The New York herald., 1870-04-21
THE VOORHEES, TRAGEDY.
r,,o, Of William Chambers for the Murder
nf Dominicus 6. VOORHEES,,
Of Brooklyn.
u.ta,,s n fssc. 'ragic Afiair-Was Chambers In
sacequyho u. Is and What He Is-Evi-
Senc.s =, w., ity in Past Years-The
Trial IN ha Continued To-Day

oay morr.oo in mo v,n, univ Court OF Oy,
aud Term'aer for the murder q '"'' no"'.''0. 10
voorhees, t1e well known buiSN a'" oo"'. 'o''
OF brooklyn. Mr. Voorhees, Il wlfA "
was shot by the prisoner In Peter h 's"'" ""
room, corner OF Columbia and GARRETT ~ 'ess' oou'
Brooklyn, on the evening OF the 18Th a roorua'
last.
Inc defence IN this case Ia insanity. Chm "e''
the murderer. IL about forty years OF age 'n
certainly his appearance yesterday was more ~
THAT OF an insane than sane man. he was
wretchedly attired and wore wnle cloth about Ais
head. waich contributed, In great degree, to give
hlm the appearance OF lunauc. He was
defended by Mr.. William +. Howe. District Attorney
Morris and his assistant. Mr.. Thomas T.. Pear
sail. conducted che Tor the people. There Is
great paoic interest excited in TINS ase inasmuch
as Mr. Voorht es was one OF the p,o nnens business
men OF brooklyn, ana consequently the court room
was densey crowded with spectators. Hundreds OF
others wers unable 70 gain admission ana thrOnged
the corridors OF the COuit ilpuSe
Try was ooained with comparative little
din1culty and Mr. learsali then proceeocd TO open
THE CASE FOR THE PEOPLE
lie said tha, 1t woulI De SHOWN that on the even
ing Oh Feopunry l3t the prisoner. with MIR. Du!ly Of
u arr oil eet, entered Fogarty's.quor store and
met there Mr.. voorhees,, Edward Tuhlli. Nicholas
McCaIl Robert Mcclellan aud the proprietor
Chambers was introduced and ihey drank tOpether
After remaining there half an hour or 30 the prIs
oner and Duiry left. Chambers subsequently
re urned TO the liquor store and met the same
meo. Noorhes was standing a. tie end OF the bar.
some Wo DIS OF CONVERSATIONAL character were
passed, wnen Chanoers took a revolver from his
nocket aud Tired 1t at VOORHEES,. The bail entered
wo nd Oh the following day, The distance from
where Chambers fired this shot To where the de-.
ceased was standing was l3n feet.
Tue EVIDENCE FOr T1E PEOPLE.
Dr. A. W. Shepnard who maoc the post-mortem
examination OF Mr. Voorhees, BODY was the first
witness called. lie stated that the la entered the
forehead just tte above the rldgc oil the eve ana
lassed through the membranes OF the brain, taking
course sllqnty downward. backward and Inward
into the right hemisphere OF the brail, and was
iOnnd betwe the larger and smaller brain. Death
was caused Dy les on Of the brain.
THE DETAILS or THE TRAGEDY.
EIwaro Iuhlll testined that ne was ~ Fogartv's
narroon on tne evening wnen the prisoner shot Mr..
VOORHEES,; when Chambers and Duff entered the
first tine Voorhees, the witness and several her,
were pres M; Du1y appeared TO be intuxicaUed
ana lnroduceo Chambers 10 toorhees; Nr. yoorDees
asked Chambers w he get some scars winch were
upon MS forenead ana The prisoner rep ied that ne
mad received them at tho hands o. some thieves aul
roboer5 IN New YORK; wnen Dufy and Voohcej
wa ked along the bar Oh ,mOers sad ne did not
know what tney w"ie 'aikns aboit voorhees, thea
tapped Chambers on the shoulder and sala 'ne knew
more about that tnAn i,uiIy dag there was some
talk aaout Masonry: didn't hear the words used.
Witness then went on to state tnaG the part had
some VINE Mr.. VOC hees open ng a bottle: ba N.
bers SAID ne could oay tor bottle as well any one
McCiel an came In, $1,000 at the upper end OF the
bar and asked voorhees, and Foyar,s to have some
wine; Fo2ary introduced voorhees, 10 Mcclellan
when the deceased SAID Geolg b. Mcclellan
W II
Mcclellan; stepped out and looked at Chambers
mo stood up and said he was Us good as any uan
IN ths room. and could prove lt; he tnen took The
pis.oi from his pocket and nred IL; he stood stn
after firing the shot anJ O0kel up at u picture, ~
II ne thought The Uall ma M ~; Mr. Voorhees, had
fallen 20 the floor; after the shooting Chambers
ca led for u giasS oil ale and / went up to him aud
threw my arms around his neck and win the bar
OF the pistol
Crosse xanination-wh Chambers entered the
second time voorhees, SAID, "liere's our friend OK
~ mud ty.n.. ...t
Chambers sad nothing; ne was excitel WINE he
was IN tne barroUin; The first time ne Came ~ VOor
nees asked HIM 10 take glass OF VINE; he TOOK the
VINE and threw IL on the moor, saying ne would
ra her have glass OF de.
q. VIII you swear that this unfortunate man
pointed that pistol with deliberate In al Mr.. VoOr-
neess A. lie did no seem 10 lake an" particular
aim at voorhees,, out the pis OF was pointed more
towards voorhees, tiIan 70 me.
