Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-12-01
TINE WOODWARD. TRIAL.
THE TESTIMONY ALL IN ON BOTH sIDi
ADDRESSES BEFORE THE JURY.
PROBABLE CONCLUSION Of THE
CASE, TO-DAY.
New CASTLE, Nov. 80

New CASTLE, NOV ~.
j. T. Whelan sworn Am police officer in
Wilmington have known Shelley for two years;
his reputation for veraoity IL very bad il his
reputation WAS brought into question / wonld
not believe him on oath.
Eli Gall sworn Have lived in Wilmington Z
years; have been storekeeper, worked al car
pentering and whatever else could get; have
been in the fruit business at 9Th and Market,
and by Gregg and Bowe's orders watched tho
bad boys; often saw Skelley; he wonld take
whatever he could get his hands on off of my
stand or anybody elses; from his reputation j
| would not believe him on oath.
| Cross examined 1t was an every day occur
renee to hear of skelly's name; have put him
| out of the 6th street market.
Abner Hollingsworth sworn Lived in Chris
| tiana Hundred nearly all my life; have known
Woodward for 20 years; he learned his trade with
me; know his reputation TO be that of
| q peaceful industrious and good citizen new
| er knew anything to the contrary (Here an at
| tempt was made 10 show such state of affairs
| in the neighborhood of the occurrence through
gangs of msrauders going armed and that in
consequence 1t Was unsafe for man to go into
| hs fields unarmed The State objected and the
| question was argued by Messrs Bayard and
Spruance 10 favor of the admission OF such tes-
| timony and Mr.. HedSson IN oppoeition The
| Court ruled the evidence inadmiseiblel Wood.
wards place If about mile from Wilmington !;
| l know that Woodward is not skilled in the use
of gun never saw him with gun he il
| strictly temperate man.
| Benjamin L. Duncan affirmed Live ia Mill
| Creek Hundred, about miles from Woodward !;
| am farmer have known Woodward from
childhood and went to school with him his rep
utation stands as high any mans In tue COM
munity | am not related to him in any way.
| David NJ. Price sworn Live in South Chris
tiana Hd, about mile from Woodward have
| known Woodward for 80 years his character il
that OF modest, peaceable man | hayekneyer
heard anything against him Woodward's char
acter was such that it was never questioned
| James II. Honeeler sworn Live in CfIris-
| tiGna HID, u mile from woodward / have
| known him for 90 years and been intimately ac-
quainted; his reputation If as good a. mine or
any of his neighbors.
John Peoples sworn Live in Wilmington and
ann cashier OF the Union Bank was miller up
the Brandywine for Is years / have known
| Woodward personally his reputation il very
| good and have heard him spoken of a very
kind neighbor l have known Woodward over
| years.
John Il. Tatem affirmed Have known Wood
ward 10 years my farm adjoins Woodwards
hs reputation is good for peace and humanity.
Henry White sworn Am a farmer and live
in $. Chrlstiana Hundred, about half mile
from Woodward l have known him for years
his reputation for peace il good, and for human
ity there il no better.
r. Lewis Armstrong sworn Live III Christi
ana Hundred, and have known Woodward for q
| years his character ia very good
Isaac p. Foreman sworn Live in Christians,
Hundred, one mile from Woodward, and have
known him about 15 years never knew his rep
utation to be questioned by any .one.
Robert L.. Robinson afiirmmed Live il
Christiana HID, a mile from Woodward, and hav
known him for 10 years his reputation ii YER
good and think the traits of humanity stan
out more prominently iu Nh. Woodward Than il
| most people.
John Jordan sworn Live in Christiana Hun
dred, l. q miles from Woodward and have know
him for s years.
Further testimony as to the good character O
Woodward was given by Aadoc Townsend
Joseph Pettdemange, VIM. Thomson, Thos. ]
john h. Lyman, all of whom had been ntimst,
y acquainted with the prisoner foI many year
Edward Woodward recalled Know the gu
that A. h. Woodward owns ii was always KEY
loaded have examined the gun since Oct. G
one barrel Was loaded and the other is not
WAS taken up stairs after this occurrence IL
brother wss not iu the habit Of shooting nev,
saw him discharge gun.
Cross examined Saw that gun not MOI
than two days after Oct. have had gener
supervision over my brothers property don
know where the gun was from the 9th Of DC
until / saw it,
An adjournment was here made and upon h
re-sssembling Of court Deputy-Attorney Gene
al Hodgson addressed the jury substantial
III az follows
(TeIltlenaa of he Jtt'y
am pleased to know that you have heard .
the facts in the case-every fact in it, from ii
scene over the death bed of the boy. 1t will
necessary, in looking over the matter, to rei
the definition of the crime and then go over Il
facts and show you the weakness Of the defen
and the strength of the State
He then defined murder aud its divisions int
murder Of the first and second degrees, al
spoke Of malice as one Of the four Incidents til
"a enters into the crime OF murder. He defn'
also manslaughter. He alleged that Lukens v
wounded by the prisoner, from which he di,
the next day; he died from the deliberate mil
and formed design to kill The defence. t.
you they would prove that Woodward, seeil
boys near the tree, 800 yards from his house,
took up his gun as a matter Of self defence a
that he fired the gun without deliberation. II
proof is not on all foure with the line Of defenc
fou have seen the boys who were at the tire
The stature of but one exceeds mne, mere bo
hut one.
3Ir. H. then reviewed Mise stidhams testmo
ut length. An attempt has been made to pro
that he Was no shot II he was unaecustom
to use gun why should he take an instrums
with which he was unaccustomed to defend hi
self with II he could not hit turkey, rs
attempted to show, he did hit the boy and t.
Of them. 1t is beyond my comprehension
know what he wanted with gun lie KIN
not how to use, il he did not intend
shoot When Woodward came to the ir.
what did he do? The boys came down in ol
dance to his mandate and lie helped thom do
with stick. The boys left in hot haste wi
should man fear from fleeing enemy? ,
when he saw that boy getting ont OF his rea'
then Woodward insuted God by sending unh
aided into his presence soul.of mortal mi
Then it was that malice rode ON the leaden b
let
Mr.. Hodgson here commented on the alton
Of the defense TO prove the interyent
OF the tree between Woodward and Luke
rendered deliberate aim impossible. He quot
Graves testimony, that the shot could not ha
hit the tree from where Woodward stood.
criticised the assertion of the defence that III
Was the distance of the other boys from
scene of the occurrence and such the intery,
ing obstacles that they could not have seen
heard what they said they did. He then critic
ed Miss Stidham's testimony to the seeing