The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-10-20
Arthur PreSton'S Crime.
Verdict of Murder in the First
Degree.

States Attorney for Hartford county; Col. d.
G. Mcintosh, States Attorney for Baltimore
county, and Thomas Ii. Robinson, of the Har
ford bar, represented the State. The prisoners
| counsel were Col. Herman Stump and Charles
E. Fendall, Esq.
The opening statement of the prosecution
was made by Mr.. Robinson. 1t was his first
address to a jury and was in every way credita-
BILE to him.
The facts which he intended to prove, he said,
We're: That Preston had been living on terms of
| intimacy with Mary Dorsey as his wife for some
| time prior to the murder; that he ill-treated
| her in a brutal manner on different occasions;
that on the 18th of April, in the evening, on
| Broadway, Bel Air, he had committed an assault
upon her, firing pistol at her several times;
| that he had then dragged her to q room in
tenement house in Bel Air and there kept her
| all night; that about O'Clock the next morn
ing screams were heard proceeding from the
hsnse, and that a party called out to Preston to
stop beating her; that he shortly thereafter
| came out OF the house and proceeded to the Jail,
where he went into cell, and then requested
to be locked up that on being asked what he
should be locked up for, he replied "You will
find out have killed q woman;' that when
inquiry was instituted, the room the two had
| occupied was found locked up, and that when
| the key was finally procured from Preston, Mary
| Dorsey was found lying upon the floor dead
| Further, that Preston subsequently made u con-
fession of the full facts in the case as presented.
Mr.. Robinson also read the definition of the de-
| grees of murder, and asked for verdict in the
| first degree
Col. Stump, for the Defence made the open
ing statement for the prisoner, stating that his
colleague, Mr.. s. w. Bradford, was sick and
that Mr.. Charles f. Fendall would assist him in
the trial. Col. Stump, defining the degrees of
murder, said that both man and woman worked
out and occupied together one room in q house
| right on the pike road, perfectly public. In the
| room were bed, stove and some dishes and
chairs. They had not lived as happily as if they
were really man and wife. He had been paying
attentions to another woman and she receiving
the attentions of another man. On the night
before the murder they met and made up and
| walked down the street together to the house,
where they lodged all night. If the defense
could prove that he declined to marry her then
| and there, though he had taken RUG from the
other woman and announced his intention to go
back to Mary; if they could prove that dishes
were thrown out of the house the morning of
the murder; that she threatened to fix him, and
got knife and pistol, each of which he took
from her; that she finally got the axe he had
borrowed to chop wood, and struck at him, the
mark being still on the window sill if they
could prove all this, it would not even be muir
der in the second degree, than which it could
not possibly be greater,) but simple manslaugh
ter.
Mr.. Joseph Gorrcll, the first witness, cx-
planned a plat of the house and premises, made
by himself.
Drs. r. d. Lee, Wake b. Munnikhuysen and
w. s. Archer testified to the nature of the
wounds, the skull being fractured, probably
with some blunt instrument and wound on
the top of the head. The wounds were neccs
sarily fatal.
Henrietta Lee, colored, who occupies lower
| room in the house where the murder was COM
mittcd, heard screams from Preston's room ; he
came down stairs and went back he said to me
that Mary Dorsey had beer "lying" on him
after the screams heard him fasten the door
heard him go up stairs the night before about
IL o'clock, and the whole house was shaking all
night, but for what don't know.
On Tuesday Gertie Talbot colored, testified
that on the morning of the murder Preston came
to the jail, where she was employed, and asked
to be locked up. She obtained the key of the
room from him and gave it to Jos. f. Morgan,
who opened the door of Preston's room where
the body of the murdered woman lay. The wit
ness on returning to the Jail denounced Preston
for the murder, and he replied, otis no use
now it can't be helped" Preston afterwards
expressed sorrow for what he had done, and
showed much concern about the funeral, fear
ing that she would be buried at the poor house.
and expressing wish to be buried alongside of
her.
Adde Morgan, a colored woman, who lived
near Preston, testified that she heard three aw-
full screams from Preston's room. Preston
came down stairs smiling. He said he had done
what he intended doing the first chance he got.
Ii.
and said he was going to give himself up to
Deputy Sheriff Carman, saying he was not 60
ing to allow any woman to get ahead Of him.
Harriet Bond, colored, testified that she lived
in the room under Preston's. Between and
Q o'clock lie called her and said "You haven't
seen me down stairs yet, have your When l
do come take good look at me. You'll sec
me look more curious than in all the days of my
life" l asked him, "What have you done, or
what do you intend to dog" He replied "Noth-
ing" While making her fire afterwards, in
room in an adjoining house, she heard screams
from Preston's room. She called Preston, but
got no answer. When he came down he said
"pve done just what intended to do the first
chance got"
Additional testimony was introduced to show
that Preston treated the girl with cruelty.
VIM. Kean, Humphrey Wilson, Henry Ady
and DR.. w. Is. Munnikhuysen, for whom priso-
ner had worked, all testified to his good reputa-
ton for peace and quietness.
The prisoner was then put on the stand. He
said he was born near Forest Hill, Hartford coun-
ty. Had worked for DR.. Munnikhuysen three
years. Knew Mary Dorsey year and six
months before April IL, and went to live with
her month after he met her. She worked for
Mr.. Amos and l for Mr.. John Alexander. |
met her the night April II at Mr.. Bakers gate;
she was with John Hall. Spoke to her and
said | wished to see her. We went down to the
room; | got an axe from Collins, next door, to
split kindling wood to make q fire. | made
fire and we talked, then went to bed and slept
We had no quarrel during the night, but had
some words in the morning. i told her was
going to quit going with her, and she must go
| her own way. She said if | did not marry or 90
| with her l would never do myself any good One
word brought on another. told her was going
| to leave her dgoing away. There was knife
| on the table; she came to me and took the
knife from her and threw 1t in the wood She
| grabbed my pistol, which was on the table. l
| took it from her and put it in my hip pocket
we were both angry | stopped down 10 look
out the window at load of hay, and she grabbed
the axe and made at me. l grabbed her hand
| and started to jerk the axe out of her hand |
struck at her and did not wait to see what [
| had done, but went down stairs. l don't re-
member how many times / struck her; | was
excited. She threw dishes out of the window
which helped to start the quarrel.
On Wednesday morning the case was opened
| by Col. Mcintosh for the State. He was fol-
lowed by Mr.. Charles E. Fendal and Col.
Stump for the prisoner The concluding argu-
ment was by Mr.. Maynadier The jury retired,
| and after an absence of fifteen minutes brought
in verdict of "9uilty of murder in the first de-
gree" Preston did not appear much concerned
| or affected by the verdict, taking it coolly. At
no time dnring the trial did he show any emo
| ton.
| 1t was stated that yesterday a motion would
verdict was contrary to the law and the facts in
the case. The motion will have TO be decided
before sentence can be imposed. Preston, If
| sentenced, will have to be brought to Hartford
county, where tho indictment was found, to be
hanged,
|