The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-04-04
TIE NEIL TRAGEDY.
The Testin any Elected IN the AppIi-
eation OF Rufus A. Hell for u Writ
Of Habeas Corpus Before the
District Judge.

| W W w hfNNN'N'f VIZ Wv N''fF'Fh ~ w
9Th Of March had u hearing In the Dis
trlct court yesterday on u writ of habea
corpus Judge @, n, AldrIdgo presiding
When court opened the courtroom wa
filled with large crowd awaiting TO bear tn
testimony,
The attorneys for tho prosecution ar'
County Attorney Sony, Judge a, T. Watt
and Mr., Robert n, Cowurt, Those repre-
'entng the deeuso Oro Judge willard, Judg'
Thurmond aud Mr., Fletcher Below wO
publish the testimony ina condensed form
The witnesses Tor tho prosecution
were sworn and on motion Of the dcicnso they
were nlNCed under the rule,
Mr.. johnson, tho FIRST witness for the de-
Tense, tostlllcdi | live with Mr. Bell, IN this
county, was Bells engineers On the morning
Of the eth Of March ! wns ut tho gins I saW
him first that morning between eight and
nine O'Clock; Mr. Bell Is dend; Bell aud
were standing IN front Of tho boiler talking
when Mr., Hawkins aud Rufus Bell came
Hawkins said no cRmo out here 10 SEQ Mr.
Bell; heard them talking, mud the id lie
pissed, md the rGtOfi "jou Hre another
saw Hawkins with n pistol In his hand, and
heard the shots; after the first shot Bell got n
poker And Hawkins shot again.
and then Bell said ooh, mercy"
aud YOU ARE no better than she Is; Hawkins
gave the id lie, when Bell said you nre
another the crowd was about twenty feet
from Hawkins; Rufus Bell WINS on the other
side of him; could not say how close; did
not see young Bell do anything, and did not
hear him sny nnlthing Hawkins said TO
Bell; "This thing hHs got 10 be- straight
encd now aud here's" have known Rufus
Bell since November Inst; | do not know
what Il. A. Bells reputation ia in that com.
munity; | henrd his inthcr say that he was
not keeping the company he desired him to
keep,
BY prosecutions He has not been living at
his fathers; he lived with j. l.. Chandlcrnow
deceased; Hawkins lived there too; heard
his father shy TINT ho was sorry his son was
taking sides against himi in referring 10 the
woman, | think Bell meant his divorced wife.
Bell said to Hawkins, that woman
wns no better than she was;
Hawkins gave Bell the id lie twice, and
Bell ID him that he WAS another; Bell did
ma use any prolane language; the shooting
occurred about three minutes
after the lie was given; |
saw Hawkins and Bell 60 by the mill that
they met Sawyer and turned around
and drive back they were in u buggy; Ru-
fls Bell did not 20 10 his father after he was
shot down; the deceased did not have any
arms TINT morning he never carried arms
that Hawkins wife Ind gone to
Missouri; Bell snid that Hawkins had asked
nm for boxes to ship his goods back to
Missouri Rufus Bell lived with Col. Chan
Her deceased before his death there was no
between the two families of
Bell and Hawkins and Chandler.
by defense: | saw Hawkins and
Bell meet Sawyer; | did not SEQ
my pistol drawn ut that time; Baxter Bell
md Chambers family we're Mt outs--so old
nan Bell told me- don't know that Rufus
Bell was at enmity with his father
George james: The death of Bell occurred
IN the 9th of March, at Duck Creek, be-
tween o and 10 o'clock; | was not close
enough to recognize but two parties, the de-
ceased and Mr.. Chandler; the first and second
shots were close together; saw the man who
did the shooting until he fired the last shot;
| have known Rufus Bell nine or ten years
Rufus Bell is cripple.
BY prosecutions | saw Hawkins
fire the first shot, at the first
and second shots the deceased
had his back to Hawkins, and was going
towards the GIN; there were three wounds
on the person of the deceased--one in the
right hip, one in the heart and another in rear
of the left shoulder after the second shot
Bell came oat with apiece of piping in his
hands.
Mr.. Haskins: am acquainted with Rufus
Bell; have known him for some nine years;
he has the name Of being peaceable and
quiet.
Mr.. Moore: was present at the killing of
deceased and Hawkins; Hawkins
gave him the lie and Bell said that
he was another, when Bell whirled and
Hawkins fred the first shot; three shots were
fired, the first two close together, and the
third not so close rs the other two; Hawkins
and Rufus Bell came to the mill to-
sether in II buggy; heard Haw1ns say to
Alexander at the store that he wanted him
to 60 down to the mill with him as Sawyer
was there and he wanted to settle that matter;
when Hawkins shot deceased his son did not
make any effort to prevent it; no one did
they oil gave back; Bell left the scene of the
killing in the buggy with Hawkins; getting
horses at Hawkins, they then started towards
Richardson; Justice Nash lives two miles from,
Hawkins; Hutchins is five miles distant
Mr.. j. Bell The prisoner is brother OF
mine; my brothers treatment by my father
was ms good as ordinarily expected under the
circumstances: my brothers feelings toward
my father, so far rs | know, were friendly
father was married four times his second
and his third wives were sisters; three sets OF
children.
Bv prosecutions My brother brought Colo,
mel Chandler to the city, and, father not being
on good terms with Chandler, objected to il
and slappe my brother for it; was not
friendly with my father ut the time OF
his death; | had nothing against Chandler
| knew my fathers last wife and that was
enough; was not on good terms with her
lust knew her, and that was all; from the
time he left his fathers my brother spent his
time at Chandler's and MarshallS; | don't
know how long he had been working fjI
Hawkins.
By defense Don't know that father for
babe his returning; he did not pay him for
his two years labor he performed; / don't
know that it would have been unsafe for my
brother to visit my fathers house; in refer.
ring to my father, brother always called him
"Pa"
By prosecution: did advise my brother
not to live at Chambers, and to try and get
work somewhere else.
By defense-My brother is a cripple; he