Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-06-07

| or six times and finally went back to BAlti-
more leaving witness attend to some bust
/ ness for him. He twituess) saw West dur
lug the week before the homicide West
| visited him West came into the offee of |
witness and asked for writing material to |
West 70 finish. After West had tried Tor |
half an hour to do so and failed, West for |
getting the meaning and spelling Of the |
most ordinary words 70 the language. After |
/ the epitaph was written the conversation |
| turned upon the question OF murder and the |
| killing OF DR.. ParkmAn by Prot. Webster, a |
| history OF which the witness had been read |
/ Ing upon the morning West visited him at |
the first Instance GU which the subject Of |
| murder was mentioned the prisoner cast /
/ down his eyes and the witness asked OF the |
prisoner Why Ike you don't intend to
piled that he did not witness and West |
| about this time went to dinner and after |
| they came back the conversation turned |
| upon the subject Of religion and West said
that lie was more OF a Swedenborgian than |
ARything else witness asked him what was |
the belief Of the Swedenborgiana, aud the |
| prisoner proceeded to tell witness that the |
Swedenborglans believed that men'were not \
punished except In themselves for crimes. |
that they might commit and that these lit
tie lies and swearing didn't count. The |
witness asked II a man committed q murder |
like DR.. Parkman what he tWestl thought |
would happen to him. The prisoner gave |
no answer In words, but turned q look upon
witness that caused him to look toward the |
Il
necessarily When West was about 10 leave
he seemed to move myateri0ualy, and wit
ness drew finally from him that the bust
/ ness he had there was concerning the col /
ored people. That they were working or
plotting against him, aud that II was neoes-
sary for him TO come up and stralghten the |
matter up. witness never saw him again
until after the homicide, except at the depot |
/ In Wilmington on the next day, witness |
thinks at the b.1T train, when the witness
and prisoner merely spoke to one another.
a.f1
at some times could only be brought to
speak with difficulty, some times he talked
| right on. His eye was dull, leaden aud his
laugh was hollow. The witness expressed
| II as his earnest conviction that II was i'm
| possible TO reconcile all the facts known to
/ the witness personally aud. detailed upon
the stand except on the theory that West
was not sane.
The cross examination brought out nothing
| new.
James II. Wood, sWorn-Resides IN George
town, keeps hotel. Knew West who came
there once last summer to meet his wife.
West wanted something eatable prepared
! for his wife, but none for himself When he /
was about to leave inquired the amount Of |
| his bill, aud complained that oats brought |
by him had not been used In feeding his |
/ horse. Thought prisoner WAS weak minded. |
Andrew ]. Wright, sworn-but not allowed /
to testify in contradiction Of the written
statement made before the Coroner's ia
quest. The offer being TO prove that West
/ spoke only Of Joe" Turner and not Of
| Cooch y Turner.
VIM. A. Reynolds. atfirmed-West's repu-
tation for peace aud good order was good.
DR.. W. q. Davidson, sworn-On the Sat
| urday after Vests arrest saw him In the |
Jail was struck, on entering ths cell, toith
his peculiar appearance; thought he was
| not In a rational condition; he was hesita- |
ting In his manner, sometimes interested, |
sometimes languid; he said he had used |
L the gas ever since he commenced to make /
It remarked the peculiar condition Of his |
| eyes, lO0k Of concentration and then /
leaden look with silence; the smile was |
remarkable IL had peculiar curl Of the |
| upper lips felt prisoners head, the skin |
was hot felt the pulse and II was below the |
standard; II was 90; while In health II |
should be seventy. After few preliminary |
remarks he turned over with languid |
There was ineohereney 10 his talk before;he |
visited the office Of the Milford News and |
Advertiser twice; once he talked eoherently |
enough about advdrtisingi that was while |
be was In the gas business In Baltimore; he |
talked differently In the spring II was then |
ineoherent from the facts and circums- |
stances detailed witness thought at Milford |
that West was not sane; In Dover jail he |
WAS more confirmed 10 his belief
| Cross-examined-Thes subject of insanity |
was mentioned At the time OF the interview
remember whether he mentioned II or the |
prisoner.
CathArine Bennett, sworn--Realdea In |
Dover; saw and observed the prisoner on
the day before the night of the are; he came
along walking very slowly he stopped and
rested on his cane, then looked 81 the build.
ings around, and then at witness. Witness
thought prisoner sick his manner WAS
, strange aud he had a troubled look Looked
worried aud wild.
CrosseNamined-Thts was while the body
was lying In Vests office.
