Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-02-23

which he pointed at his head. Burner
threw up his hand to knock iC down and
the shot took effect in his bowels. Bur-
ner said George why did you do this?
You have shot me in the bowels" Amiss
then cooked his pistol again and Burner
said, Don shoot any more; give me
my overcoat and will 60 up town. y
That was all he knew about it.
Cross examined-Ih had mentioned Amiss
to Burner and warned B. against him.
Burner pulled out pistol and said, 81 am
prepared for things like that" That hap
pened in the bar room of the Virginia
Hotel Bnrner was General Agent for
Frick Il Co.. and travelled good deal.
JH. Waters. Burner said to me as
sat at his bed that there was no cause for
the shooting, that he never harmed hair
of Amiss: head. He was sitting in front
Of the stove in Fannie Lewis room reading
Longfellow's poems. Heard some one
come up the steps rapidly and knock at the
door, Fannie asked who WAS there and the
reply was George" She said go down a
while l have company, the man kicked
once or twice and the door came open and
Amiss walked in, advanced towards him,
called him d-m rascal, and commenced
60 strike him with his fist. Burner warded
off his blows, never SO much as trying
to strike back. Amiss finding he could
not manage him in this way. drew his pis-.
toll and would have shot him through She
temple had lie not knocked down the pis-
tol. Amiss then shot him in tie bowels
Burner said, George, for God 3 sake let
up and will go away from here" Then
Leila Lester came up the steps and she
and Fannie Lewis got him pacifed. Bur-
ner was then standing outside on the land
overcoat which she did. He asked Leila
to let her friend go up with him to the
hotel, she said her friend was gone but she
would 60 with him herself. Burner then
walked up to the hotel though he hardly
knew how he walked up Witness had
never heard Burner during his visits tts
his sick room express any Ill feeling to-
wards AmiSS, never saw any pistol on
Burner nor any in his room at the Virgin
ia Hotel. Burner said Amiss' first words
on entering the room were, ''you e. d.
rascal" Burner was more powerful
man than Amiss and could have killed
him with his fist, but he said he did not do
so much as strike him.
j. B. Lickliter Burners account of the
shooting as given to this witness, was
that Amiss rushed into the room saying.
"D-n you. you here again. are you?' and
made at him. They clinched. Amiss put
the pistol to his head bu. he pushed it
down and Amiss then shot him in the
bowels. They scufled into the hall and
Amiss was going to shoot him second
time when Burner said "George, don It
shoot me again; you have shot me once
Get my coat and I will CO." Amiss got
his coat and handed it to him saying,
Nov d-n you. get out of here"
Witness had known Burner since boy.
Saw pistol in his room and took it down
and gave it to the clerk. Burner was
taller than Amiss, but the men were pretty
evenly matched otherwise.
N. G.. Gregory. Saw the pistol in
drawer in Burners room which Lickliter
took down to the clerk.
DR.. II. II. Henkel repeated his testi-
mony given before the Judge Friday, aud
said that at no time did Burner say to him
that he despaired of his life. Did not
communicate to Attorney for the COM
monwealth his opinion Of what Burner
thought Of his state.
II. G. Teller, Clerk of the hotel. Took
the pistol brought down by Mr.. Lick
liter, and put it in the drawer, and
gave it to Mr.. Lemuel Burner when he
called for it. Here Mr.. Echols the Attor-
ney for the Commonwealth produced the
a pistol with one barrel empty. Witness
did not recognize the pistol.
L. F. Burner, brother of the deceas-
ed. Arrived in Staunton at O'Clock. My
brother had died at O'Clock. Identified
the pisto; shown by the Commonwealth
Attorney as that owned by his brother and
given to witness by the hotel clerk. Had
carried it to Woodstock with him and
then returned it by express to Mr.. Echols-
The empty chamber of the pistol had no
shell in it, and the hammer was down ON
last fall and it also had an empty chamber
on which the hammer rested. My brother
was agent for an agricultural implement
firm and travelled great deal, and some
times carried large sums of money about
him.
bo or1rff pod
The court charged the officers to keep the
jury isolated and not even allow them to
20 to church Sunday.
Monday.
THE ANXIETY TO GET ADMISSION TO THE
COURTROOM.
When the court met Monday morning.
Judge Smith said from the bench that his
door bel had been very much rung by per-
court room during this trial. He said he
had no right to give passes to enter the
court house. and if he had. he certainly
should not exercise it in behalf of his
friends over other citizens of the Com
monwealth. The officers of the court
were instructed to admit all citizens until
the court room was full, AND under that
arrangement all who came in time were
admitted. The Judge hoped that he would
have no more applications for admission,
whether by ringing his door bell, stopping
him on the street, or sent through the
court room windows as had been done.
! THE CoMMoNwEALTH's LAST AND FLEE-
ING WITNESS.
The name of Alexander Wilson was
called as the next witness. 1t had been
already rumored that this witness bad
fed. No answer came to the call. 1t was
stated in court that officer Simpson had
| met Wilson in Berkeley, Allen & Co.'s