The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-24
TnE BILLINGS WIFE MURDER
.e m rry THE TIME WHEN TIE
rirIL sHOT WAS FIRED.

r,-rsrpN, Sept 23.--Mr Bllllngs entered |
.or,, room this morning walking gravcly |
,.,iboraiclv. Mr.. Moak was tho only law
-. r,hin the bur az he came in. The prisoner
- his straw hat ON the table. and sat down.
Elected al the man who is cndeavoring TO
pIblmto tho s,nffod. and twinkle appeared
h,s ovc. He leaned forward and spoke to
=. voak. That gentleman ran tho palm Of
s.bsnd over his bald bend. turned his full
pss oVe upon tire prisoner md rather coldly
'".rcred. Mr. Billings threw himself bnck in
s,,hsir but almost Immediately bcnt forward.
..doeain questioned the prosecutor. The re-
.s.,se was Enthusiastically frigid. The prisoner
',o,,othe back of the bar and conversrd with
- If his ncichbors who cordially greeted
s,r Gen. Hughes and other counsel came in.
"a .hook hands with him. DR.. Billings, md
'@.hushanl of Mr.. Billings's wifc's sister took
',,,. near the prisoner. MIR. Billings began to
yin, h,s finger nails with the blade OF n small
.,,tnite and the cricr formally opened court.
lanes Nichols was called to tho stand He
r,.traiins with Mr.. sherman in Mr.. Billingss
.,o,e when he heard tho shot lie had come
doup from the Union store. and had looked at
Ma watch before starting. II was either twenty
.,,rep,y.aye minutes Of .. and he thought the
.hot was fred between i've and eight minutes
.nerwari He ran to the house with Mr.. Sher-
wan. Gama,he was at the gate. aud Lockrow
vas already in the house. Lockrow was about to
sar, for Or. Cow. Norton came in soon after
ward and the witness went home. At Mr.. Bill
grcs's cate he met Carey and Durkee. wagon
vas JUS; going In the yard. He walked ny to
ne Union store. and saw Reed Just turning out
he las; light, Mr. Nichols lives in tho second
houso beyond Mr.. Washburn. He went directly
frtp tho lnlNn Store He
raaiine nj the horse block. and met Mrs.
George WashOurn hall way TO Mr.. Billingss
house As ne WAS entering his house he saw
Seorce Washhurn and a lady going out through
he Washburn gate into the street They had a
hntetn
BE- heard the shot NJ twilight He had compared
hsvach with George Washburn on the sun
iay after the murder.
Mr. Nichois-well don't remember; two or
Nr. MoaS-was there not fifteen minutes
Nh. Nichols-No. sir.
Nh Moak-Did YOU not tell J. II. Mack in the
Onion store. before this trial began, that YOU
compared watches with Washhurn on the sun
day after tho murder. and that there was fifteen
minutes difference!
NJ; .Noak Did You tell Thomas Ward So near
For u Her Bridge?
Mr.. Nchols-les sir.
counsel Ms t. the time the sun went down on the
evening Of the murder Boston and New York
diaries were .ovrrhauled and there was crnai
irbulntion. Mr.. Moak lugGed in the moon. md
the 'rhulntion was increased. Finally. Mr. Pot
tersaid he Ind written 10 the nstronomers ~
the Dudley Observatory and had the exact
tine. He gave IL az follows:
Sun set............ - Moon set ...... 10 a
This was satisfactory. though the prosecu-
ton claimed the right 10 verify the figures
Things were moving smoothly once mor", when
lnstsAd n n -
H. said he wanted ii understood that the moor
was NJ rs first quarter ON June I. and II mus
have been half way between the new moon ans
he first quarter on thr night of the murder
Tie witness then swore that there was a moor
that night, occasionally ohscurcd by noatin,
As the witness had sworn that he had tol(
Thomas Ward that there was fifteen minutes
difference between Washburn's watch and his
Gen Hughes asked why he told him so. The
tro.e, ution objected.
