The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-05-06

L
stare-Thc Intercepted Letter, and
Mrs. Calhoun's View of It-Mrs. Nc
Farland in Court.
| Monday last was the eliminating day of in
terest in the history Of the Mcfarland trial.
The courtroom was packed with spectators.
The attendance OF ladies was larger than on
any day before, and those who could not find
chairs willingly remained Oh their feet, prop
ping themselves against the wall, during the
entire session. At recess, these ''wall-fow-
ers" obtained rest by occupying vacant chairs,
and drawing from their capacious pockets
| luncheons. proceeded to discuss them in COM
mon with their more fortunate companions.
| One coterie had complete ''set out" upon one
of the tables. the double attraction of pos
sble row between the counsel on either sde'
and the appearance Of Mrs Calhoun as wit
ness, caused ali the excitement.
MORE EVIDENCE FOR THE PROSECUTION.
The witnesses examined during the day
were all produced by the prosecution. in ad-
dition to Mrs. Calhoun, niue persons were
| nlaccd on the stand Mr.. Horton testified that
on one occasion he saw Mcfarland at Delmon-
icos, corner ofChambers street and Broadway,
| and that the prisoner was so grossly intoXicat-
cd .'he couldn't walk" Witness said: II took
| him home in q carriage; took him on my own
motion; We conrerscd by the way, and be
the use of his limbs" Mr.. Gamble, a resident
Of Woodside, New Jersey, swore that he saw
Mcfarland OF his (3lr. Gamble's) store In
Newark about q week before the shoot
ing. Witness said: "He was inquiring
the whereabouts of ofRichardson. and he told me
that Richardson had alienated the affections
| OF his wife-that he had stolen. his wife-and
that he would shoot him on sight Mr. Ian
! son, also resident OF Woodside. said: IL first
| saw the boy called Danny at Woodslde about
month ago.; understood it was McFarland's
boy; the boy told me, one day, that his name
was Danny Sage" Mr.. Merriam, who saw Me-
Farland two days before the shooting, said ne
| observed no excitement in the prisoners man
ner on that occasion, but that Mcfarland look
ed as If "he had been drinking hard-not that
day-but for some time previous"
Mark N. ('.Brickn) Pomeroy swore that in
the latter part of 1868 Mcfarland offered to
sell to him for sloo, letters showing mis- IS
Richardson and others of the Tribune
staff, thinking that he (Pomeroyl would like
| 70 "rct square, with Horace Greeley, and that
the offer was rejected. Mr.. Schemmerhorn
said he purchased an article from Mcfarland
for which he paid him s26, and which was pub
lished In the American Educational Magazine
for March last. The prisoner seemed 10 be
| ''perfectly rational" at the time he submitted
the article for acceptance or rejection. Captain
Erhart, under whom Mcfarland Held the posi-
tion of assistant provost marshal, in 1868, tes-
| titled partly as follows: 81 never saw him
| (McFarland) drunk in my Office or anywhere
else; would not like TO swear that ever saw
him under the influence Of ardent spirits" At
| of or ctrppt Sh00f1n0
Mcfarland said TO witness, "If Richardson
wants to have anything to do with my wife
until she is legally divorced, he is on perilous
path"
TWO LADIES OF NOTE.
Mrs Mcfarland, unknown 10 the greater
number Of those present, entered the court
room in company with lady and gentleman
after the recess. Her veil was thrown TO one
side aud revealed fair, sweet, matronly lace,
slightly tnged with sorrow. She wore a
| widows cap, and had her blonde hair arrang-
| ed in heavy plaits When Mrs. Calhoun enter
| ed the court dense mass Of ladies, silling
and standing, occupied the area to the right OF
the bench. Only one or two persons were
aware of the lady's presence as she walked
Sriskly across the room and was soon hid away
among the large group ofladles under the clock.
Very little delay ensued before Judge Garyin
called the name of Mrs. Runkle, and then follow
ed scene of commotion, a moving to and fro,
shutting OF feet, straining Of necks, scraplnlg
OF chairs and whlsperings all over. Ihe lady
advanced without delay to the witness stand,
and after being sworn, sat down to most IN,
tense scrutiny from the four or five hundred
| ewes in the audience. She wore O black Blk
| dress and velvet jacket trimmed with black
| lace, a Marie Stuart lace collar, brown straw
hat, trimmed with brown velvet and ostrich
Tnather. She looked about twenty-eight years
OF age, thin in features, nervous and intellect
| ual, spoke very rapidly, with peculiar snap,
rising infection, and left very general I'm
preston of being smart, determined, clear
headed woman; her answers were sharp,
ready and decisive, and though her cross eX-
animation was exceedingly minute and search
ing she came through the ordeal in triumph,
so far as she herself was personally concerned.
LITTLE PERCY M'FARLAND,
discovering that his mother was in court,
went over to the neighborhood OF where he
time Of adjournment and the mother had to
pass her little son, now separated from her
forever, as he stood by the wicket OF the
wooden railing. She passed without bestow-
ing glance upon him, though he turned his
bright brown eyes intently upon her, and when
she passed out into the emerging crowd he said,
in reply to question as to whether he saw
his mother, "Yes, ! saw what ] thought was
my mother, but gs she wouldn't look at me
! supposea was mistaken"
MRS. CALHosNs EVIDENCE.
The substance OF her evidence was that she
first met Mrs. Mcfarland in January, 1866, at
an evening party at the house OF friend, and
saw her from that time till the separation from
her husband very often; was not intimate with
her before going to the White Mountains;
wrote her from half dozen to ten letters, at
intervals; made an arrangement for her to
play at the Winter Garden; also aided her in
giving series of readings; Mcfarland heartily a!
approved of her going on the stage: In reply
to question from counsel, as TO what were
her motives in all her dealings with Mr..
and Mrs. Mcfarland, witness replied, that
she wished simply to enable her to earn a llv-
ing for herself and her children. The. witness
further stated that she never knew Of any i'm,
proper conduct between NJ. Richardson ane
Mrs. Mcfarland Mr.. Graham read tc her
portion of the famous intercepted letter.,
and asked her if she thought that was proof
that he had outraged Mrs. McFarland's fal;i-
ly? Witness replied: tit sounds so much un-
like Mr.. Richardson's, that except on your au-
thority, would not believe he wrote It." Judge
Davis showed the letter in which The ~. r.
Y"or the ''you" passage occurred, and asked,
;,, ,bo Ipin nr0mplV