The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-05-22
CnesEerneid dIncendiary Case-Trial OF
Z. ID. Eaeho-The Accused Acauit.


yesterday morning the courthouse In
manchester was crowded with persons anx.
ious to hear the evidence in the case of r
u. Eacho, charged with conspiripg with
Dolly Jackson (colored) and hiring her TO
ourn the house of j. 7. Boothman, near Coal.
neld station, Chesterfield county, on the 18th
of April, 1874. - 'Ae 1''n
promptly at II O'Clock Judge Weisiger
caused the court to be opened, and the pri.
soner was arraigned in the usual form.
Colonei Ambers appeared for the Com
m194o,nWealth, me, and Messrs. Crump. George
wise, Austin Smith, and Socrates Brooks for
the defendant. ' - ~ ~
Ihe following yenire, which had been
summoned, vas called:
John Hatcher, Henry Schultz, Daniel Bill
ley,, John Carroll, II. T. Hopkins, Henry
Holland, +. &. Ruffin, P. G. Temple, VIII.
iam Ha a. Eastman, A. G. Thomas, C. s.
IIe, Gnalkley, George Winfree, Jasper S. Clayton,
Emu Bowen, j. f. Brown, d. b. Goode, B.
and r. B. Jones.
Messrs. Carroll and Morrisett said they
liao formed an opinion as to the guilt or in-
noeence of the prisoner, and were told TO
s.aha ASIDE; MIR. +. G. Ruffin was absent:
Messrs. Hopkins, Eastman. ~Bowen] and
Clayton were objected to by the defence. and
Mr. Temple had heard the evidence at the
examination before tue magistrate.
Inc following jurors were sworn Messrs.
hatcher, Schultz, Biley, Holland, Thomas,
GGnaikIey, Winfree, Brown, Goode, Evans,
loon, and Jones.
| Inc witnesses were about 10 be sworn
Then MIR. 5. NJ. Page, as counsel fer Dolly
JACKSON, protested against her being used as
witness unless the Commonwealth would
Inlet d noAe prosequi in her case. Colonel
Anioers aecllned to do that, and the Court
save permission to Mr.. Page to attend the
Trial ana caution his client whenever he
thouSht her interests required it. The wit
lesseS were then sworn and excluded from
the courtroom, except Mr.. G.. G.. Atkinson,
VINO was placed on the stand. He said -. I
live within half mile Of the house of ], n
Boothman. Saw Mr. Eacho on the Sunday
before the house was burned. and asked him
If might put my sheep over there. Eaebo
asked me to SOW 1t in oats, but told him il
was too late, but that would see INV brother
who was at church. then went on to
church and talked to my brother about II
He agreed TO tend it if l would live there.
After church went over to the kitchen and
saw Mr.. Eacho in there. Saw some pieces
of oranges there. He asked me to take
some, gave ME a drink, and we
talked about hunting, &c. Told. him
| would tend the place if any trusty family
lived there. We went in and looked at the
house. gave him the keys, and he said he
was afraid the house would burn down. I
said l reckon not; don't know nybody
that has any grudge against Mr. Boothman.
MIR. Eacho then went away. Nobody lived
in the house at that time. He did not say l
could or could not live there. saw in the
kitchen Mr. Eacho, Henry Browns wife,
Dolly and Mary Jackson. I saw only hall
an orange, and he offered me piece. | eat
part OF it and he part. [ don't know why
he mentioned that the house might burn
down. I had never said anything to him
about it, and / didn't understand how ht
came to say so. 1 REMARKED upon it when
went home. When the house burned, about
8 O'Clock at night, on the 10Th of April, i
seemed to be burning on top. l thought
Dolly and Mary had accidentally set it OF
fire. ......
Cross-examined by Judge Crump: I saw
Mr.. Eacho some time in March, at bis office
in Richmond, about renting the Boothmar
place. He said it was too late to rent it out
| offered him S35 year for five years. After
I came back from church, on the Sunday
before the fire, Mr.. Eacho said l could JUS
90 ahead and cultivate the place and pay
what I chose. When he was up there ii
February he asked me whether it would be
safe to let Dolly and Mary remain in The
house. told him I didn't think it suited
because druDkards or anybody else could
come there and tear it all to pieces. We
agreed that they could take care OF the house
Just as we'll if they lived in the kitchen.
| thought the house was i'll great danger with
them in it. I never saw MIR. Eacho there
except once in February and on the Sunday
before the fire. When me and my wife saw
the fire through the woods the house seemed
| to be burning only at the top. There ha:
been one other unoccupied house burned III
| that neighhorhood since the war. Booth
mans house had stood two years.
did not understand what Mr.. EachC
meant by saying the house might be
burned, because l thought he would moi
have moved the women out unless he meant
to put some reliable person in there. When
I saw it on fire didn't know what to think
/ wrote to MIR. Eacho next day, and told hin
about the burning Of the house. Here the
letter wus shown witness and identified BY
hinl.] Il did not suspect Mr.. Eacho then
! didn't know what to think. ! did see {
man named Craddock on the Thursday be-
fore the women were arrested"
The witness vas proceeding to answer
Questions by the defence as 10 what Grad
deck had said 10 him, when Colonel Amber!
objected because Craddock had not been eX
tarlined. The Court overruled the objection
Isaying that the defence had the right to show
if they could that the witness had changed
his mind Is to Dir. Eacho's connection will
the fire after seeing Craddock.
Judge Cru,Dp said that the defence would
not proceed with that point for the present
but would recall the witness if they needed
him.
/ Witness lin reply to question:: "Mr
Eacho moved the woman out soon after th'
conversation with me Gn February abou
that matter"
Mary Jackson was called. She said
|"Dolly and were living on the premise!
when the house was burned. Mr.. Willie
Wilkinson got us to move there; he didn'
charge us any rent. Mr.. Eacho came up there
in q top-buggy on the 18th of April. No
thing took place while he was there, except
ne took out of O satchel al orange, piece
Of cake, and some brandy. There was nc
particular conversation with me, only he salt
I was looking better than / was before. He
cave me piece Of orange and my sister
piece of cake, which he told her to divide
with me. Invent out into the yard, While he
and nv sister staid in the house."
Cross.examned "My sister was away
when Mr.. Eacho first came, but came IL
retty soon, When we left the house on the
night the house was burned, Dolly and
uant fooether to Aunt Aggy'S, She was mol