Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-25
LOCAL NEWS.
A Man Buatcd 20 Death.

REMARKABLE CASE OF MANsLAUaHrKR.
This morning James stokes and Mary Kane
alias Campbell, colored were placed on trial I'm
the Criminal Court, Judge Hagner, on an indict-
ment for manslaughter In having on the 10th o Z
March last caused the death OF Charles Kane By
striking. kicking and bruising him on the head,
fractur1ng his skull. Mr.. Leigh Robinson ap.
peared for the prisoners. The jury was select
ed, with Mr.. H. ii. Clapp as foreman. The
woman was the reputed wife OF the deceased.
and on the night In question they were on the
way home, and near Fort Totten back OF the
soldiers Home) they met Kane, and some words
passed between Kane and Stokes, when, it Is
alieged, the latter butt Kane In the head knock.
ing hlm senseless and causing his instant death.
THE TESTIMONY.
CCar1er and Mckenuytestined 10 finding Kane
dead In road. Officer Rhodes testified TO ar
resting stokes on March 18th and 20 SIS saving
that ne did not Know Kane was dead and when
witness told him that he was dead he shed some
tears and he said they met In the road that
they had some words about Mary I'm whose
company he was; that Kane came up 10 them
ana aIter same words Kane struck him with
stick and he grabbed Kane by the shoulders or
ears and butt him, and when he let 90 Kane
dropped and he kicked him five or six times In
the ribs. Kane first said, 'sWhat are you doing
with my wife?" Sergeant Redway, OnicerS
White and Morgan were present On cross
told him that he was about 70 take the prisoner
to the station and the prisoner was about to
Oficer W. H. White testified that he arrested
Mary Kane; told her that it was FOR killing her
husband, she said she had no husoa nd that
she had lived with KaDe and had a chl!d by
him. but she had told him that she did not want
anything 10 do with him. She further said that
they met, ana Kane struck stokes with a stick,
and when be attempted 10 strike a second time
she interfarTed and grabbed hold or X ane; that
Stokes then grabbed Kane and they commenced
nght1ng, when she stepped back, aud ia min
ute Kane fell then Stokes kicked him, and
they heard some one coming, when they went
of through the field, and two colorei men
lMartin and Mckenny) came up, aud they went
back where Kane was lying, when Stokes ad-
mitted that he had beat Kane. Stokes said at
the station after hearing that Kane was dead,
that he did not think he had hurt him that bad.
He showed how he had done IL by catching him
oy the ears, pulling him down and Quitting him.
lie SAID ne had intended TO have given the old
man good sound beating, so that he would
leave him alone.
HARD HEAD AND SOFT ONE
Dr. T. Hartigan testified that he had made
from Geo to 200 autopses In the last ten years,
and this was the most remarkable. He pro-
duced the skull OF the deceased. the top sawed
on and hinged on like the lid OF q box, battered
into II pieces. carefully held I'm place by wlre,)
not including various cracks about the crown
OF the head. The deceased was a light mulatto,
about co years OF age, and he made The autopsy
ABOUT nine hours after his death, which took
9na;h 9eaSf On she morning OF tne 18TH The cause OF
were about 20 cracks OF various lengths, some
or ~ inches In length. IL was a remarkable
the head, and he was surprised 10 find the
fracture. IL must have been some blunt
instrument winch was used. Saw both pr1s-
onerS at the inquest: had q conversation with
stokes, and asked him how 1t was done, when
he seized two OF the bars and butt one of them
several times, and being fearful that he would
burst the bars he told him TO stop. that he was
convinced. and Stokes said 1t did not give him
the headache. Witness then, with the District
Attorney as subject, explained how the butt.
Ing was done, the subject being pulled towards
the party as the butt was given. on cross-ex-
animation witness said the skull OF deceased
was remarkably thin and fiat
Re-direct-In early age there Is one third
earthly and two-thirds animal matter in the
skull, but at the age OF the man (about Coz the
proportions were reversed. mulatto has a
thinner skull than negro.
After recess MIR. Robinson, for the defendant
claimed that there was no evidence on which to
convict the woman, but on the other hand the
evidence was that sbe vainly attempted to pre-
vent the fight, which resulted In the death OF
the one who made the attack, and asked her
discharge. The Court declined to grant the mo.
ton and an exception was noted.