The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-06

! y
IL. aud the evidence Of the prosecution Is predi-
Gated upon tho mere fact Of the guns discov-
cry. Thcy claim II was in tho well Mt least fifty
seven hours, md yet 1t comes out ny bright as
you snw IT, You saw how another gun looked.
after II had remhincd III the we'll q shorter
period Of time. and you cnn Judge the differ
Sow. said Con. Hughes. who had that
gun 2" He paused II second and roared out
tho words John Shcrmanl WHO looked Tor
that gun on Wednesday John Shermanl lie
syore he lid it ut Jennie Billings's suggestion.
Why? Who was discharged from MI Billings's
employment ON that Wednesday morning
John sherman! Who. snid. Well IL you. want
see how You'll III come 40 outT al. sentiein@n
that was John sherman Who slept in tho up
per chamber Of Mrs. Billingss house after this
discharge. claspng aud comforting the daugh-
ter whom he had surrepttiousy stolen from
hls cmployeri John sherman Al. gentle
think John sherman did"
Tho man who repaid the unlimited conf
dcnce Of his employer by clandestnely stealing
good To- put that gun into the we'll Whit did
he do after Oillcer Chase found the gun? The
officer overlook him on the road. and asked him
70 ride with him. He didn't want to get into
officer was going to arrest him. He is shown
the gun, and becomes faint Ho secs that 1t is
called to identify 1t. His feelings overcome
him, and he gasps for brandy. The mother is
dead. the father is on the road TO prison or
sions, is his" The General paused. nd'lookcd
square ut the jury. All. gentlemen" he added.
TWINS either John Sherman or the mun who
shot Mrs; Billings that dropped that gun into
All tho evidence combined 10 show that the
gun was placed in the well on Thursday night.
Durkce was within thirty feet oi the well ON
Wednesday morning. He saw no tracks across
the lime no mud upon the fence. no trail in the
wet grass. Nobody could have got to the well
after the storm on the previous night without
morning David Prosser and Carey went To- the
well and made a thorough examination. They
saw no Indications that II had been disturbed.
Neither track. mud, nor trail was seen. The
three boards over the well were undisturbed.
On Thursday night Detective Markham goes
up. lie secs the trails made by Carey and Pros
ser. but no others. Early ON Friday morn
ing Onicer Chase goes w to, erapple for
splicing purposes, he finds trail leading from
IN acute anglo toward the mouth OF the lane.
Who made this trail Not Billings. for assum-
ing the theory OF the prosecution to be- true. he
Who made tho trail? Was il John Sherman
coming up the lane that night to deposit the
gun in the well. OF, was 1t nude by some other
man All. gentlemen this Is for you 10
After sitting the testimony of the clerks SER
| wants, and dressmaker rs TO the scenes IN tho
Billings family, the General said that II there is
| anybody in the world who finds out what is
going on in "a domestic circle. IL Is dress
maker She makes II her business to get at the
bottom Of all the little why's and whcreiorrs So
as 10 spread them before her next customer. \
| little musl in delaine. small piece of silk. and
a dressmaker have patched up many rent IN
| thousand aud one adornments that make the
| human form divine ~ female shape. and she
| Ii always welcome. Here Is n dressmakcr that
spent three years in the family Of Mr.. Billings
and during all that time saw no spat or unpleHs-
tbe fnn i S sarSton Co no Sbe ia n u,
estmabe lady. who has since been married.
| and 1t gave hun great pleasure to say that she
| had stopped making dresses for others. anu
| WAS now engaged in making them for those
little episodes That frequently occur in married
| life. The picture OF the typical drcssmaker
was SO vivid TINT the Judge jury. bar prisoner.
and spectators burst into peal OF laughter. to
| the horror OF tho fat deputy sheriff who IL
| charged with preserving order ia the court
| room, and whose features have not relaxed into
smile since the trial bcgan.l
The General came To the precise time nj which
the murder was committed. As the weather
cock on the stceple of Baptist church never
agreed with the vane on Presbyterian stceple.
