Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-24
TRIAL CT MRS. HAMILTON
FOR THE MURDER OF HER HUSBAND
TESTIMONY FOR THE PEOPLE.
The Opening of the Defense-The Plea OF
Insanity Raised-Testimony Of
fered in its Support

ing of the jury having been completed on Tues
day. After the reading Of the indictment by
the Clerk, District Attorney Buckley adj
dressed the jury, giving an outline of the
case and what he expected to prove, which is
briefly as follows: Geo. Hamilton, the hus-
band of the prisoner. was engineer in the
employ of the Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany that Mrs. Hamilton and her husband,
through the jealousy OF the former, had
separated, she and her daughter living in a
house on I street, near Twelfth. and her hus-
band down town. That he still supported his
family, but that his wife in her jealousy had
repeatedly made threats against his life. That
on the first day of October last he received 6
letter from her begging him to come and sse
her, and stating that she would not hurt MIN.
That he finally went, but fearing that she
might attempt violence, he took Felix Me-
Laughlin, an acquaintance, with him. That
while at her house she urged him to return
and live with her, but he refused, and as ne
was about to come away she shot him twice
and killed him. At the conclusion OF his
statement
DR. W. H. BALDWIN,
Civ Physician. was called as the first wit.
ness. He testified that he held post NOR
tenn examination upon the body of George
Hamilton, who was killed on the LIST of last
October. He found two gunshot wounds in
the head of the deceased ore in the left
cheek and the other in the back of the head,
about two inches back of the left ear, and
about even with the lower lobe. There was
burnt powder around the wound in the cheek,
and the ball passed through the brain. A
portion of the ball was found in the back
of the head, and the other part could
not be found. The ball that entered from the
back of the head was found near the right
temple. His death was caused by these
wounds. Either was sufficient to cause his
death. The bullets which were extracted at
the post norton were identified by the wit
ness and placed in evidenced
FELIX M'LAUGHLIN
Was next called, and testified as follows:
am railroad man and stop in Sacramento !;
am brakeman have known George Ham
ilton about FIVE years. On the day the homi-
eide occurred l met Mr.. Hamilton on the
corner Of Fourth and K streets, and at his
request accompanied him upon the street
car to near where Mrs. Hamilton, the de-
PENDANT, lived, in the upper part OF the city.
THE conversation which occurred between
them prior to reaching the vicinity of her res
idence was excluded Before reaching there
Mr. Hamilton called at meat-market and
paid family meat bill of 81. We then went
to a grocery, nearly opposite her residence,
where he paid grocery bill of the family
While there Mrs. Hamilton came in, and
also their little girl. Mr.. Hamilton intro
duced me to his wife. They talked awhile
together, and she wanted him to go over to
the house, and finally they went there, and
with them. As soon as we had taken seats in
the sitting-room Mrs Hamilton came along
to her husband and
WANTED HIM TO SEND FOR SOME BEER.
He refused and said "No; think from
the looks of things you have had plenty
already" There were two glasses on table
in the room, in both of which there was a
little beer at the bottom. She explained it
bv stating that woman had brought in a
little beer Mr.. Hamilton then gave her
some money, and she sent their little girl for
some beer with pitcher. She soon returned
with some, and handed back the change to
her father, but he returned it, giving the
change to her. Mrs. Hamilton then poured
cut two glasses, and offered me one and gave
one to Mr.. Hamilton. 1 declined it, stating
that l did not drink beer. Hamilton drank
part of his, and set the balance back on the
table She drank some of hers would take a
few mouthfuls and then talk. Finally she
set it down on the table, and went over to
where he was and sat on his lap and talked
to him about coming back to live with her.
She also put her arms around his neck.
Afterwards she went back and sat on the
lounge and drank more of the beer. She
would drink and talk, and when her glass
was empty she would pour out some
more. About this time man came
to the house, and Mrs. Hamilton said
il was the Tax Collector. Mr.. Hamilton
went out and talked with him. When he was
out she kept talking to me about Hamilton
coming back to live with her. She said he
could occupy one room in the house and she
and the little girl another she asked me il /
did not think that would do, and told her l
thought it would be pretty close for folks who
DID NOT INTEND TO LIVE TOGETHER.
When George came back she commenced
talking about the Winklepleck girl. Mrs.
Hamilton was jealous of Nellie Wrinkle
pleck, and had previously shot her for that
reason.l She twitted him about her, and he
denied that there was anything between
| them After further conversation, he &C
kuowledged that he had been little wild be-
| fore she Mrs. Hamilton) came out here from
| the East, but since she came he had tried to
| behave himself. We then took our hats and
started to leave and got as far as the front
| door when she came to him, put her arms
around his neck and wanted him to go back
and stay with her. The little girl also came
after him crying and wanted him to live with
them They made considerable noise, and
told him he had better go back into the house
and try to pacify his wife before he went.
! He went back and talked with her, and after
| little l also went back into the sitting-room
and she was lying on the lounge and sort OF
rolling ON her size and crying. She again
wanted him to stay and live with her, and he
would not. He said he had given her show
ing enough. She said If you will agree
to live with me 1 will take an oath before
this man that l will be good and behave my
self, and if 1 break that oath you can go off. y
| He would not consent to it. | wanted him
| to try her once more, and he said he would
not. She said You went off once in the
States and came over here and stayed ten
years" He replied, YES, l did; and
know what it was for" He then took his
hat to go and passed out and had got as far
as the outsi lie door when l heard quite noise
in the room. and the little girl came running
out and took hold ofme and said 6 Mamma i;
shooting papa" / looked around and saw
Mr.. Hamilton lying on the floor in the door
way at the end of the hall, his head and the
upper part of the body being in the hall anc
! the lower limbs in the sitting. room.
The position Of the parties will be under,
stood by the following
DIAGRAM: