Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-05-29
TRIAL OF DUNLAP

TRIAL OF DUNLAP
TRo1rRLE IN GETTING A JURY-AN AU
eusrA MAN ON THE JURY-THE PLAl
OF THE DEFENCE AND PROSECUTOR
-MRs. DUNLAP ON THE STAND-THl
DETECTIVES PAY.
&C., &C., &c.
The trial Of Robert Dunlap, q forme
citizen of Augusta county, who was arrest
ed in Staunton, for the murder of James A
Carpenter, whom he surprised in crimina
intercourse with his wife, was commenced
at Columbus, Ohio, last week. A panel o
So was secured out of 1872 persons examin.
ed for jurors. Among the Jurors chosen
was Mr.. Mitchell G. Lilley: brother o.
Col. James W. Lilley, county surveyor OF
Augusta. The prosecution, represented
by Geo, H. Nash and Judge Joseph Olo
attempted to introduce Mrs. Dunlap, but
the defense, represented by Hon George
l., Converse and Col. J. G. Groom, OBJECT
ed on the ground that she was the prison
er's wife. The prosecution said they held
that she was not his wife. but would de
Law introducing her. The prosecution ex
nect to prove that Dunlap killed Carpen
ter while Mrs.. Dunlap was running to-
wards the house, and the defense expect to
prove that he was killed while in the EN-.
brace of Mrs. Dunlap. Carpenter had a
loaded revolver in his hand when found
dead. The Rev. David Fl. Moore, pastor
of Wesley Chapel, brother-in-law of
Carpenter, was among the witnesses for
the defense. We copy from the Columbus
"News,'' of the oath instant, the following
account of the trial, including the evidence
of Dunlap's wife, afterwards admitted by
the Court:
Mrs. Dunlap was next called, and the
greater part Of the day was consumed in a
racy and at times rather warm scramble
between the LAWYERS as to the admissibility
of Mrs. Dunlap's testimony. The prose-
cution claimed that she was not the lawful
wife of Dunlap; that he had another wife
living in Virginia, from. whom he had
never been divorced and that therefore the
woman whom he had last married in this
city on the 18th of October, 1854, not being
his lawful wife, though not aware OF the
fact, could testify against him: The laws
of Ohio will not permit a wife to testify
either for or against her husband Wit
nesses from Augusta county, Virginia,
and official records from that county, were
introduced. By these it was shown that
Dunlap was married on the 5th OF July,
1858. to Elizabeth J. Casson, by whom two
children (girls) were born to him, and from
whom he has never been divorced. She is
now living in Virginia, and goes by the
name of Webb, having married a Mr.. Webb
in January or February, 1873.
Samuel Thompson, Superintendent OF
Columbus police, was among the witness
es. He said that in a conversation with
Dunlap in the jail, about three weeks since,
he Dunlap told him that he had an inter
view with his Virginia wife when in that
State after the homicide, and that he had
not met or had anything to do with her for
many years before.
Judge Bingham, in careful review
of the testimony introduced, decided that
the point set up by the prosecution was
sustained beyond a reasonable doubt, and
that Dunlap's Columbus wife was COM
petent witness.
MRS. DUNLAP WAS PUT UPON THE
She is a rather large, bony-looking woman ;
was dressed in deep mourning; her COM
plexion is dark, and face quite large and
not at all attractive.
Mrs. Dunlap was kept on the witness
stand nearly the whole day, the time being
chiefly occupied with parlyings between
the opposing counsel. She staid at a
neighbours (Young's) the night before the
homicide; took breakfast there the follow
ing morning Carpenter boarded at
Young's then, just taking his meals there
she went over to Hawkes. house aftel
breakfast, a few minutes after Carpenter
did; had no private conversation with
Carpenter before leaving Young's When
returning from the pump to the house
(Hawkes's) with a bucket OF water, she
gun pointed at her; she remarked, for
Gods sake, Bob, don't kill your poor
Mary ~ he said nothing, but started to-.
ward her; she ran past the south front OF
the barn, behind the eorn-crib, where there
were some farming implements heard the
report of gun, and a scream, and then she
knew there was trouble; started to run
farther south, and on looking around saw
Dunlap pursuing her; she was struck, fell ,
after which she knew nothing more until
she became conscious in DIR. Gays Office
Carpenter had taken some food Tor the
dogs from Young's house, and the last she
saw of him he was in the north part OF the
stable OF barn feeding the dogs; there was
no one in the house when Dunlap assault
ed her. She never heard any words pass
between Dunlap and Carpenter except a
few words at HAWKES. stables, on which
occasion this was the Thursday last pre-
ceding the homicide,) Dunlap said he
would kill Carpenter if he took witness
over home; she heard the orders of DR..
Hawkes., while she was yet sitting in the
4,l1 @baf( tn1.I IN
take her home; on her way home (Walklng)
from the stables, with her child. Dunlap
followed her to the Hooking Valley rail
road; he threatened to throw her and child
into the river: he talked bad all the way
at the railroad he told her to go to HI
She came to the stable from the fair ground
in Carpenters bus with her son James
and Dunlap, the latter occupying seat on
the outside with Carpenter. The witness
said that when Dunlap assaulted her, on
the morning of the homicide, he broke the
gun over her head her nose was broken,
some of the bones of her face having been
taken out in the dressing of the wound
her clothing was fired, burning her back SO
severely that it took seven months to heal.
[Other witnesses testified on Wednesday to
having found the broken gun some dis
lance south of sthe barn.. Mrs. Dunlap
denied ever having stated to Mrs. Lime
man with whom she spent the Thursday
night after her visit to the fair that she
had done everything she could to make her
husband jealous, such as talking privately
to Carpenter, etc. She told Mrs. Lime
man that Dunlap was jealous OIL Carpenter
and Of every other man who spoke to her
AS to Dunlap return, some days previous
to the homicide, from Circleyille, where nc
had been spending several weeks, she de
MED HAVING said as she Opened the dOOI
it was Carpenter" Her child did not say
to Dunlap the next morning. "Jim has
been daddy while you've been gone-he
has been sleeping in your bed;'' she never
nunished the child for such lanpuaoe