| so thu time OF country towns never agreed more
| than the boys OF the different towns. In
| this hamlet. however. the time was regul lated
| by the steam whistle OF paper mill in Schuy-
| lcryie. IL WIS proved beyond peradyenture
| ried three minutes. The General then read the
| evidence on time. as follows:
| wuNrssAs fkosacvnoS
Maggie Mahoneys estimate .. . ..... 90
William H. Durkces estimate. .............. 80
James Burton estimate on clock ............ 81
wrSLssKs roR rng pErnNsK
Lewis Gorhams estimate on watch. ............ -
Laura HouscwOrth looking al clock ........... -
ysorse SoE,Gn' lS.nms a. watch .'.''.'.'.. a.
John Calkns watch in hand ................... 80
Lc wis Lee ba .cd on watch ,........... -
EDWARD Lee fishing with Lewis ....,........... .
Donimck Dumas, based on heArsay ............ -
CLARK Lucknow. based on watch .............. ~
GEORGE Mashburn. based on watch ........ 80
fi ass 6SSs. Looked n at soes s0''"e
Miss Wary : Houseworih. based on clock ..... -
George BAtess estimate -
| rNI or Nh BiLLHGss ARRIyAL At vAsHsuKss
Mrs George washburn based on clock ... 80
isiAc washburn, looAins at clock > -
=" In view Of all these ngures.' said senator
| Hughes. we claim that that shot was Hired
| hetween ten and fifteen minutes OF g. and the
Washburns swear that Jesse Billings was in
But gentlemen." continued tho General
you say that il Mr.. Billings did not fire that
shot who under heavens uid IRE ~ W. don |
know. We are only called upon TO show that
Mr.. Billings did not fire it. But We have had
! several glimpses Of the man who may have
fired it. When Jennie dashed past her dead
mother 10 tho front door within ten seconds after
the report OF the gun. she saw man run out of
, the ynrd. across the road. and disappear behind
the pile OF lumber on the bank Of the river. She
eycn described his hat and the color OF his
clothes half dozen witnesses have sworn
that they repeatedly heard her say so on the
might OF the murder. Her excitement could
! evoke no spectre. II was scarcely dark. She
saw the man outlined against the river. The
water made background OF light. md she
could not have been mistaken. John Tcrhune
| was SO impressed with her words that he ran
| around the pile, and. seized with fear. dashed
back to the house, He flushed the game. Hid
that he had no safe covert. He shdcs down the
| towpa:h 10 the culvert. whore the bonts were
| Kept ana no iedIs norton ana inc ollfr boys
coming across the river. He says I've got TO
| got out Of here and by easy stages he slips
down to the shed near the splitting OF the high
| way and the towpath He stops there. and then
| crosses the intersection and meets two men.
stephen La Point and Jules Cannon are on
their way 10 the scene, OF the murder. Both
| swear that they saw him stumble through
mud puddle and so over u pile
OF driitwood, disappearing down the tow
| path. Charles lott meets him half way
down to the lock, aud observes that he Is bare
| headed. Mrs. Isaac Pasnu. standing at her
| doorstep secs him dash past her house hat
less. and he is, seen by her son Wiiord. who
stood 10y her side. They observe him drop 10 u
walk while in the light of Gorham's grocery
but onco beyond tho line Of light he sped away
into the darkness"
Who was that man ?" shouted Gen. Hughes.
with every nerve NJ full tension. There was
such man. for six persona besides Jennie
Billings saw him. Aud the next morning this
| hat (hOurishing the shabby sombrero in
| the faces Of the Jurors WIS found
near the puddle whore he stumbled. Was It
| not lost by the man who WIS fleeing And this
| hat waving 1t toward the District Attorney was
| shown 10 those astutr detectives on the spot.
! One Of them even tried il upon his head. Bright
| detectives! It gave them no clue Ia Mr.. Bill