The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-21
Judge Crime and the County Clerk to oversee

Juugc crane ana the COunty Iiotk, 70 ONcfboo
Mr. Hughes suggested that the Sheriff APP
point an officer to Oversee the examination.
Mr. Moak-No. sir No. sir. we viii not con-
sent to that under any CIRCUMSTANCES.
Judge Landon finally told tho District Attor;
noy to select an ohicer,and he solicited Daniel
tho defence The bullet and the carhne wero
delivered to Oflcer Gilbert in the presence of
the County Clerk and the Court went to dinner.
In the afternoon tho court was packed with
ladies' Mrs. Curtis got no sent Tor a long time,
and stood up mar the entrance to the court court
chccrily with \ fnir acquaintance.
Reuben T. Woodworth was tho first witness
II" swoIe 10y thn upliited hand. Hcsaid he lived
nhout ilty rods south Of the Billings house.
whore the towpath branches from the highway.
Al 7 o'clock on the morning nfter the murder no
Of Mr.. i llingss house to look for tracks, They
traced the tracks in the garden back through
70 tho boundary, line. whore they lost them in
the orchard. They saw no other tracks near
the hole in the fence for ten feet either why.
They took deal of pail to see whether there
were any tracks toward or from Reeds house
but could find none. They did moi. however. 90
Mr. W "d and Thomas War Ward went 1t up the
lane near Wnshhurn' = house. and saw the tracks
Of the two wagons going and returning; One
that horse had been hitched. From that point
thoy went into the road AZ an angle. and fol-
lowed i on to the end of the lane. where it was
plain TO he seen that n wngon had been turned
round. There was no such mark near the red
gate. They were along the south line Of the
cornneld east OF the swail. and saw no tracks
the south. which was evidently made by
Mr.. Durkce, who had Joined them. They found
n track in the corner Of Reeds garden. and fol
lowed It down 70 the hole in the fence through
that hole into Mr. Billngss garden. and across
as Ts ns to q e thy yd T rOc SAW Nv the other
showed tina; the horse had only two shoes.
They followed the one that showed the marks
OF four shoes and saw many places where the
tracks showed that the horse had walked on tho
way down. The distance between tho horses
steps WAS about three feet. The hill was rough
LOWS Gorham was sworn. He lived south of
the Billings mansion. near the lock. He went
where n horse had been hitched. He knew IT
by the marks OF stamping in the grass. He
went long distance further md saw where The
The defence spoke Of the place kept ny. the
termed it a saloon. Mr. Gorham said he was
sitting in front Of II when he heard the dis
charge OF the gun. Soon afterward George
Norton came running down and said that Mrs.
Billings had been shot The witness went over
70 his, house and told his wife. and then re-
he went M me 70 MT Bnsssn stopping To E
form Mr.. Wilson on the way. Several persons
went with him; Fifteen minutes elapsed be-
tween the time he heard the shot and his ar
On examination the witness swore that
he went up the towpath and turned over the
the Billings house. He saw and heard nobody
running south while on the way,
j. Howard Thompson swore that he went up
the lane on Wednesday morning before sun
rise He saw only one wagon track each way.
raacbnd M ,y""r bo bersn ,rac yr or
not far apart. He could step from one 10 the
other. He went within about four rods Of the
red gate and could not see that the track turned
round.
on cross examination the witness said that
the tracks were very distinct. The shower had
hNon 50 ia 1ai n ha w ht4e ~
swept and every mark was perfectly plain. Mr..
Billings's mother was the wtness's first cousin.
He had stayed all night AT Mr.. Biings's house.
and had gone up to the lane Mt daylight. He
bad walked NJ That way the night before with
MIR. Finne, and told him that H. should visit the
ane the first thing in the morning. He did not
hear any of the testimony before the Coroner
and did not see Mr.. Billings until morning.
James A. Wilson swore that he was in bed and
his wife called him. She saidtha Mrs. Billings
hid been shot. He dressed and went up TO
Billings house. II was dark. He AMI Louis
Ganache got lantern and measured some
tracks from Billings's gate across the road to-
ward the lumber pile The road was soft. The
The distance between these tracks from toe TO
heel was four feet and four inches. The wit
ness corroborated woodrufis story as to the
tracks IN the garden. He WIS Mt the end Of the
lane. The Rrass was paved up and muddy. in
dcnting that "A horse had been hitrhed there.
On s-examination. the witness admitted
that he WAS member of both Coroner's luries.
He found the tracks before he was summoned y
second time He heard Mr.. BILLINGS testit tina,
.
and did not return by way OF Reeds garden
and the hole in the fence but got over his own
garden fence and made, the, footprints, that APP
peared In the garden. Mr.. Wilson did not re-
member that the District Attorney. Ornshy.
called Mr. Billngs's attention to the garden
tracks sevoral times. and he swore that he was
not in Reeds garden at all. The witness did
not see Dir. Terhune. and did not know that he
had run across the road 10 tho lumber pile be-
fore he arrived NJ Mr.. Bllincs's house.
On redirect questioning Mr.. Wilson said that
there was n strong current in ths river. when
all the gates in the lock were open. When they
were shut il created an eddy that swept ont to-
ward the dam. Tho culvert along the river was
about eight feet wide. There were separate
bridges for the highway and the towpatil. with
an open space between them. The boats were
generally moved in this open space whore hey
could be seen from the highway. but he had
seon them under the bridges. Al low water
there were four feet between its surface and the
bridges.
Jonathan Doyoe swore that he was up 10 the
end Of the lane on Thursday. and saw where a
horse had been tied On that same day he ex-
amined the pane through which the shot was
fired. He saw "A Handkerchief stained blnck by
wiping the stile. II belonged to Officer Gilbert
On cross examination. Mr.. Deyoe snid h.
married Bilings's sister. He had not followed
up the witnesses in particular. lie was
deputy sheriff and had summoned the jurors
from Northumberland.
The counsel for the prosecution were on a
broad grin while this witness was testfying