The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-11
THE KILLING OF PERRIN.
oppNyNG OF THE TRIAL OF LAFAY.
RrrE T. FOOLF FOR MURDER.

Ill
OPENING OF TIE TRIAL OF LAFAY-
ETTE T. WOOLF FOR MURDER.
A plea OF Not Guilty-The Jury and
the Counsel-The Case Opened for the
ProsecutIon-The Evidence, &c.
The Court of General Sessions, Judge Gra-
ham presiding, assembled at ten O'Clock, yes
terday morning, for the trial of Lafayette l..
Woolt for the murder OF Henry L. Perrin, on
the 9th of September last. The courtroom
was filled with promiscuous crowd OF Wnile
and colored persons, every seat and available
inch of standing room being taken up. Inc
prisoner was arralgned, and PLEADED not
ruilty. His appearance was little altered
since his arraignment before the coroners
iury. on the 10Th of September. He was In
deed somewhat thinner; his hair and beard
were longer and more bushy, and he had lost
the stoid air of Indifference which charac-
terized his bearing on that occasion. He was
attended by his wife and three little children.
His wife presented q haggard and careWorn
expression, and her eyes were swollen as II
from recent weeping. The eldest child was a
little girl of six or seven years, with pro-
fusion of fiaxen hair, and sweet, laughing
face. The next child was little boy about
four years old, and the third was an infant OF
from twelve to eighteen months.
The counsel for the State was Mr.. W. d.
Brawley, solicitor Of the alth circuit, who
had been appointed BY the attorney-genera''
at the request OF Solicitor Buttz, the latter
having been, previous to his election, engaged
as counsel for the defence. Mr. BraWley
was assisted by Mr.. T. q. StrohecSer. The
counsel for the defence were Colonel Tnomss
Y. simons and Major G. L. Buist. 1t was
found that VIM. Reid, an important witness
for the State, was absent In Columbia through
sickness. Mr.. Brawley moved to postpone
further proceedings until to day. The defence
objected 10 this on the ground that all the evil
dence could not possibly be heard before the
hour of adjournment. and that the court could
hear other testimony until Reid arrived. It
was decided that the trial should proceed, on
the defence agreeing to receive the testimony
of Reid whenever 1t should be offered.
The formula usual in such cases of appoint
ing child to draw the names of the jury was
dispensed with and the sheriff proceeded
with the drawing. Only six out OF the entire
panel of drawn jurors, thirty-two In namber,
we're accepted; the rest were either chal-
lepged by the prosecution or the defence, or
admitted having formed opinions OF the case.
with regard to those jurors who had formed
opInlons, the counsel for the State held that
II they declared themselves unbiased aud
ready to Judge the prisoner upon the evidence
to be adduced, the mere fact OF forming an
opinion did net disqualfy them to act as jury
men. as 1t was Impossible for auy man to read
an account of homicide without forming an
opinIon of some kind. The defence on the
other hand claimed that the acknowledg-
ment bya Juror of preconceived opinion
was evidence of biased mind, and therefore
lust cause for disqualification. Judga era
nam concurred in the view taken ny tne ue'
fence.
A velire of twenty persons wcs summoned
from the bystanders, out of which the jury
was made CD as follows: ]. NJ. johnson, COL
ored, foreman; John Warren, Henry Laurens'
B. Bonneau, Jacob Royal, Harry Mlddlelop'
VIM. Glover, James Francis, Paul Miller, WIN,
Penclle, colored; Frederick Robinson, Thomas
Carrigan, white.
The Indictment of the prisoner, charging
that he had wllfully, mai.clously and feloni-
ously, Killed henry L, Perrin, near Wuloerna
Saloon, Meeting street, oi the night Oh the
9th of September, was read, the witnesses LOT
1Se defence we're discharged until ten O'CLOCK
this morning, and those TOR the prosecution
were sent ont of the courtroom IN Inc sher-
df's charge.
Mr.. Brawlry then opened the trial by orienS
explaining to the jury the gravity Oh Inc case
aud tue time. place and manner OF the kllllog'
That the nature of The case llm.ied tnelr
choice to one of three verdicts. They coulo
only find the prisoner either not guilty. OF
pu,ty of granddaughter, or guilty OF murder
He then ably demonstrated Inc requirements
of the law, which should determine lhelr
charge in considering the evidence adouceo'
He concluded by saying the State was pre-.
pared to prove that the case was one OF Wiliul
murder.
The srst witness put upon the stand was
DR.. c. Davega, we'll known prscticing physi-
clan, who had made post-nortem e4amlna-
OF Perrin's body. In the direct examination
by Mr. Brawley he stated that death was the
result of gunshot wound In The breast
The ball had entered tae right breast between
the fourth and flflh ribs, one-fourlh OF an inch
tn the right of the siernal articulation, passed
inward and backward obliquely to the leit
through the tip Of the right lung and lett au'
ricle Of the heart and lodged 10 the splna
column, and causing instant death. The oal
had entered with great force, from which he
inferred that the person who fred the shot was
very near the deceased.
Cfoss-examlna,ion BY Colonel Slmons: Wha'
Kind of ball caused the wound!
witness. A pistol ball.
Colonel Smons I understood you 10 say
inst now that the wound was gunsnoC one
How 40 YOU reconcile the two statements!
Witness. With physicians all WOUNDS pro.
daced by firearms are known as gunsno'
wounds. ,,o,
In reply to Colonel Simons's other questions
the witness said that the inclination OF the
hall showed that the deceased II moving was
moi approaching The prisoner directly, bat
rather that he was passing MN oohqaeiy
The prisoner evidently was standing on tne
right side OF the deceased. He could not say
whether the deceased was moving al tne ume
nfn IND II