New-York tribune., 1874-03-07
THE COURTS.
THE DEFENSE OF KING.

lerhner Tor shooting Anthony O'Ne closed tneH case
before recess yesterday and the defense is understood
| TO be already nearly completed. The day very
busy one, and many witnesses examined, one OF
the most interesting being Mrs Ella g. O'Neill the
widow Of the murdered man. Mrs. ONeill, ia rather
sght. has very prepOssessng face and is comely IN
appearance. She gave her testimony with her large
| eyes bent upon the ground. only raising them at
intervals to look at her nterlocutor but never TO
| the prisoner, who nearly all the time Kept
| his eyes fixed upon her aud manifested
much deeper interest in her examination than in that OF
any OF those who had previously testified She mani
Tested no emotion when giving her version OF the
| murder. An important offer made by Mr.. Beach,
early in the Defense to show the friendship between
Mrs Kngiand O'Ne, which so cordial in public as
TO occasion remark and have It's natural effect upon
Kings susceptible mind but Judge Brady excluded the
proposed evidence the ground that it must be shown
to have under the personal knowledge OF the prs
oner or TO have been communicated to him. Mr. Beach
took his usual exception and sought by another kind OF
| evidence TO maintain the defense 0f insanity.
After the Court opened Judge Brady announced to
DistrctAttorney Phelps that consultation with his
associates and on looking the authorities he had
concluded toadmit the testimony OF Waller 5. Logan,
lawyer, offered late the previous afternoon by Mr.
Phelps Mr. Logan then called. and stated that he
clerk the Office OF scudder & Co., the firm en-
ployed by King conduct his bankruptcy suit that on
the Saturday before the shooting conversation with
King out the two divorce suits the latter said ONel
was estying and taking strong ground against him. and
If tins thing went somebody would get bart. making
reference at tho same time to seven-shooter. On the
cross-examtnaton the witness said he was unable 10
recollect what the reference to the seven shooter was
When asked how these facts had to no Of the
DstrctAttOrney, he said he had heard that clerk in
the Office had given uormaOn and 80 he hi Jisef sent
"A statement OF all the facts.
Coroner Herman was called to identify the keys.
memorandum book, and the photograph OF Mrs King,
found on the body of o'NeiL Mr. Beach offered the
| Photograph in evidence. but it excluded for the
present. and he also offered In evidence the following
letter from Mrs. King to oNel. found in tfc atter's
pocket after death, which also excluded for the
presents:
Mr. oNrnr: Please call vandepocl Of the srm Of Brown
aaas, a e a for me e po Ss d'' ' Oh 4ssA T. Kso
A number Of papers found on oNein's body
exhibited to the jury. Among other articles was bust
ness card, reading, a f. ONeill agent OF the Erie
Railway Company for Wesern-bOund freight, Office No
g57 Broadway Twentythird-st. New-York," and
the back OF this memoranda evidently relating
10 the divorce suit OF King agt. King These matters
were all excluded by Judge Brady
Joseph Long the Office boy Of Judge sutherland, who
was present at the reference stated IN his examination
that King left the last, wh the exception Of him
self. He heard the reports and ran out King stood
there t the head OF the stairs, ana moment afterward
passed the witness and went into the room. Tho wit
Sutherland, who then went out Of the roonl The Wit
ness and King were then left together, and bOn l0oAe
out of the window and the crowd gathering beos.
the Office
Capt Van Dusen o, the First Precinct testified that he
saw prisoner about O'Clock the fatal after
when he brought into the stationhonse; King
then asked to see counsel clerk Of Mr. Vanderpoei
came fret to see bin.
Mrs Ella Gertrude ONeill, widow OF the murdered
man was next called She stated that she married
to him January, 1869. She and her husband went to
Turner's Station 20 reside in 1870 where they remained
until November, 1872. She mado the acquaintance OF
Mr King June. 1S5l made the acquaintance OF Mrs
King few weeks later. She remembered the time Mrs.
King left Turner's on July 16. 1872, and she herself
assisted her in her preparations for departure.
Mr.. King bad left few days before on "A
Afterward Mrs KING returned to her house al Mrs
ONeills invitation. Mrs. klng Mt O'Ne, and nersrlf
came to the city OF November, ls72 They az
the reference at Judge sutnrlanPa Office arrlv-
ing there about hail-pas one or two Ihey az went OUT
together. Mr. and Mrs: Fouk went down tne stairs
first, she came next Mr. Dupignac next ana Mr. hhg
following. She thought she was about half way down
the stairs when the hrs report was heardi she turned
although her 1rst impulse WAS to ru the second report
came and her husband turned as " TO 90 up the Stars
She caught him by the arm and looking up saw KING
Standing az the top OF the stairs pointing psto at hef
aud her husband. Almost immediately tnc pstol was
fred Then her husband ialilng exclaimed 70 h"r, NIL
| / am shot! that bullet hit me! King ala II! Call
doctorl" She called out after stopping away from her
husband, JLmeo :. hing hdS eLut hl nnSDShui @ tho
man wit1 the lignt ovcrcOa Arrest nun" Ihen hhe
returned to her husband to fbd him sinking rapidly
Tie auertion was asked by Mr.. Phelps, VINO showed
NIs ONeii picture Mrs King, IL she had seen that
picture her husbands possesson and she replied IN
fhe affirmative. Mr. Phelps asked II she knew Why he
carried It, While Mrs o'Ne4was hesiiating with her
eyes bent on the DOOR IN her usual manner M beach
then began his examination, making her repeat
her statement that Mr. ONei after tue second shot was
fired advanced step or two up stairs Ths was the
only Testimony OF auy Importance elected on the cross
examination.
Mr. Phclps then announced that that his case,
D. o,Tia, doatn call
wife, both OF whom we're in court Mr. Howe at once
opened the for the defense Iu 1t he told the Jury
what the defense, pure aud simple would De; Ihey
should show satisfactorily he believed, that ONel
through. his own prosecuting acts, DESTROYED the
domestic peace OF Klng and undermined hs reason and
Judgment no tha he became responsive Tor MS deeds
Then he told how. IN 1863. King, then young
man, exctable In temper, very nervous, some
what hasty aud passionate, married tue lady
whose portrait had been exhibited in court
Three children were born-two boys and one girl
and their domestic peace was perfect The teBpter
came in the: shape OF ONelll and thenceforth the
"lltte cloud bigger than mans hand grew larger
ana larger, until the husband found his home hOme
no longer and wifes heart threw the picture OF
her husband TO take that Of oNe one oil k1ss an au
fantlng nts while King himself had been subject 10
sppty Mr Howe said they should prove that noncldes
had been committed by men suffering from thai
The ffst witness examined after the recess Au-
gustus q. King, uncle OF the prisoner In reply TO Mr.
ia falling from her cnar Cornea, his sister was sub
lect fits and suffered from such attacks for 50 years
II brought also that one of Kings brothers had
1is from childhood ana died in Of them. The prs
oner's aunt Cornela ugy aft the fits she used
10 have aud once attempted 10 burn the house. At this
juncture dispute having arisen between the Counsel
Judge Brady dropped his susl mldness which some
times taken advantage OF by lawyers and SAID very
eulphatcally gentlemen this conduct altogether
unprofessional and uncaed for and dscourteo TO the
Court In the future. when you have any objections TO
make, shall require you 10 rise aud state thems Inc
examination was then resumed, Messrs. Beach and |
Phelps hav ing reply of course, to make. The re
msnder OF tue witness testimony related 10 the
subject of physical infrmi les In the family.
The ne xt witness Adrian s. Jone lawyer, now con-