The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-16
Continuation of The Trial of Erhardt,
the MelrOSe Murderer.
Important Testimony ELECTED by the Prosecu-
tion-Details Of the Fatal Fight Over Dog
Two Destructive Wounds Inflicted on the
Decsased-"what Man Looks For
he Generally Gets"-The Ac-
cused an Ex-Conviot from
Sing Sing Prison


haps, be accounted for by the intense heat which
prevailed, and which necessitated the furnishing
Of palm leaf fans to the Bench and also to each OF
the jurors The taking OF testimony for the prose-
rution was resumed.
John Decker, sworn, testified that ne lives in
Waverley street. Melrose; is member OF
Fleetwood Engine Company, at that place ;
recollects the night Of the 9th of April last;
was In the engine house with several others on
that night; when they had been there about
guarter OF an hour deceased came in he was q
resigned member of the company; deceased re-
manned in the engine house for about an hour before
ne went out; he returned in O few minutes after
wards, and, taking the trumpet OF the engine CON-
pany, he went out again; shortly after this witness
heard woman screaming, and went out to the
alley way with another young man; saw a
struggle between the prisoner and deceased;
the latter was outside OF the gate and
Erhardt in his yard; they were struggling
TO get possession Of the trumpet through
the fence; went round the aleyway towards them,
when saw deceased running away from the scene
Of the scufie and in the direction Of the engine
house; deceased said to me,
''DICK, I'm GOMEZ"
saw wound in his neck and another in his tenn
pie; deceased was bleeding freely at the time.
Cross examincd-He had not been drinking any
Redirect-The prisoner had given the hremen
permission to use his outhouse We had the same
privilege from the party who lived in the house
previous to Erhardts coming there.
John Forsyth, another fireman, who was in the
engine house on the night OF the murder, corrobo
rated the testimony OF the preceding witness, and
also sustained severe crosse examination without
varying from his deposition.
Martin McDonnough testified to being present on
the night OF the murder and saw the deceased
walking in Erhardt's yard, near the doghouse; he
saw the prisoner rush out and apparently strike
RECEIVING THE BLOW
went towards the gate and got the outside OF
The fence; afterwards saw that deceased mad been
cut
police, deposed to his having arrested the prisoner
IN the latter's house, on the night OF April 81;
when witness first went to the rear OF the house
prisoner was looking out through a hole In the
door; asked him TO open 1t and let me in, which he
did; told him had heard OF a man being stabbed
there, when the prisoner raised his finger and
said that ii was he who did it, he went on to state
that having heard noise In his yard ne went out
and saw man beating his [priscnersl dog; he
went
TO PROTECT HIS DOG
and was Knocked down; that he then went into
the house. procured knife,.an returning to the
yard, stabbed the man on witness asking him for
table; witness then arrested Erhardt and placed
him in charge OF Roundsman Clarke.
Cross-examlned-Saw the deceased that night
him; he said that he had no desire TO have Err
hardt arrested; he also said "wnat man looks
Vie prisoners cheeks next morning! fs was V
Idcn fSr,.ee when arst saw him on the night Of
Roundsman James G. Clarke testified to having
conversation with the prisoner on the night IA
question; that the latter said them loaiers had
Morrison, and added, ~ wish Ihad my revolver
here and would have killed five or six more OF
them.u
Grass. q va miped-The prjsonar told mo fbot no
had been struck and Knocked down after trying to
save his dog from being beaten; saw marks OF
blows on the prisoners face.
A REPORTERS TESTIMONY.
J. o. Spencer, an attache of the New York sun,
having been asked by District Attorney Briggs TO
take the witness stand. testified TO a conversation
he had had with Ernardt in the county jail, shortly
after the latters commitment; that the prisoner
on that occasion said that some men came into his
yard and commenced stoning his dog; he went
out and tried to induce them TO desist when he
was struck and Knocked over some barrels: after
getting up he went into the house, and having pro-
cured q knife, returned 10 the yard again and
syose o OF @e @ hs naa n or
hve more OF them.
DR.. James Williams, practising physician, who
assisted AT the post-mortem examination on the
body OF deceased, testified to finding two WOUNDS,
one IN the neck, which had
CUT CAROTID ARTERY,
and the other in the head, penetrating the skull;
either wound was sufficient to prove fatal, and
deceased died OF hemorrhage from the wound in
she neck.
The case for the people here rested.
The first witness called for the defence was
Lawrence Erhardt, the prisoner, who having been
sworn, testified through an interpreter as fol-
lows -On the 18th of April, about halfpast eleven
O'Clock, the witness, While In bed, heard his dog
make an unusual noise, and looking out saw
man with trumpet in bis hand trying to beat his
dog; he told the man he had no business there,
and he must leave the premises; he said ''lll not
only kill the dog, but viii Kill you;p the witness
said, II you dont't go away Will get my revolver
and shoot YOU the man went TO the sidewalk,
where there were two more men standing; they
then used bad language to witness, whose vile
advised him to go into the mouse and not have any
trouble he then went into the house. and in fifteen
minutes after heard the dog barking louder than be-
fore; when he went out again be found the man
with the trumpet and ordered him away; the man
CAUGHT HIM BY THE COLLAR
and struck him four i've times with the trum-
pet knocking MIN down over some barrels; the
trumpet fell nye or six feet from where
and rushing into the house shut the door, in a lit.
tie while several rocks were thrown at the door.
near by; he said to his wife, ''You stay with the
children, and I'll go TO the Town Hall and bring the
police;n his wife would not consent to this;
while they were talking two policemen passed by
and looked in the hole which the stones had made
IN the door; the policemen asked him TO open
after asking what was the matter, opened the
door and admitted the other: he told them what
had happened; one OF the officers then went awa y
and after while came back and told the other to
arrest the witness; deceased had the trumpet
striking the dog when witness nrst saw him in
took the knile the first time he went out lie was
barefooted, but the next time he went out with
his shoes on, and then he found
THE KNIFE IN HIS HAND;
when he was going out the second time deceased
was standing near the door and struck him with
his trumpet knocking HIM down among some bar
xels: 1t was while he was down and deceased strk
tng MIN with the trumpet that he used the knife ;
it was in self-defence he stabbed the deceased he
only knew deceased by sight; did not know
whether he had cut deceased with the knife not ;
deceased after this went out OF the yard and wit
ness re-entered his house, taxing with him the
trumpet which had fallen from Morrison's grasp.
District Attorney Briggs, IN cross-examining the
prisoner, questioned him closely as to where he
had lived for the past six years. Failing to elicit
satisfactory replies, he desired officer Patrick
Hayes. OF Williamsburg twho was IN Court, to
stand up and then asked the prisoner II Ne had
even seen him before, to which q negative answer
was gwen. He was then asked II he mad lived in
Sing Sing during the past six years, TO which the
prisoner replied that he had not. The Importance
OF those questions may be understood when II Is
stated that there witnesses In Court to prove
that Erhardt was sentenced IN 1865 to two years
IN Sing Sing prlson. having been convicted Of