Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-08-09

Day; was going up street; saw Wef
come down street and 90 into thi
Mayors office; Jack Riggs, brother c
de y ased, told him 10 go out; Weir Wa
standing with his back TO the wall OF
the bottom step of the stairs leading t,
the Mayors office; saw Weir raise hi
revolver and fire the second shot; hearC
no conversation whatever.
Cross.exsmined- by Danford-knoH
Weir; was standing near right Jamb o
door when Jack Riggs adiIesSed Weir;
stood near the door until JACK Riggs
and Weir came ont; SAN STERLING Riggs
ge, up from the .Itirr alter shot was
tired.
VIA Crymble sworn.
Reside at Dennison, Ohio; was here
on December 25, 1880; saw crowd nerT
1 MayoF's Office and started there; Weir
! and Riggs were there when J arrived
! Riggs was standing at the door with one
| foot upon a box: Weir salnted M and
said he was going to the penIlentiary tor
! three ar FIVE years: he then pointed
lu Rigs and saih: ''rhrrr II the
n.au who il going Ia seTd ms ,hsr..
.nd immP iIateiy commenced hSirX aI
RiYss; helped "a . ,ch the prisOu ..
Wri shovel 'he pis;oi in jana Re-,
',rr: Rec pushed Wrir's aru- an ",s'
hls head. Wslr sI!,ru-slrUpl',d d Ihr !,.slo'
and " as taken into custody by Rs
Cross examined by DnfJrd - Wr'
and Rigs were st jhe A4Vni : IA"
when yut rhsrr: Wrrr MAS /" tr" ha'!-
WAY door, Welr's hrSI FruarS /" R'sG>
Was: Watch mr. SIerl, wa,ch m'. MA ta+
dsy of the tr:at." pris0arr s"enci 'nJ.r
pxritel after making the reEirN. .hht
before Sermrd ia very r'rt'an' ::
NOR; after Riggs straghtenrd np h ar"i
10 Weir: Don't pnil that thug "u,
your pocket. dou't
Thomas Yost WAS the next Hituess
"a lied, but he not appearing,
Solomon Bsntly Was Sworn
anil testified as follows: Reside two
miles west OF this place; Was here last
Christmas; was coming up street from
the western part of the town; when
nearly opposite PatterSon's drng store
noticed an unusual number OF persons
at MAYORS office; then first heard report
OF the pistol; saw man running across
the street and another after hun, the
latter firing a pistol; WAS driving q
team: the foremost man then fell IN the
street, scrambled up aud fell again near
nv right horse, when he received the
third shot; then discovered that the
man WAS Sterling Riggs; was not AZ
uuainted with Weir; cannot sav that
Weir is the man who lid the shooting.
No cross examination.
Thomas Yost Was Next Called.
Mr.. Yost testified that he lived about
six miles north Of St. Clairsyille; that he
was i'm 81. Clairsgille last Christmas
iay; that never having seen Weir before
ne took particular notice 10 him, he
having been pointed ont; the deceased
was standing just in the entrance to the
Mayors Office. with one loot upon 4
box; heard Weir say. Watch me, Sterl,
watch me on the day OF the trial;
Riyys said: keep that thing in yonr
pocket, don't pull it ont" Riggs had
not gotten off the pavement when Weir
fired the second shot the third shot was
fired when Riggs was about midway 0i
the street.
No cross-examinatlcR.
James Henderson Next Testified.
Reside about six miles north OF here;
was in st. Clairsville last Christmas;
am not acquainted with either Weir or
Riggs; merely know them by sight; was
on my way home when | saw Riggs and
%er IS near PqEtsrsOn erPPHh nPeh stG5s ne ter
watch me-" and Immediately COM
meuced firing; after first shot was urea
Riggs ran toward the curb; did not see
second and third shots.
Cross-examined-Was about fifteen
feet below the drug store when tlrst shot
was fired; heard nothing more.
Mr.. w, A. Gebhardt was the next
witness called. His testimony merely
corroborated that Of Mr. Robert VI. Ed
ton. and was the same in substance.
Charles Merritt Called. =,
MIR Merritt testified that ne resided
AT St. Clairsville; that he was standing
on the steps OF the Treasurer office at
the time OF the shooting; that ne saw
Weir and Riggs standing on the oppo'
site side of the street; that they were
onarreliny, but cohld not hear what II
Was about: saw Weir pun his pistol ont
and saw him fire the first shot, after
which Rigs started to run across the
street and Weir fred the second shot;
RioOs then ran about half way across the
nike and Weir fired the third shot I;
Rioys then said: "He has shot me IN
the hesrt-I am dead man." DIR. Close
then arrived, and Riggs was taken 10
Jackson's barber shop; the victim lved
nrobsbly five minutes after the shoot,
irg occurred; found pocket como ana
q 5unrh of KEYS on Riggs person, hut
mo pistol, knife or other weapon.
Mr. Peeley Next Testified.
Mr. Feeley is employed at the Treas
nrec's office, and at the time oil the
nootiny was behind the counter at
"a work and did not see the hrst anu
SECOND shots, but saw the third; Riggs
was near an ash pile that lay IN the
s,r1a, when Weir fired the third shot;
when Riggs passed me he Sa'd: IN a
a .sd man" he probably made two or
t,ree steps after saying that anu then
CONNIE need to sink; Riggs was standing'
leaning against the wall; made no ex-
animation of the body.
James Patterson Was the Next Witness
Reside here; am a son OF Druggist
Patterson. saw Weir standing Ut the
drnS store door with his mana IN ans
pocSet; Rigs said 10 Weir: Don't pu!!
| that thing out OF y)ur pocket; saw
third shot very distinctly, but not the
seconl: the tnird shot lid not knock
him down; aitar the third shot Riggs
| went toward Rev. AleXauders house,
| and Weir ran down the street.
Cross examined-Riggs WAS moving
away when he told Weir not to pull the
pistol out: he moved towards the lett.
The Most Damaging Testimony.
| Isaac Shallrross Was the next witness
called. Mr.. Shallcross testified that he
WAS acquainted with Weir, and had
conversation with him prior to the shoot
ing: Weir took a ride with me on NY
snviue from st. Clsirsville down tt
Ooincy; sm an engineer on the narrow
| Osnoe road: on the say,down my hre
mse Harvey Bumgarner, Introduces
the subject al Weir's trial on the barr
Gnrnjng case. and said that he Weir
had got pOstporement; Weir replies
that he had; Weir then Sahi that II M
| ,a,,tHA pt;arV hp Womb