The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-01-27
TIE wITT1CK MURDER
To-Day's Developments
MoNDAY-FIRsT DAY.

1
going home in his milk wagon; saw the
occurrence leading to this trial and re-
membered the faces of Ganey and Gro
gan, thought the third man was Motor
mac; saw Conrad Wittick that day. First
saw the men near Mr.. Schaffer's, north oil
SEatz's saloon, crossing the road IN front
| of him, at the bridge or culvert over the
slough. Counsel on both sides here
examined a chart shown by MIR. jackson.
of the prosecution, which was afterwards
explained to the jury. Their attention
was called to the location OF SchatZ s
saloon and Bruchmann's, to the bridge, to
Mr.. Stodd's house and to the pasture
fence. Witness showed on the chart
where he was when he saw the men; the
men were near the bridge; Grogan and
Ganey had crossed the bridge going south
another was three rods behind; when the
two men were opposite Bruchman's saloon
Ganey seemed to stoop and pick up some
thing; Grogan stepped off about four fee.
and also seemed to pick up something
the third came up and they then separ-
ated. Witness watched them till they
came to the gate going into the pasture.
Ganey and MeCormac stood there and
Grogan was on the left hand side of the
road. The next thing witness saw was a
man passing in q wagon; he passed wit
ness on the right hand side: he was sitting
up and the horse was going at q fair trot.
| When about two rods ahead of him the
two men were jumping around and
swinging their hands. The old man
had something in his hand. as be passed
| the two men one of them seemed to pick
up something and made pass toward the
old man. Wittick was on the west side OF
the road not over three rods from the men,
la little in advance of them, The man on
| the other side was running toward the old
man. He was about three rods from him
and ran till he got behind the wagon.
Then he made pass at the old man,
whose head dropped forward, his hat
fell off and he disappeared in front OF the
seat; the horse began to run, and ran for
twenty rods or SO; then the mans head
began to work over the edge Of the wagon
and he soon dropped from the wagon.
| When witness drove up he got out and
went to the man. Mr.. Wittick lay on
his left arm; blood was on his head and
| face and on the ground; witness asked
him where he lived but received no
answer, A farmers team soon came from
| the south and stopped, Another soon
drove up, three men came running and a
crowd sooD collected. Witness saw moth
ing in the mans hands; saw something IN
| Ganey's hand when he was by tho fence;
| GaBey made this motion, Witness
waved his hand as If throwing something. |
Saw nothing in the hand of the third man
on the left side of the road, but saw him
make motion as if throwing, then he
turned right around and ran back; saw no
motion of throwing till after the old man
passed. The old man sat on the right
side of the seat; he seemed watching the
two on the right-his head was turned to
the right. Saw Grogan run back through
| the pasture to the left. Soon another man
| followed him: thought the second man was
Ganey. Witness helped lift Wittick into
the wagon and then went home. Witness
coat sleeve was all bloody where the
mans head had lain. There were loose
| stones in the road at that place, When
witness got home WitticEs horse was tied
in front of the gate. The hired girl had
tied it there; the horse had been found
walking along the road; ate his dinner and
then drove the horse back to town. In
the wagon were three blankets and an old
coat; didn't remember any -four sacks;
there was hay under the seat. As he
drove into town Mr.. Stodd asked witness
ii he had seen a revolver. He had not
| but sthey looked and found it 10 the hay,
under the seat. Witness here identified
revolver handed him by the counsel as
the one found. The hammer drawn
back.
On cross examination by Mr.. OBricn
witness lsaid he did not see Wittick at
SchatZ's saloon; GrogaR and Ganey were
on the bridge; when he first saw them
stopping he was three rods from the
bridge; was across the bridge when he first
saw Wittick; witness horses we're walking
Wistick passed him on the right WEST
side; Wittick was pointing to the two
men at the right when witness first saw
him. These men were jumping around as
if uneasy, The old man passed the men
on the right about three rods when he was
struck by the stone. He was pointing at
the two men on the right when he was
struck. Witness thought the man could
have overtaken the boys in minute or SO.
One, Ganey, seemed drunk; McCormac
was sober; Grogan behaved pretty well.
Re direct-The road was about five
rods wide. Wittick was six or eight feet
from the centre Of the road when he was
struck.
George w. Hodgeman, a travelling
salesman of a patent stove blacking, testio
fed that he saw two of the defendants
Nov. "A. 1879, and also that he saw Con-
rad Wittick at the Armory that day. Met
the two men on Second avenue. between
Eleventh and Twelfth streets, about II 80 |
A. NJ.
The defense objected to showing what |
on Second avenue as extranesus. |
and held that it was not necessary to show |
that the prisoners were in condition to |
be maliously disposed toward everybody. |
The judge ruled that the prosecution |
might show an assault. but not enter into
particulars
Mr. Hodgemen continued: The two |
men identifying Clancy and Groganl
made an assault on witness which was
wholly unprovoked; had refused to treat
them; never saw them before; one of
hem struck him on the side Of the bead,
hen both bit him. Witness started for
nome. The men went down Tenth street
away from the river. Witness boarded at
Mrs. Myers. Get home ten minutes
before II.
On the GROSS examination by Mr..
O'Brien witness stated that he lived in
Mich, and had been in Rock
sland since Tuesday night; was sent
or by the sheriff; was at the inquest in
November and was asked to be
lere at the trial, had not yet
eceived any compensation for coming
Iere: didn't know there had been
nything said about pay; witness knew a
yitness pnt his nav maid bis ovc avpaps |