The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-17
NEW YORK HERALD THURSDAY

lived On tine ground door q the building rear Of
Az East Eleventh street. On the evening OF the
tragedy tho prisoner had been to meeting OF
ser that went Ito to this house. All Of them were
addicted to tho unfortunate habit OF drinking TO
Of the murder and, on repairing TO inc place. a
scene OF most disgusting brutality met ther gaze
she lay In pool Of Goo1 ne term Dony er head
The prisoner had gone to ms residence ana Was vas
there arrested. He could think OF no excuse ior
so atroci0us O murder, though whatever excuse
there might be they would hear from the prisoner
and his able counsel. All he could ask was con-
scien tious verdict at their hands.
TESTIMONY FOR THE PROSECUTION.
Terrence Riley was the first witness called. He
ICES o oe the & Of January last he
70 Ala East Eleventh street; two tenement houses
are built on the lot. one IN 'front.' and one In the
room on the ground floor he found two women,
both OF whom were asleep; he woke them up ana
was woman lying dead on a mattress; she was
entirely nude; ne found her scalp nearly removed;
he saw the prisoner that night at the station
house; the prisoner was In q cell.
TO Mr. Howe-He had on cap, and Shefiin must
have known that he was an ofiicer; he told the
prisoner that this was an unfortunate affair, ana
asked him how it happened.
Q. Did yen not tell him that it would be better
for him to tell you all about the affair A. Not to
Mr.. Howe objected to this line OF evidence as in
competent, but the objection was overruled and
Witness resumlng-The prisoner said he s.i had
he an e ne 1w
about the knife and he said he didn't know about
that common table knife shown this knife
picked up on the premises; it was in the same con-
dition as it is now except that think the spots on
it were wet; thought the spots were s blood: $500
never eVera studied the dictionary. ."
@. Was IL Transparent A. Yes.
O. What do you mean by transparents A. Clear.
Mr.. Howe-fnat,s clear: Laaghterl
visited the house, and found the last witness there.
He corroborated substantially the evidence OF the
last witness There blood in the corners OF the
outer room, between the bedroom door and the
hall door, covering perhaps half foot or more: in
the inner room 1t was too dark to see anything
until match was struck he found the knife on
the table in the front room and gave IL to the last
witness. Considerable merriment was caused
by the crOss-examluatlon OF this witness, but no
facts Of special interest were ELECTED.
Ferdinand Stunstrom, who occupies q lager
estne a'ot That six months Before s"o the ocoS
renee Sheflin had moved into the rear build
ing, but had left It some two months before; his
wife also left, but came back; he saw Shefin the
morning alter the killing when Sheffiin told him
that he had been at q meeting last night and was
he HAD drank a little more than he ought to. and
when he came in the night before he quarrelled
out OF 1t; he lay down on the bed, and when no
woke up found his wife lying dead with the quilt
Cross.examinatlon-The prisoners wife drank
frequently; she was drunk almost every day.
Detective officer James r. Bennett testified that
ternoon OF the 18th, at 1,s45 Third avenue; he
found him IN bed room on the third floor, asleep;
s oa his m 1e @ 60
Police Headquarters; on the way the prisoner told
him that he beat his wife because he saw man
coming out or her room, but that he did not mean
to kill her.
DR.. Simeon n. Leo. Deputy Coroner testified that
he saw the body OF the murdered woman at Ala
East Eleventh street, and subsequently assisted at
post-mortem examination OF the body; he found
the LETT arm, lett shoulder and left hand knacsies,
and the lett hip excoriated; the scalp had been
loosened from just above the eyebrows to near the
centre OF the back OF the head the OF death,
in his opinion, was hem0rrhage from the removal
Of the scalp, exposure and the bodily injuries to
which she had been subjected.
Observation-Disclosures you undertake to swear
that she did not die OF delirium tremenss A. I
O. Can you say she did not ? A. cannot.
Q. Can you tell whether either hemorrhage,
bruises or exposure might have caused her death
q. Would not falling against the edge Of q stove
reRoye the SCALP A. Kicking would.
A. No, sir falling against sharp substance might
have removed the scalp.
Hospital testified that he made post-m0rtem ex.
animation OF the body of the deceased; be described
the external injuries substantially as the previous
witness; he described an. additional wound on the
abdomen and one on the lower part OF tho spinal
column the internal organs were healthy, except
death to hemorrhage and shock from her injuries.
Cross. examinatlon-Q. Were the arteries af
fected by the removal OF the scalp, cut or torn
A. They were severed.
@. Any layman could tell that. Can You not tell
whether they were cut or torn9 A. 1t was neither
a clean cut or jagged.
q. Can you swear to the cause of her deathP A.
cannot positively swear from what saw.
Mr.. Phelps announced that the above Testimony
closed the case for the prosecution. Judge Brady
toll the jury that he should not keep them to-
gether, but In allowing them to go to their homes
cautioned them against talking over the matter
with any one or reading the accounts in the papers,
The Court then adjourned till this morning, when
Mr.. Howe will open the case for the defence ana
call his witnesses. 1t Is proposed to finish the