Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-09-03
WHO KILLED HAMILTON e?
SEARCHING INVESTIGATION OF THE
BEllAlRE TRAGEDY.
No Light Yet But Suspicion Is Rife-The
Excitement in the City-examin-
ing the Witnesses.

| Bellaire is in furore of excitement
still over the Hamilton murder on Tues
/ day night. The mys'ery which still
| hangs like cloud about the tragedy is
as mpenetrable as ever, though rumorS
/ are plenty and speculation rife in every
direction. There are many persons who
claim to be able to put their clutches on
| the guilty party, but the name, II
known, is carefully suppressed. All
day q large crowd surged about on Bel.
mont street, near the city building,
waiting for news and hungry for inioi
/ nation. At first it was thought the in
quest would not he held until to-day,
but after long waiting, Coroner Ken
nedv was driven To the city building
and Constable Drugan summoned the
/ witnesses.
In the meantime, the REGIsTRR cor
respondent was admitted to the Jail
/ where are incarcerated
THE CoLoRED GIRLS
who had played so important part in
/ the dreadful occurrence. They we're
! all huddled together in one cell, in a very
/ different mood than that of Yesterday.
They had spent night in the lookup
| among the bed bugs, and their slumbers
we're disturbed often during the night
! bv dreams OF the most horrid descrip-
! ton. Unused 20 this sort OF life, the
| effect was plainly visible, and the glris
| frankly admitted OF an arrangement
J with Hamilton and Watkins aud told
| of the familiar embraces ri the boys at
I the corner of Guernsrv and Thirty
sixth streets, at which tiiur Young Ham.
ilton told Mena White, in Il ~ tone OF
/ voice that the other girls herd that they
were watched, and he didn know 6hat
| 10 do. They cried bitterly, and express
| ed themselves as willing 10 make clean
breast OF all they knew, and did make
| several statements, which Will come out
! in their testimony.
THE INQUEST
/ began about | 80 O'c.Ock, with Jack son
/ MYERS on the stand, who testified as fol-
1 lows: am acquainted with the deceas.
/ ed; have been but few days; saw him
/ las, at his brothers drug store-back
| door: two ladies with him-on the even
/ ing oithe murder; think there were two
/ or three bows with him; | saw the two
/ ladies; they were mulattOes; there was
another colored girl on the corner wait.
! ing; did not know the girls, but could
! tell them il | saw them; the two girls at
! the back door were in conversation with
/ Hamilton, deceased, and the other boys
/ between half.past . and 10 O'Clock.
Under discrimination he said he
/ was sure there was more than one boy
! with Hamilton, but who, he could not
/ saw. He saw no one at the Belmont
house alley, but saw the girls pass sew
| cral times.
OLIVER HOFFMAN
testified: The first time | ever saw de-.
! ceased was night OF murder; there was
( Il party of six OF us standing on the
corner when the girls passed, and some
( III them followed at the girls; some OF
/ the bows had the girls out one night,
! and Joke was started; the girls went
| down 10 the corner back OF the Belmont
! House: there were two boys sitting to
I the right al the girls; do not know
whether the bows talked to them or not;
| they stopped at the alley and met three
other girls; never saw deceased in COM
pany with the girls; they passed the
store Sevcra, times; it was about quar-
ter after nine O'clock some OF the boys
followed murder" and so did ].
DISCRIMINATION.
Attorney-(iive the names Oi boys in
the crowd you We're.
Witness-Dave Handley, John Baugh,
John Shannatelt, VIM. Feeley, Emanuel
Sprout. Hamilton was there part oil the
time.
Attorney-Who followed murder
first? who called you aside and told you
the Joke?
Witness-.Will Feeley.
Coroner-WhO walked to the saloon
with yout
Witness The same party. The girls
had lust walked down To the alley Bel
mont House alleyl. and stopped; think
there were four girls passed us at cor
ner; three at alley, one had gone to Bel
mont House; two boys sitting on lett
side OF alley, close to the fence; do not
think would know them an confident
they were not full grown; one OF the girls
said, he thinks il is a queer things per.
son can not 20 along the street without
being insulted; he made no reply; re-
manned in McDermotts saloon till short.
lv after 10; started home from Belmont
House corner; three OF our crowd had
been with the girls before we separated;
| Handlcy went across the street home;
Feeley and started to play pool, Baugh
started down Belmont street; don't
know where Sprout or Hamilton went;
think Shannaielt went to see some young
fellow named Mccormick; il should
see the girls again | would know the
tallest one; was not acquainted with
them.
MINOR TESTIMONY.
Will Feeley Corroborated much OF
Hollman'S testimony. He had seen the
bows sitting on the curbstone, with the
girls seven or eight ieet away. lie
could not say whether they were con-
versing or not.
Rev. !. w. Toland, who lives near the
fatal spot, knew nothing of the crime
beyond having heard the noise.
Mary Brown, colored girl, testified
10 knowing the girls, who were, for all
| she knew, respectable. Since III the
| lookup they told her they were walking
around, and some man on a step asked
them to meet him on the square by the
school house; the girls dld not tel
whether they did or did not; they told
they heard theman say, "God damn you,
gitr'
+. II. WATKINS,
who with Hamilton, testified as follows:
| was acquainted with the deceased all
the time he was in town; saw him last
Tuesday night; was in company with
him, and started ont TO take a walk;
started from side entranceof drug store;
went down TO Guernsey street, up to
square and crossed it; saw the
girls on Thirty-iourth street.
went on till we came to a shoe shop on
the corner OF Thirty-siNth and Guern-
sev streets; the girls overlook us; said
/ a few words 10 MS and we started to-
wards the river; turned into the alley
and addressed some remarks 10 the
girls; Just at that point some one raised
up and threw; the girls and ran; |
thought he Was following; he went to
his store; called through for Clyne, but
he did not answer; waited fifteen "
twenty minutes and concluded to 60
/ la.I.. I baar5 tho atona hit him Int