
TO nv fathers; two cousins from " Washing
ton were going with me home. lie COM
menced giving me medicine early III July.
/ was not well, and he volunteered to give
me medicine. He sometimes made ines
meric passes over me when | had head
ache, and | felt relieved. lie did get
power over me by mesmcrism. This
ascendcncy was the cause Of my ruin.
There is no doubt that he is the author of
nv ruin. 1t was after giving the mesmcric
passes and medicine. | first communicated
nv condition to DR.. Brown, and had III i'll
terview with my father about week after
wards. 1t was in my room he was not
himself, neither was |. He gave signs Of
inordinate grief. He walked the floor
and seemed to be greatly distressed
and heard him all through the night
grooming. His room WAS below mine.
Next morning he came to my room
early, and threw himself on my bed and
went: did not seem to be himself then.
Nv ruin was effected in July-about the
middle. DR.. Oliver was the first and only
man who ever carried improper advances
30 far. l never had any improper inter
course with any other human being than
DR.. Oliver. There is no possibility of my
being mistaken. l communicated to my
father the fact that DR.. Oliver had been the
cause of my downfall, and we talked of it,.
I cave birth to my child 10th OF April.
Here Miss Ayre came near tantin", and
her nerves were in such Il condition that
her further examination WAS postponed
till Saturday.
On Saturday the testimony of Miss Ayrc
was continued
Miss Nellie Ayrc again called to the
stand: met DR.. Oliver on the 14th of June
in Alexandria. He and his wife went To
my fathers house together, and remained
there until some time in August. DR..
Oliver prescribed tor Inc early in July, and
at four different times. His meSmeric passes
sometimes relieved my headache. / did not
think / was unconscious from them then,
but think so now. DIR. Oliver made i'm
proper advances the first time in July,
about the middle of the day, in my fathers
housein the parlor. was not myself. The
first time he made any advances / do not
remember that he mesmerised me ; the only
advance made was that he put his arm
around my waist. Previous to that time l
had not been mesmeriscd. About four weeks
after that time he took other liberties with
me at my fathers. The family were in the
house. l did not converse with DIR. OH
yer. Think he spoke, but do not remember
what he said. The second time he made adj
VanceS was about two weeks after, III the
parlOr-the family al being in the house.
After DR.. divers return he still made I'M
proper advances or two occasions. DO not
recollect that was under mesmerlc intlu-
ence. but was not myself. did not com
municate to the family what had happened,
but told DR.. Brown in December all about
it. DR.. Oliver attempted to console me by
SAYING that [ need not take 1t so hard, that
! was not the first woman by hundred,
and would not be the last l was engaged
to be married to a gentleman once, who |
thought made improper advances, and |
discarded him OH the spot. He returned,
making every apology necessary, and at
tempted to renew the engagement. but |
refused, having lost all respect for him.
Miss Hunter sworn Miss Ayre had been
IN very bad health the summer before she