New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-10

for the State, with Colonel Field and Bir.
Mckay for defendant.
The first witness called was Special Police
Officer Smith, who testified as follows: Am
j by occupation special officer of the police;
know about the burning of the steamer
Belle of Alton on the twenty-eighth of
March last between three and four o'clock
in the morning; did not see her burn; saw
her after she was burned; she was lying at
the wharf. at the foot OIL do not remem-
Der what street, but it was in the Fourth
| District; made the affidavit against VIII
liam Marsh; made it from information re-
ceiyed arrested Marsh in st. Louis, brought
him back here on requistIOn from the Gov
ernor of Louisiana on the Governor
of Missouri, and placed him in
Parish Prison for safe keeping; l had a con-
| versation with Marsh on the road down, and
asked him if anyone was lodging on the
| boat at the time she was burned; he an
| swered that there were the two watchmen
| and STRIKER" on the boat; he did not
! state what time these people were on the
| boat; the striker or greaser was in the habit
| of sleeping on board when the boat was
| laid up; he called my attention to the class
| OF people who were associated with him
and who called on him while in my custody
to relieve any fears | might have of his at
tempting to escape.
Witness was then cross-examined by Col
onel Field, as follows:
Made this affidavit on the fourteenth of
April before the First District Recorders
Court a man named Palmer was here at
the time; the conversation took place on the
street; have met Palmer at the office of the
Chief of Police, New Orleans; have seen him
there more than once; may be as often as
three or four times; | know Mr.. Palmer by
reputation know him to be an agent for in
surance companies; have been acting i'll this
case in a measure for insurance companies;
\ I.l -, l..
office of Chief of Police of New Or
leans; | had a requisition from Gov
ernor WarmOth on the Governor of Missouri;
/ delivered the requisition in person, and
directed his order to the Chief of Police of
st. Louis, and other civil officers of the
State, requesting them to use all diligence
in arresting Marsh, and turn him over to my
custody; after | arrested Marsh, several
steamboatmen and gentlemen called to see
hin-Captain Bruner and others; did not
know any of them; was told one was a
foundryman or biacksmith-a MIR. Manion;
he did steamboat work; Marsh told me he
had no interest in the boat, but that he had
worked for her owners long time, and
that their word was as good to him as their
money; he looked to these men for his
bread and butter; | heard that night
Waterman, day Waterman and "a former
employee slept aboard the boat at the time
she burned
This concluded his evidence for the
present
The next witness caledwas Officer Dexter
B. Woods of the harbor police, who merely
testified to the time of the destruction of
the boat.
The next witness was Mr.. Frank NJ. May
field, who resides at the corner of Love !
and Enghien streets. Third District: Is a
steamboatman; says that the evening before |
he was passing along by the boat, when he |
met Joseph Nixon, who said
Here the witness was interrupted by the |
defense, who desired to hear what the wit |
ness knew, not what he had heard. The |
witness was dispensed with for the present. |
Joseph Nixon, the alleged incendiary, |
was placed on the stand. The defense OBJ |
jected to the admission of Nixons testi- |
mony, on the ground that it was inadmis- |
sible, the witness having by his voluntary
confession of having ses ire to the boat, |
and having been fully committed by the |
Judge of this court for trial, in the First |
District Court according to precedents and
former rulings, no right to testify against
an alleged accomplice. The defense quoted
the law, and made written objection to the
evidence.
The court overruled the objection, and
the witness proceeded with his statement
Witness now resides in the Parish Prison.
When not there, is an active steambOatman,
and resides at different posts. Knows how
the Belle of Alton burned. She burned on,
think, the twenty-second of March, 1871, be-
tween three and four o'clock in the morning;
set her on fire aft in the recess, with
match, where some mattresses were piled
up; the mattresses were in the recess, aft of
the cabin; the mattresses were piled up in
the recess in the back part of the boat; the
boat caught fire from these mattresses;
William Marsh, the accused, was the en-
gineer of the boat; he represented to me
that he had. an interest in the boat, and
wished she was burned up, and said that
was the only show for him to get his money
out of her, and requested me to set fire to
the boat. the Belle of Alton; l told him l
did not like to undertake the job; he said he
would rather have me to do it than anybody
else, because he knew me so long, and put
dependence in me before anybody else; L
asked him how it was with the old man, the
captain Captain BrHner he said it was all
right with him, and the rest of the owners
in ST. Louis would be glad to hear of her
burning up; me and him agreed on $500 for
burning the boat Belle of Alton; he came
there the morning before the boat was
burned aud told me to let her go; the next
after the boat was burned Captain
Bruner and Mr. Marsh came up there;
Captain Bruner came on board the boat and
said, "She is burned, is she," and said yes,
sir, she is gone; after l set the boat on fire
aft. / went up stairs in the texas, then went
down the forward gangway, with hat,
pants, shirt on and barefOoted went down
forward; saw the Waterman sitting on the
steps; Marsh paid me the 500 the day after
the boat burned; the 500 was on ac-
count of the $500 for burning the boat;
after Mr.. Marsh had given me the hundred
dollars. Captain Bruner gave me an order
on John Janney's Office, on Common street,
for mine and the watchnan's wages; gave I
William Marsh this order that | got from
Captain Bruner to take the night watch I
man up,there and pay him off and draw my
wages; didn't see Mr.. Marsh any more; l
hunted for him, and they told me he had
gone to St. Louis; so / saw Captain Bruner
on the Sunday morning following coming
down street; when he saw me he turned |
back, and 1 went over to the depot. Said l, {
'Good morning, Captain" He says good
morning, joe" Said l. "Have you seen Mr. I
MarshP' He said 'No; think he has gone I
70 ST. Louis l told him Mr.. Marsh had !
1rawn my wages, and l needed the money; I
ne took me round the corner to the door of
I candy shop and gave me the money, {
eighteen dollars; it was at the corner of i
iravier and st. Charles that Marsh gave i
ne the hundred dollars.
The court here ordered recess.