Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-12-30

don't want any witnesses sworn anti
r shall have cOunsei-Waat sGlIa con
, sultaiion with my attoCnt IS" Asked i
. counsel could come TO the jail, and wa
> answered by the Prosecutor tha5 the,
could. 1t w0glt b. uSel+ $ for me /.
have aXaiHiuI;iCn anil I cGuld hay,
. counsel" AsAs;i 10 adjourn the case fo
two days.aud thought his eyes and nos
would he betler-it was very painful TO
him in the light uow. Prisoner asked i
his father would Ue permitted To see hin
III jail, and WAS told that he would. Tit
State consenting, the examination wa:
adjourned until l olock Tuesday, anC
the prisoner was remanded. The prison
er Downing was then brought before tht
i Mayor, and his case was also continued
until tie following day.
At half-pdstl o'clock on Tuesday, the
time to which the hearing OF the case Oi
Weir was postponed. the prisoner was
brought iltO tie Mayors Office il
custody Of officer UmsteGd and JailoI
/, Ellis. lie was looking somewhat i'm
proved on the previous day. and bore
himself with perfect complaceney. The
case being called, the Hon L. Danford
counsel for the prisoner, addressed his
! llOlAO4. ltlS Cts IAl-ss W ( tLS SAN
to waive any preliminary examination,
the prisoner may be remanded on the
charge" and accordingly he was escorted
back to jail by the officers.
At o'clock VIM. L. Downing, charg
ed with being accessory 10 the murder,
6as taken from his cell in the Jail, and
aiken before the Mayor. Judge Il. L.
| Chambers appeared as counsel for the
| prisoner. and the preliminary hearing
proceeded. y formal aIraignment was
waived, and a plea Of rot guilty was
entered by the Court. y large number
of witnesses were sworn on behalf of
| the state.
TESTIMONY FOT THE STATE.
VIM. Crymble was called and gave a
| detailed account OF the position of the
parties and the manner Of the killing
substantially us above reported. When
coming home from the armOry saw a
crowd in front Mayors office; went
across Street-fOund Weir standing in
door leading up to Mayors office, and
Riggs leaning against Kinks store win
dow; I was standing between Weir and
Riggs: Weir said 10 me, yes Bill, I'm
going To the penitentidry three or five
years, and there's the man (pointing to
Riggs that is going t0fend me-turning
to Riggs, Weir said ''Steri. watch me.
watch me on the day Of the trial. Riggs
replied, Strengthening up little. Il can
watch you. General ("Generaw is the
name by which the prisoner is known
among his aSSOciates). Weir gave signs
that he would draw Il revolver from his
side pants pocket, when Riggs eXclaim-
cd hos 80
At this instant the pistol Was drawn and
Weir fired behind me; Riggs turned his
body around as if to start down the
Street, but had not moved in his tracks
Riggs started to run across street, but
when near edge of curb fell down on left
elbow, facing inward-his right hand
thrown up; while in this position Weir
iifed second shot, which took effect in |
breast and wrist: Riggs got ON his feet
and continued to run across toward Rev. |
AleXanders, but lie stumbled on ash
pile fifteen or twenty feet from where
Weir stovd-When the third shot was
fired.
Or. George II. Close called-Am a
practicing physician; was up pavement |
about o'clock Saturday, and us passed
noticed Riggs standing at Kinks store
window; when reaching Hoffner's store
heard shots, and turning saw Sterling
Riggs running across street towards
Rev. AleXanders door; after reaching
pavement he stopped and looked in
direction from which he came; he then
started down the pavement towards the
Treasury; followed and asked him if
he was hurt, and he answered, Yes,
doctor, am dead man. Took hold of
him. and some one else on other side,
when he sank down, and we carried him
into the barber shop; made an eXamina-
lion of his wounds, four in number D
one IN wrist, one in right breast, and
TWO in the back, and a post mortem was
taken on Sunday. He died from effect
1f wound in breaSt-one shot also in {
1ack was a mortal wound.
Samuel West was sworn, and related {
substantially the same facts as testified
)y other witnesses regarding the killing. S
Isaac ShallcroSS called-Am engineer c
IN the st. Clairsville railroad, Had talk I
With George Weir about two days after t
lad his burglary" trial continued; came
o the engine house and got up on en- j
zinc and asked if he might ride to Quin- c
y; some conversation took place about V
lis case: don't know whether myself or C
Harvey Bumgarner asked about it; Weir S
aid, my case is continued for ninety Il
lays; I'm going to kill that Sterl Riggs '
'efore my trial comes off, or if | have '
o got to the penitentiary, before l CO."
On cross examination, witness said he
vas not positive as 10 the day the con-
ersation occurred. a
Thomas Taylor called-Had talk with "
Weir last Saturday afternoon was stand L
ng at Finks corner where band was !,
laying; Weir had his face down the Il
treet, and when he turned around saw a
siggs across the street on the burned n
orner. He said, There comes the d-n n
N of Il b-h; I'm going to kill him be- a,
ore an hour; he squealed on me-" Then 4
e asked me to go into Fink's and get b
ONE beer, saying there is no fight in "
hat s-n of b--h." Riggs went down 81
ONE afterwards wanted me to go up "
treet, saying, I'm going to do some n
hing" When Riggs was standing at
and up and down i'll his pocket. and - -
aw him take out of the pocket his re, g
Oliver. rs
James McMillen called-upon being n,
hOwn a revolver said that he had sold cs
eli ItFOlNtI Ike II Nnen he came
} order it VIM. Downing was with him 81
gorge had bought a pistol from me ii
0metime in the spring, of same kind, d
ut not a self-cOcker, and wanted to ex- al
hange; nothing was SAID about what a
Sc it was to be put to; didn't get pistol er
rst time was there; when Weir got pis- "a "a
u [ raped on window FOR him, and he ~
anne in off street-was by himself This n
must have been Il short time W
fter Fink scraDe took place; think it W
as sometime fore part of November
anne to inquire about the pistol.
Jas. a Barnes called-Was in Jack.
on's barber shop between II and II o'
clock Saturday; while was in P.
lere Weir and two Downing boys who III
ere in went to window, was talking al
hout co-oat binr baincr vary nioa. I,o1> =