Edwin q. Atkins re-called--One night after
school West called to witness and said Ned
come up 10 my room w .eat up West pulled
wrapped up. 1t was a human arm. West
told witness that itwas the arm OF an Indian
, chief Do not remember where he said he
got II from, think he said from York State.
Said something about getting 1t from col
! lege student Said he was going to put 1t
: into alcohol.
Henry p Cannon, sworn--Resides in
Bridgeville. Was at Dickinson College with
. West Was there on the commencement
: day on which West graduated. His speech
:. was GU parlor matches, and witness recol-
. lects that he struck a match upon the stage,
e does not recollect that he made any further
/, speech.
s James O. West sworn-Rasides IN Roxana
j. Sussex county; was a brother to /. q, West,
r Jr; witness stipulated an arm once and
: gave Il TO his brother Isaac: thinks he car
e ried II to Milford to go into his museum
which was to be situated in Milton, and TO
be public museum; he lprisonerl said he
was going TO make a big thing of.it; witness
went to Baltimore and was surprised ~ the
, disOrderly condition OF his office there;
! TO him from prisoner that was unupuAl;
. was In Dover on the day the prisoner delv-
cred himself ups saw him before he went
, before.the coroner'sIury on the steps at the
i sitting on the steps eating his supper wit
. was shedding tears; also his brother
I George prisoner, when asked why he had
!. acted as he had done, said that they had
9 never had dead niger on their hands
G gave his opinion that prisoner was not sane;
Q witness gave prisoner buck horn for the
i Cross.exsmincd-In the fall Of 1871 wit
I ness thought the mind OF the prisoner some
: what deranged did not feel sure OF II till
the time in the jail There was no force used
4. to restrain prisoner by his friends. The
prisoners business was profitable, so Tar rs
}. witness knew, up to 1871. Does not know the
4 pecuniary condition of the prisoner just
N before the killing prisoner said he had
4 money; came TO attend the funeral OF the
prisoner on the day he met hi at the Jail
y. Rev. Andrew ID. Davis, attirmed-Resldes
Il at Georgetowni is pastor Of them. E.uhureh
!, there; knew West Tour or i've years; knew
y him first at Wyoming; met the prisoner fire.
= quently At Dover; last summer met West at
y 8 camp meeting Ia Sussex county. Della
y ware. In = conversation concerning the
u gas West said he had recently sold
- out IN Baltimore aud was going into the
10 wholesale business in DOYeri Vests mAn-
ner at this time reminded witness Of n man
" Just recovering trun a severe fever; ali-
0 peared IN particularly hig spirits; the
2 Impression on the mind OF witness WAS that
u he was monomhniac on the gas question.
I. Peter Tomlinson. sworn-KnoWn prisoner
u since 1865, he hen boarded al the house OF "A
ic MIR. TomlinsOu, who WAS merchant. Wit
- ness also boarded there. Witness Nas occa-
siOnally In Vests room. There saw an Old
y horn aud piece Of wood which Nest said
. " " q part OF the keel OF the May Flow yer.
y Ssid he as going to start museum. CANT
e say whether II was to be public or private.
y There was an arm also. Al camp meeting
y heard from Vest about the great estate NE
- had got, and that he had already received a
:, part Of It, The estate, West said, had heeu
4, left him by his Uncle.
y James l.. WoleOtt aworn--Iestined that
n he had heard Weat tell about this great
"a estate, aud that West had told him he WAS
4 going then to take charge Of it,
= Thomas Dukes, sworn-Knew Isaac West
N Jr., since he pas boy; last saw him ia
a. August OF September drove up to the
N house OF the tpitness ON too several OecA
~ stons, and neither got out or spoke 10 any
Ia one he drove up alta third time, aud paid
80 bill to witness character was always good
he John A. Armour sworn-Said that he saw
to West for the first time after he WAS arrested
10. aud noticed peculiar expression Of eye
sa and mouth; there was n dullneas of eye
he intermixed with an equally extreme bril-
liancy thinks West was = man OF derauge,
la. mind undoubtedly so.
III Caleb NJ. Lynch sworn Resides In Frank
Ne fort aud has known West IA or u years q
IN q party 10 1857 saw conduct that led him 4
~ believe prisoner insane.
he John Is. Lynch sworn-West's previou
M character good.
al WIN p. Tomlinson, Ehe Walker, Johl
les Hickman, Esq, Ebe Townsend, testified I
ne the prisoners good character,
a. Henry Hall. fcOlOredl Amelia Hall an