Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-01-21
THE HUNTER MURDER.
TRIAL OF MILAN GOING ON AT PITTS
BURGH.


Our readers will recollect the mys
terious murder of the boy called Lit
| tie Sammy Hunter" at Braddocks
near Pittsburgh, last March. The
case was tried last week, and the fol-
lowing are the first two days proceed,
| ings:
The Court having decided that Nc
Lain should be kept safely in jail dur
ing the continuance of the trial, his
bondsman was released and he was
given in charge of Warden Smith.
The order did not affect Geisal, who is
still out on bail.
District Attorney Robb related the
circumstances of the killing to the jury
and stated that the Commonwealth
expected to prove that McLain had
killed the boy by hitting him with a
shovel, and that the main facts would
be proven by Theodore Gross, the
colored boy who was at the stable at
the time of the killing. The story is
so fresh in the minds of the people
that it need not be recounted.
There were quite q number of wit
nesses examined On the part of the
prosecution, but nothing new was de-
veloped Sammy Hunters fellow
drivers all testified that they had seen
him in the stable putting his mule
away, or had seen him going into the
stable, but no one had seen him come
out, neither had they heard any quar-
reling or fuss inside to indicate that he
was having words with any one.
The following is the sum and sub
stance of the testimony brought out:
John Lawler being duly sworn tes
titled that about the 5th of last March
| drove a cart at the steel works; I'll
be seventeen years old in March
knew Sammy Hunter; he drove cart
too; he drove a mule; saw Sammy
on the day of the inquest; first heard
of the killing the day after it occurred ;
saw Sammy at the stable, he was
watering and washing his mule; it
was on the night he was killed Just
about six O'Clock; | was at the trough
first; when my horse was watered |
unhltched and rode my horse from the
dump over to the stable and ungeared
him; Sammy came to the trough
about minute after me; do not know
if be rode his mule to the trough; af-
ter / washed my horse | took him
into the stable after taking the gears
off | started for home; did not see
Sammy Hunter alive after | left him
at the watering-trough then he was
washing the mud off his mules legs;
the trough wa. just few feet from
the stable at the north end of the barn
the end of the barn is toward the river;
saw Mr.. McLain at the stable, in the
new part of the stable where | put my
horse he showed me where to put
my harness McLain was in the
apartment where l put my horse;
Sammy kept his horse in the middle
apartment of the stable; there were
two rows of stalls in the stable; one
on either side of the door; Sammy
kept his mule about the fourth stall
from the door on the right hand side,
next to Mr.. Brinton's apartment l
did not see Sammy after | left the
stable; Sam McLain was the only
stable boss | saw there when | left the
stable; | went away with the other
boys-two Sullivans, John Hart and
Joe Hopkins; | live at home, about
the middle of Braddocks; the boys ac-
companied me until we got to Main
street; then I had about 200 yards to
90 home Main street is between the
stable and the Pennsylvania railroad
we went up past Mr.. Brinton's house
on Main street; from the time that
the whistle blew until | left the stable
I was at work all the time | have
named nearly all the persons | saw
there at the stable when left. saw
Samuel McLain and Samuel Gisal,
and then there were the drivers, Her
man Blatzer, Mike Fisher, Harvey and
Miller Calvin and others; | have men
toned all whom | can call by name.
Quite a number of other stable boys
were examined but they merely cor
roborated the above, with the excep-
tion of Andrew Hunter, younger
brother of Sammy, who said that he
went up from the steel works to the
stable after the six O'Clock whistle
blew, that he saw McLain and Gisal
both there, and was told by Gisal not
to 90 into the stable. He then went
back to the mill, where he remained
a short time and then when home
His mother started him out immedi-
ately to look for Sammy, she being
verv uneasy because of his not coming
home as usual.
At 8 O'Clock Court adjourned until
$50 this morning.
SECOND DAY
The Hunter murder case was re-
sumed in Quarter Sessions this morn
ing at half past nine. The roll was
called and all the jurors answered
James Cox, the first witness called,
did not respond. DR.. r. c. Robinson
was then called and testified as follows
| have only known James Cox for two
weeks. He lives at Port Perry, and
has the typhoid fever, and is in a crit
cal condition This witness was of
fered for the purpose Of showing why
Cox could not attend as witness.
Gates Fleck was the next witness.
He said: | drove a mule at the steel
works when Sammy Hunter died last
year quit work about ten minutes
of six that evening Herman Blotzer
was my partner | left my wagon al
the works and took my mule to water
and then to the stable and embarrassed
him; / saw McLain's little boy and
Herley's little boy at the stable;
also saw the old man Gisal; | dom
remember seeing any others there
might have been others there, however
| saw Blotzer, Miller, Colvin, Sammy
Hunter and the Tennessee Bummer'
when | came out of the stable. Th,
last saw Of Sammy, he was throw
ing water on his mules legs. | wa