Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-04-05
ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE.
THE CASE or TOW wRIGHV.
Tie Killing Of RogerslSi the Pes:dler.
Proceedings i'm the Criminal Court.

Yesterday, after our report Of the trial of
Thomas Wright OF an indictment Oh .rging him
with the murder OF Samuel Rogerski, the ped
der, closed
Nr. W Derit was reca!led:-Witness fnup1
/ bC'h hatchets IN the house, one under the bed
ana the otLer IN drawer in the back room
Is THE FACE PART OF THE HEAD?
M =. r. HdTtg0n re-cailel:-Witness pro-
Hnced portion OF the face of deceased 1.-THE
| ohin) and showed that the Ratchet. the smaller
the jury.
Mr.. Henkle said the scalp had been asked for.
| chin.
DIR. Hartigan.-weIl, all above the neck is tie
head among medical men.
MI Henkle then retteIatedi the point made
| yesterday, that the indictment referred to
| wounds on the head and not the face, and a. ked
| that the testimony be stricken out.
Judge Macarthur said that he admitted the
testimony the previous day with a view to iden-
tifying the instrument used, and, while he was
inclined to the opinio. that it was admissible to
offer in evidence all the wounds on the face or
head, he would not decide the question as 10 the
face being included in the term head.
The defence noted an exception.
Dr. HartigaR resumed, and exhibited mort nus
OF the scalp TO the jury, and explained that the
wounds eorresponded to the size of the blade OF
the hatchet.
TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENCE
This closed the evidence in chief
The defence stated that they would not make
any orening statement, and called
wright at the oyster wharf about O'Clock on
Monday morning before the murder; he was
standing around waiting for job saw him
again about o'clock in the evening and LEFT
him at the wharf when witness went home.
Frederick Mcguire, sworn:-Witness knew
Wright about a year; had seen him at times as a
river man for about two wears: saw Wright on
the Monday before Christmas on F street be-
tween 9Th and 10th streets, at a place kept by a
man named Williams; witness was at Williams
place from to IL O'Clock; Wright was there all
the time.
.Cross-examined:-was serving a term OF 80
days In jail for stealing a box of figs and some
eggs was not convicted, but sent to Jail simply
because Judge Smell had the power to send him
there; had seen Wright at Williams place very
frequently.
BY the court:-witness associated with WRIGHT
and knew him well.
DR.. q. &. Cor sworn:-Witness has practired
me d1clne for thirty-twO years, and is president
OF the board of health. A Ratchet such as that
exhibited would, if used with great force by
muscular man, be apt TO break the skull and
penetrate the brain, but il would depend upon
the force OF the blow. lie examined the pre-
served chin of Rogerski, and said the wounds
look like wounds inflicted by moderately sharp
instrument. They must be made by such al,
instrument as that Ratchet, (shOwnO with it,
angle OF corner. Warmth continues in the bOdy
after death according to the character of the
body; a young healthy person might be warm
longer; IL sometimes depended on the tempera-
tuIc OF the surrounding atmosphere the limit
being from five to twelve hours before the body
grew entirely cold.
The court adjourned.