The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-12
TIE EPEREz. .HOETGIDE

THEPERE9 H0aT0DE 90
Trial Of Franstsco Ye4dez for the: Mnr-
der OF Rapha& PcrrzsA Clear otse OF
selG-De1elice. sdnd s.Prompt Aeaeaaeai'
The Court of General Sessions, held BY
Judge Graham, was occupied yesterday with
the trial of Francisco " Valdez for the alleged
murder. on the 18th of June last, of Raphael
Perez, as fully reported at the time In TIE
NEWS The court was more largely attended
than usual, and large proportion OF wni'e
persons were present among the audience
and witnesses. The State was represented oy
the acting solicitor, Mr.. G. W. Butlz, and the
prisoner, Franclsco Victor Valdez, was IN
court accompanied by his counsel, Messrs. ID.
OConpor and Thos. Y. Simons. He ID
tall, swarthy man, with high forehead'
nrominent cheek bones, rather small eyes,
and a black moustache and beard. Hls Iace
vore an anxious and troubled look, but was
not a bad face, and there was nothing criml-
nal In the expression. He was arraigned ana
nleaded not guilty to the Indictment, which
charged him with the wiltul, felonlouS ana
malicious murder OF Raphael Perez on the LTD
day of June, 1872. The process of fempanellng 9
,urv was then commenced, and alter q lew
challenges from both the prosecution ana tne
defence, the following jury was obtained W.
chafee. foreman; and J. G. Dorbaum, E. j.
Iscasssgne and Frederick Dauer, white, ana o.
G. Russell, P. Green, D. W. Lee, E. NJ. GRECO
ry. NJ. C. Campbell, 7. A. Davis, Aie4: VIII
llams and william Dart, colored.
TIE FIRST WITNESS
called by the prosecution was Dr. ;. oome,0
pn,ot anreeon In charge of the City Hospital
He testified that he had been calieo " 'no
Cttv Hospital on the night Of the l2!n OF June
to attend Raphael Perez, who had oeen snot'
40 fonnd Perez dead, and on making post
mortem examination the next day he found
that death had been caused by a pistol shot
wonnd between the third and fourth ribs on
the right side. The ball had passed through
the chest and large blood vessels, and mao
lodged in the spinal column, causing proiuse
bemorrhage and death. Perez was man
flyefeet five or six inches high, shorter than
the prisoner, and of average build.
Private John O'Keefe, ofthe city police, was
next sworn, and testified that on the night o.
June 70 hs was walking on the north side Oh
Market street, towards King street, and heard
Perez, the deceased, halloolug and running
along the same sidewalk from the direction OF
King street. When he came up to the VIII
ness. Perez jumped of the sidewalk Into the
street, and fred hls pistol four times In rapid
succession up Market street toward Meeting.
inst after the first Of these shots was fred,
three shots we're fired In rapid succession
from the direction toward which Perez had
fred. The witness thought that the return
shots were ared by somebody on the opposite
aide of Market street and near Meeting street.
but he could not see BY whom they were
fired.
Identerant Thomas G. Chapman, of the city
police, was sworn, and testified to the circum-
stances of the arrest OF Valdez. He had not
been present at the affray, but was told that
Valdez was at house In George street, near
st. Philip street, and be went there to arrest
him. between eleven and twelve o'clock on the
night of the shooting. He first raped on the
door of an adjoining building, and upon that
the lights In the house In which Valdez was
were extinguished. The witness then entered
that house, through window, and met Val
dez coming down stairs He arrested him;
and In order to see II he were the man who
had done the shooting he asked him abruptly
.sWhere Is the pistol that you shot that man
with ?" Valdez said he had given 1t to his son,
and the witness then knew that he had arrest
ed the right man. Valdez then surrendered
peaceably, and the witness took him to the
Guardhouse. He admitted having shot Perez;
said that he did not know whether Perez was
bit or not, and that he had fired In self-de-
fence, and after Perez had fred at him first.
ON cRoss-ExAh1NATIoN,
lhe witness testified that when he came upon
the scene Of the afrray, the shooting was over.
and he found Policeman OKeefe holding
Perez, the deceased. Perez's pistol was
Colts revolver, and Valdez's pistol was
Smith 4 Wesson's, smaller than Perez's.
Frank Ladson, another policeman, testified
that he was standing on the south side OF Mar
ket street during the shooting. Perez and
Valdez were Oh the opposite side of Market
street, Perez being in the direction of King
street, and Valdez In the direction of Meeting
street. The first shot came from toward.King
street, and the return shots came from the
directions of Meeting street. -
This closed the testimony for the prosecu-
ton, and Mr.. O'Connsr, tor the defence, said
that II hiB only object were to secure ver-
dict of acquittal he would be content to go to
the jury Without the examination Of any wit
nesses, because the State had utterly failed to
make ont case. he desired, however, to
show TO the satisfaction OF the whole commu
nifty that his client had not only acted In SELF
defence, but under circumstances which
placed his life In great and imminent danger,
and that 1t was the act of a man who had
been driven to- the wall and could but fall
victim TO the deadly malice of his pursuer or
turn and defend himself.
THE FIRST WITNESS FOR THE DEFENCE
was Mr.. Joseph Rosis, who testified, through
Mr.. Murrlllo, an interpreter, that he kept a
store on the corner of Gulgnard street and East
Bay. On the night Of June II, Valdez came
to his store to leave Cuban newspaper, and