The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-11-28
THE TRIAL OF ]. ID. EEL1OTT FOR
sasa1 HaE KILLING OF en- as. NEAL. 81
=CONVIcRIeE OF The ACCUSED ..i;ls
Five Years IN the Penitcuslary.
rReportea for the pisputc,,.l

LUG ~ 6uluk Oh U0tn Sizes was very aDle.
THURSDAY ArTEsNooN, November 10.
Court was called to-day about half-past II
O'Clock, with the Judge on the bench. The
people being very anxious to see and hear
the courthouse was ,tmmed iateiy crowded
to OVERLOOKING. a solemn stiffness seemed
to peryade every heart. The fact that q
young man was about to be tried for his life
made quite aldeep impression. In q few
minutes the prisoner, accompanied by bis
parents, came in and took his seat near the
ljury:boS. After calling the names of the
witnesses, and both parties being ready, the
court proceeded to select jury. Having
got nine Jurors out of the first uenire,
and selected another uenire of twenty-five,
the court adjourned to meet again at 4
o'clock. The court met according to adj
tjournment, and having made out and en-
pannelled the jury, adjourned to meet to-
morrow morning at 10 O'clock. ,
| EXAMINING THE WITNESSES.
! FRIDAY, November 20, g O'clock A. NJ, I.
Upon calling the court, they proceeded at
once with the trial. i. '..' 2;
DR.. j. j. Mott deposeth Il was 10 the of.
| fee Of the St. Charles Hotel and saw j. D..
Elliott use pistol aud shoot Mr..
Neal. I had been in the room about
half an hour. Mr.. Neal was sitting in front
of the fire. He and were talking together.
| Old Mr. Elliott, father of the prisoner, came
into the room, and said to Mr.. Neal, {. You
must 90 out of here" having his hand on
Nea's shoulder. Neal replied, in decided
surprised tone, 81 reckon not" J. D. Elliott
then came forward, rather behind his father,
and presented his hand. heard the pistol.
Neal began to sink, and said, /" Oh, that was
cowardly." That was all he said. He fell
or sank down gradually. he lived about
ten minutes afterwards. / was with him all
the time. saw the wound probed. The
ball struck the breaSt-bone, and glanced and
struck or pierced the heart.
| On returning from his visit to Virginia,
Mr.. Neal found some unfavorable reports
about hm-that he had run away and car.
ried off some $500. He seemed to be ex-
cited, and used oaths. did not hear him
threaten any one, but he was excited. He
said there was some d--1 mean people in
Statesville and some very clever ones. I'D.
Elliott had been in the Office about fifteen
minutes before he shot Neal.
| Mr.. W. D. Sprague deposeth: was pre-.
sent. had just entered the hall from the
dining-room, and j. D. Elliott little in adj
vance of me. saw j. d. Elliott make a
quick step towards Neal and his father.
| They had their hands on one another's
shoulder. / saw no apparent difficulty.
They were standing still. j. D. Elliott
came in rapidly and fired his pistol when
some three or four feet from them. Neal
said that was cowardly, and began to sink,
old Mr.. Elliot supporting him. I heard
Neal say nothing else. Ibid not know him.
heard no conversation between Neal and
old Mr.. Elliott.
DR.. Mott, being questioned again, said !:
"The wound caused NeaPS death; and that
j. D. Elliott, after shooting Neal, walked
back facing him. but he did not see him re-
yolye his pistol"
z. II. Allison testified: I was in the
courthouse. asked j. D. Elliott: "What
made you kill Neal? 2" He replied: "Idon't
know; but it seemed to me for some time
that when Neal returned there must be a
| settlement between US, and from what
heard from John Davis and John Culbreath
| Neal had either got to kill me or will kill
him, and that when be came home had
taken the first opportunity 70 do it." J. D.
Elliott did not. give any particular reasons
| why he killed Neal. was guard over him.
DR.. IT. Campbell deposeth: know I'D.
! Elliott, aud his general character is good in
every respect. probed the wound in Mr..
| NeaPs breast; it was small. The ball entered
at the upper part of the breast-bone. The
ball struck the breast-bone and glanced. II
| the ball had gone straight it would not have
| struck vital part, and by no means would
| have killed him. have no doubt it did kill
him."
DR.. Campbell also testified that the char
acter of old Mr.. Elliott is very good.
Professor j. H. Hill deposeth: I have
known j. D. Elliott since 1871. He was in
my school one session in 1872. think
know his general character. 1t Is good-un-
usually good as respects peace; good in all
respects. Old Mr. EliotL's character is very
good.
HC Elliott deposeth: am the father Of
]. D. Elliott. He will be nineteen years old
next December. Mr.. Neal came to our house
| last August was q year. Last spring he took
| trip to Richmond and staid week over
his Time About the LIST Of January last he
took q hatred to me, and after his return
| from Virginia he showed it more than be.
fore. He kicked Douglass, my little boy OF
| five years, off the steps, saying, "Joe, will
You take that" The boy went Oft crying.
This was on the morning he returned from
Virginia. He was owing me about SEQ.
Joe told him he wished him to settle bis
bill, Neal said, 90 always pay my bills"
Joe said, 81 want you to pay this and
leave the house." Neal seemed mad. Joe
said to him, owe can't agree about set
Element, and want you to leave the house."
Neal said to Joe, "Joe, you have slandered
me.n Joe replied, 81 have not slandered
vou.v Warwick Reid came to my house
long after Neal did. The evening 'buss
came in full of passengers while Neal was IN
the hall harping about the bad reports about
| him. He talked out loud. met Joe in the
hall. and went in to check Meals loud talk.
7 nut nv left hand gently on his shoulder.
He took me by the coat collar both sides. l
told him, "You must leave my house and
90 to the other hotel" He held me
hard with his left hand and was
mad. was trying to get him out
of the house. While this was Transporting
n pistol was fred across my left shoulder.
Neal soon began to sink-I held on to him
as he fell. Will McCorkle came to Neal just
after be was shot, and began to cry. l got
mad when Neal kicked my boy "Doug."
Neal and Joe had some words about horse
at the table. Neal said to me, Mr., Eliiott,
have got no hard feelings against you.m l
said to him, 81 have none against you" L
did not hear Joe BAY to me, "lf you dont
take Neal away I will shoot him." Neal
dropt his hand down to his hip just before
he was shot. Neal and Joe were angry at
the time Neal kicked Doug"
y B, Miller deposed: ! know Charles
Neal. As was travelling he and three or
four of his friends passed my wagon on
hunt. He wished me to haul two men lot
him. He pulled out "a Kansas tooth pick
and a pistol. and said to me, Do you sup
pose these would be sufficient to kill
man"Y The pistol was six or seven
shooter. Neal said, 81 allow to Kill OLD man
IHm,aI. and &c Ioe takes it I'D. to put him