New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-17
WILLIAM PORTER ON TRIAL.
OPENING THE CASE BEFORE JUDGE DAVIS
DID PORTER SHOOT wALsHf-TEsTMoNY OF SEW
ERAL WITNESSES.

The trial of William Porter for the murder of
John Walsh in Shang" Diapers liquor shop, No.
4G6 S1thaye., on October 10. soon after 1:3O am.
was begun in the Court of Oyer and Iermlner
yesterday before Justice Noah Davis and jury.
The courtroom was crowded. The mother and
three sisters of John Walsh sat near the jury, and
wero dressed III heavy mourning. The sisters wept
Peared self possessed sat just behind William +.
Howe and at the right of A. III. Hummel, his
counsel. Assistant Distrct-Attorney O'ByTne rep
resented the people. Porter was called to the bar
and pleaded not guilty" through his counsel. The
whole OF the morning session was taken up III secur-
ing jury.
In opening the case for the people, Mr.. OByrno
said that 1t would be difficult for him to prove his
case, as the most important part of his testimony
would depend on those who were the friends OF the
prisoner, and their character was well known He
reviewed the history of the shooting, and said he
intended to prove that no in the hallway of
the liquor shop when Hope, the bar keeper, ran
ont that Patrick O'Leary few seconds later saw
tho prisoner theroi that Porters revolver carried
peculiar cartridge, and that the ball which caused
Walshs death lifted the empty chamber OF Porters
weapon and that Porter exclaimed to Detective;
Sergeant Hickey, IL did not do tho shooting"
before he had been accused of it.
Tho first witness Henry Hope age about
nineteen the bar-keeper in Diapers place. He tes-
tilted that Irving entered at the side door leading
men at the bar. These were William Nosburg
Patrick OLeary, Michael Fay and John Walsh.
Walsh ran behind the ce-bOx, and so the witness
supposed that the shot was fired at Walsh. The
witness then ran out through, the hallway 1.-THE
door, and informed Draper. lie saw no one II the
hall when he went ont.
Mr. O'Byrne presented an elaborate wooden
model of the liquor shop, showing the bar-room ard
the bil!iard-room in the rear in which Walsh and
Irving were found dead. Hope identified two
buiet-holes in part of the partition between the
two rooms, section of which was shown.
Patrick OLeary, of Erie, PENN testified that he
ran out of the room through the hallway just after
Hope went out lie saw man with black nous.
tache standing in the hallway. The witness passed
ont and saw Detective Sergeant Hickey, and then,
turning around. he saw the man with the black
mustacho standing in the hallway. He called
HiCkey's attention to him and asked him to arrest
him. This was done. OLeaTy identified Porter as
long It was after Hope went out before he himself
passed through the hall 1t was not long, however
Joseph +. Sager, district messenger boy, stated
that he heard the shooting and looked into the hall
way, but he saw no one there
Dctectiye-Scrgeant Thomas Hickey was in Kane'S
oyster place and out. He met OLeaTy out
side. who called his attention TO Porter, whom he
knew. The witncS, approached Porter and said
Where are you going, Billyf" Porter replied:
You are not going to make any more trouble for
me- Hickey. did not do the shooting Tho wit
ness then arrested the prisoner.
Captain Williams identified the pistol which was
found in Walshs right hand, and the one discovered
behind a barrel in tho billiard-rOOm, which be-
logged to Irving He also identified the bullets:
ROundsnan Adam A. Cross testified that he and
Hickey searched Porter and found on him a ro-
vOlvcr. On November ., by the order OF the DIS
tTict-AttOrney, the witness had had the casing
through which two bullets had passed taken down,
and had found behind it two bullets. These he
identified. Officers Price and McCool testified to
their presence after the shooting. The case was
adjourned until Monday at 1880 "A. m.
When Captain Williams and Detectlye-SergeantS
Hickey passed into the room of the clerk OF the
Supreme Court, Chambers, after the adjournment
they found a bTOthcr-ln-law OF Walsh standing
there. Nuspectlug something wrong th'y SeIIc9
aud searched him, but they found no concealed
weapon.