This Closed Tie direct evidence.
A CLERICAL. ERROR
Mr.. Howe said that II was his in npcrativc duty a
this stage OF the proceedings 10 ASK MS Honor O d.
rect q veraict OF acqutai. The indictmeDt charged
that sir. Chambers hiled some Oae bat u :aIieJ 10
STATE tat averred that he klilcu Donaicu5 ).
Voorhees,
Judge Barnard ovcrruled the objection. Excep-
ton taken and noted
THE DEFENCE.
MIR. Howe then opened the case for the defence,
Claiming that oAamoers was insane at the time ne
ured tne shot and therefore enis sey IRE popsIoe
Tor the act Tie prosecution had proven the Killing
and had proven Insanity also aad To return averdct
ara lnst TINS iunatc man would NJ a great wong,
juoicial muroer, which would Inilre to
the everlasting shame and agony Of each
one OF tie Jury. Mr. Howe ~ lied that it would Oe
shown tnat toe prisoners m0lher had died IN q u.
natlc a"yluin: that Chambers himself Tor tue past
Ave years has been subjected 10 the nal NC, naLion
tnat peJpe were IN the niDl1 OF sDtting ut nn, and
chat he iet TIE city OF Washington under tae DsIef
tnat the whole community was splitting at him.
THE TESTIMONY.
Thomas Rafferty,, OF lis Centre stree New YORK,
has known the prisoner for uoout seven IRON hs;
M o. one time when w,sness went 70 Chamoers' place
SAID that II he w0u Il walt hit Q longer he would
See the bOys come arounl to roo MN; beer was
Obtained and both drank; witness told nim ne nad
be ter settle down and marry, whereupOn he ap-
peare To scout the idea. and said there lots Of
iaaIes IN Brooklyn VINO were going mad lOr hun; he
also complained tDat persons were the hanit OF
splitting ~ hun IN the cars or wherever he went.
WAS n INSANITY
known chambers for sixteen years. aud has known
him TO he insane Tor the past foIr or five years; he
IN ne street; that they carried on the same game
they did IN Washington and that he could stand 1t
no longer and would nave to put saot 'nto them.
Barry WEIGH, OF Hariem, mas known Chambers
since last september; he once SAID tnat ne thought
all the rowdes about mad designs upon MIN ana
that he would put a hoic Ia nlm;" witness saw
CHAMBERS have pistol and heard him say thal ne
would put hoe IN some OF the parties who were
"puKi. z" at hun; Chambers was out one night
wnen he was Attacked ~ rowdies VINO mad robbed
him; tins was aoout taree months ago.
MORE srRANoB co DUCT.
Patrick C0ughlin. of 55 Mulberry street. has known
the prisoner as long as he can remember; Chambers
would often say ~ wnness that persons were all
time Spltting at MIN aud that ne WsLncsSl Was one
OF them he put Ms nst ua ,er witness uOse, but
did not strike hun: he FIRST dsd tois about
two years ago; one nRht ne entered the
house OF Witness complained OF the persons wac
were splitting at him. ana SAID tiat MS tCOa- hln's)
mother put him up tO do 40 TOO. Coug1n went
down 10 the jail TO Chambers one da,, wnen the
prisoner struck him IN tue lace waiie taking with
him. The prisoner also cOmpiaine VI oUers wh0
he said we're uying oiten 10 vet into his pace.
Never saw him drunk aad never saw any person
spit at HIM.
CHAMBERS IN WASHINGTON.
James II. Mcmillan has known ,hambers since
1856, the prisoner boaraei ~ita bin IN Washington
and was employed In An eating house; he was quar-
reis0me ana could MT s,ay there 40 the wi.ness
took him down mo the army; at Ri hnono after tue
fall, Ciianbers ap tied 10 wines Tor cup mt nt
but the latter would not have anysning 10 do van
aim; a week before the muruero. Mr. oorhees the
prisoner went TO witness al Tn" Ora str. ct Terry
and paid MIN two do,iArs whici he DVrrowtd of hm
four years ago Ia hicnmOnd; ne nad Itsoi VITA
h m a. that iimc. and Nc ALLAN toad hlm tnat he
had better get rid Of it; he said he g0t 10 MI
ROBBERS. ana he would put ou let IA s,ne of them.
On the crosse examination ~ appeared from sc Ah-
lan's statement that chambers Was very exciiabse
and sometimes quarrel some
yobp n ond kra lunx I,atYtck Moran MarparNf