Mr.. LSmoreaux-This Mr.. Ward appears tC
nations. We Ivy, bad but lew witnesses on ihs
stand where Mr.. Ward did not turn w. lie
seems 70 have been figuring extensively AMONG
our wiinesses and we propose 70 show why Mr.
Nichols told HIM the story.
judge I.andon-You mean that he regarded
Mr.. Ward as a, busybody. and purposey told
Mr. Moak-wen. showing an attempt to tell a
lie won't prove that he did lie.
Judge fandon-The point Is. did he lie then
,T now lie can first answer whether he told
NJ. Ward tho truth. and II not why not.
Gen. Hughes TO witnessl-Did you tell Mr.
Ward the truth
Nj Ni'hols-No. sir.
Gen. Hughes Why mott
III: Ni'hols-Well, he was talking too much,
snd purposely misled him. He asked me II
there was not fifteen minutes difference between
Wsshburns watch md mine. and said yes.
Judge Ian on-What benefit was ii 10 YOU u
Mr. Nichols 1t WAS none OF his business.
Mr. Mnak-Why didn't you tell him II was
zone u his business. instead 81 lying 10 him
Nr. Nlchos-I expected TO hear from him
Nj. Moqk-Then you wanted to get another
chance q lie 70 himl
Mr.. Nichols-Yes. sir.
NJ. Moak-You've been in the habit OF lying
Mr. Nlchols-I don't know what that big word
Tie witness Acknowledged that he is working
n Mr.. Billness boat ward but said It was fol
LOUIS Gnmn' le, who held the yard under con
Iaf, He had been working there before the
nurder He. spent half day listening 70 the
kstmony mken By the Coroner and did moi
ener hls services 70 the District Attorney and
ethers. hecauseihe ditn't intend toforce. himself
upon anybody az witness He had been tnlk'
inc about u to everybody. and the District At
toIney might have heard II II he had kept his
John .Ca.kins testified that he was visiting
henry W. Richardson who lives on the oppo-
we bank Of the river from Mr.. Billings. As il
was gsttlnR late he drew ont his watch. think &c
Mtme 10 20 home. II WAS fourteen minutes 10 q
ihat instant he heard gun discharged across
Wv river. hr, Richardson was IN the room
with him. Calsins went TO the door and hoard
screams. He ran down 10 the river and rowed
across with Charles Norton and Mr.. Richard
regulator OF Schuyerville. He compared time
wa the reCuator on the following Saturday
agreed within y minute or two. He had
owned I since the beginning of winter. and had
not hai watch before for n long time. II.
wound his watch every day between O'Clock
~ oedtim@. AMI never forgot 10 wind il.
Mr. Mohk-lou were fortunate enough l.
nave your watch IN your hand at the very time
thnt the gun was fired
NJ. NhAlns-l-s. sir.
Inc witness swore that they pulled through
W rulNrrt and landed NJ the open space nr-
sNesn lhe culvert and the highway bridge. Tn,
anybody
henry W. Richardson corroborated Mr.. Cal
Ems; he swore that he wound his clock tina
e.Knl ~ eighteen minutes 10 2. Within three
II .Our minutes afterwRrd he heard the shot
saoonW Ndlklns with his watch in his hand, ant
ras ABOUT 70 pull out his own watch to compare
w tnle wnen he heard the shot.
IN Ioss-exami nation. Mr.. Richardson swor,
Y mao been IN the habit OF comparing his tim,
,s,}rdIs with that Of CalKins. but upon henl
a,,llhled that Mr.. Calkins had owned a watcl
H. 1u.' sln'e the beginning OF winter. he qualified
w FRIDAY nigh, before the murder. and there
ptp ,Wo or three minutes difference. Mr.
andIateson said he crossed the river in boa
o. a. saw the dead body. ana got back Just as /
~ - lalry dark. He saw George Norton ms h'
sss qululne Mr. Blllngss house but NOBODY
s s,ss nom his side OF the river He saw NOBODY
sv y9-a4 NE eulycrt, and met nobody runninl