Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1873-08-30
LOCAL ITEMS
THE FERGUSON MURDER TRIAL,


Yesterday the trial of Ferguson con,in-
tinued. Messrs. Z. L. Mason. Mariner
Smith, Jno. Harley and Michael W.
Hunt were examined as witnesses for the
defense. About the usual number of
people occupied the seats in the morning,
but as evening came there were hardly a
a dozen persons in the room outside of
the railing.
AT three O'Clock in the afternoon, when
the room was probably most crowded,
rapid firing, apparently close to the
Courthouse. was heard Some thought
that a prisoner had broken jail some,
perhaps, that a mob had come, and near
iy all except those within the railing
rushed to the doors and windows. Fer
guson, who has the full use of only one
oil his legs at present, arose and started
IN the direction of the jurymen. His
counsel caught him, and prevailed on
him to sit down. In the midst Of the
confusion some one in the room cried
out, It's only Cinnamon shooting"
whereupon the interest in the shooting
quickly subsidized
E. l.. Mason testified that the diagram
on the table was correct one of the
County Hospital.
Jno. Farley, recalled-On the day pre-
vious to the killing Ash had told Fergu-
son that he (ASh) could put head on
him; and that after Ash had been stabbed
he came into the dining-room, threw up
his arms and laughed, and then sat down
at the door of the kitchen. There were
thirteen wounds on the body, one near
the eye, and two other slight ones on the
head. On the 14th of July last Williams
said he was going to hang Ferguson, that
numbering s. of n b, and he would do
it. He also used the same language at
different times between the 14th and 18th
of!July. On the morning of the 18th
there was some trouble between Ash and
defendant about cup of tea. 1 don't
know what defendant said; he spoke in a
growing undertone. 1t appeared to be a
: reflection on the cook ASH. Ash then
+: said he could put head on him or any
other man in the Hospital, Defendant
: got up from the table and went ont into
. the hallway.
! Michael W. Hunt sworn-The de-
| ceased was quarrelsome for about two
; hours previous to the difficulty. He was
in one of the wards of the Hospital,
looking for fight; he found one; he
was on the quarrel, on the fight; he
: wanted to clean out three or four Irish
s sons of BIS that were there. Meantime
| Williams interfered betwixt Ash and me.
: He had called me son of b-h, viii
: lain, thief vagabond and liar-in
short, all the pet names a man could
think of. Williams told him to 60 to the
l kitchen, and started after him to make
h him take back the names he had called
: me. Williams turned to me and said to
h me, Here, you, drop on yourself, and
t 90 and lie down." don't know what
!, then transpired until the time of the
= blows. The next time | saw them Fer
guson and Ash ], both parties wanted to
! fight, and Williams was between them
they were calling each other sons of BIS,
English and Irish. This took place in the
front part Of the hall. Ash was stand.
: ing in the doorway, and Ferguson few
feet back in the hall, backing up against
the wall; both parties appeared deter
4 mined to have fight, and Williams said
. Here, if you are going to fight,
; get out of here and fight outside, at the
6 same time catching Ferguson by the
t sleeve, pulling him slightly, and stepping
from betwixt them. just then Ash hit
Ferguson over the eye; and almost a
the same time Ferguson hit Ash over thu
l eye. think l could discriminate lit
8 tie difference between the blows, The.
q clinched and showed up against the wall
= When Ferguson struck Ash, he (Ash)
a fell down, and Ferguson stepped bach
and gave him chance to get up; ane
as Ash got up he caught Ferguson frs
q on the breast and then by the throat.
!, saw Ferguson hit Ash in the side-n the
9 region of the heart. Ash was hitting
o him at the same time. When the fgh
u ended Ferguson was choked up by thu
u wall, and Ash had him by the throat
Sullivan came to the door (they wer'
A fighting then) and said "My God, he 7
2 got knife! he meant Ferguson ha'
3 knife.
q Counsel What did Ferguson say, i
n anything, at that time? Witness
$ don't know as he said anything at all.
IN Counsel-State whether you heard de
PENDANT say Take him off, or any
q thing to that effect. The State objec
IA ed-objection sustained, the question be
81 ing leading
IL Counsel-State what defendant sai'
90 90 il anything, at the time he was again
~ the wall? Witness-He said Mix
IL Mike, he 3 too strong; take him ava
from me-"
The Court took recess till p. IN.
40 WE have been shown, by Mr.. Wn
90 Marsen, letter from Blind Mountain,
a;s,r;ct ahout twelve miles b.