Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-02-16
TRIAL OF GEORGE W. AM1ss.

RICHMOND, LYNCHBURG AND ALEXAN.
DRIA FURNISH THE JURY-AN EXCIT-
ING CAsE-LARGE CROWD HUNDREDS
CAN'T GET in THE COURT HOUSE
SOME NEW EvIDENCE-INTEREsT
INCIDENTS.
&C., &C., sc.
Wednesday morning long before ten
O'Clock great crowd gathered around the
court house waiting for the doors to be
OPT ned. The court having been informed
that the veniremen from Alexandria iiav-
ing missed correction would not be here
until eleven, adjourned to that hour with
out admitting the crowd.
SUCH A JAM.
At eleven the bell was rung and the
doors opened, and the crowd surged in,
jamming and bruising some people rather
painfully against the narrow passage ways
and filing the fl )or and galleries to their
utmost capacity in five minutes, num-
Der not being able to get admittance.
The court ascertained that the 35 veni-
remen summoned from abroad were pres
ent: Sergeant w. D. Runnels was on
hand with twelve Richmond gentlemen.
Chief of Police Waters presented himself
with twelve more ahe had brought from
Lynchbu1g, and Const ,ble Geo. A. Hutch
eson brought IN eleven from Alexandria.
The prisoner was then brought in and
taking his seat looked unmoved upon the
hubdreds of faces all turned towards him,
while the thirty.fv strangers inside the
railing regarded him with peculiar and
critical interest.
at this stage of the proceedings, Com
monwealth' IS Attorney Echols II owed the
court to admit the Hon. II. FL. Riddleber-
per to practice in the Hastings Court Of
Stanton, upon which Mr.. RlddIebe.ger
repaired to the CLERK g desk and Was duly
sworn.
HUNGRY JURY AND SICK
VENIRkMAN.
AT this point WHEEL it was thought that
all was r. ady to proceed 20 business. the
City Attorney called the atte.ition of the
court TO the fact that the gentlemen from
Alexand, ia had not had any breakfast aud
thai one OF them, Mr.. Adams, was very
sick, at the suggestion of Mr.. M. F. Viii g
prisoners counsel, the sick man was ex-
cused and allowed to go home and the
court took a recess until o'clock.
GETTING TO BUSINESS.
On the opening of the court at P. M.
1,or of from aah
of the cities represented were drawn Ly
name from a hat and twelve men were
chosen who had not read any newspaper
accounts or made up any opinion on the
Csc. Four Ricbmonders we're objected
to as having read of the affair in the pa
pers and one gentlemen from Alexandria
THE JURY
was made up as follows: R. +. Cox, S. A.
Snyder and Wm. Rebman, of Richn.o d.;
r. T. Lucas, Geo. W. Knalls. X. T. Cook.
T. L. Monroe. M. r. Norris, of Alexan-
dria, and Joseph Kearney, f. W. A. Sat
tier, D. c. Wright and J. G. Fifer, of
Lyncbburg, The other veniremen we're
paid their mileage and per diem aud dis
charged.
THE EVIDENCE.
The jury were then swarm and the wit
nesses Tor the Commonwealth named last
week, were called in and sworn and all but
Leila Lester sent from the room, lii order
that they might be examined separately.
The evidence of Leila Lester before the
coroner's jury having been given at length
In the VINDICAToR at the time of the
murder, much of it is omitted here, though
where there has been any important diff
ference it is brought ont in full.
After saying that she had been living
in Stanton off and on since last June and
had spent about two months IN all in
Stanton. She described the building in
which she lived and the location of herr
and Fannie Lewis rnoms, hers being on
the first floor on the left as you enter the
hall and Fannie's just above hers on the
second f1Jor.
Fifteen or twenty minutes after return
ing from her supper on the night of Janu-
airy I'd. about s o'clock, Mr.. Burner
knocked at the front door, she let him in
aud asked him to walk up to Miss Fannie
Lewis room. which he did. A few min
utes after, Mr.. Samuel Men abb came. She
had sent for him to set up some stoves
He did not stay more than ten minu es.
Shortly after, Mr.. George Amiss, the prls-
him in. When he came in Mr.. Nc
Nabb passed out. She asked hin
in her room, but he said hi
would go up stairs. upon insisting that hi
should come in be said she must excus.
him, be must go up stairs. Then he wen
I'D stairs aud she heard him knock al d say
"If you do not let me in will kick the
door open.' When she heard the nois
like kicking she walked to her cabinet
and said Lord what Shall l do.
In few minutes she heard noise liz
bowls, pitchers and tins had been Knocked
over, and as the wash stand in Fahnie
room was behind the door she though
that the DOOR had been kicked againS
them and knocked them over, atteIward
heard something like the knocking over o
heavy piece of furniture. then went VI
stairs and ''smelt the report of pistol
and concluded that was the last nois
che had heard. Saw Mr.. Burner stahdin,
nearer the door than Mr.. Amiss, the doc
was half open and could see the whole bud
CT Burner, but only the head and arms O
Amiss who had hold of Burner with hi
left hand. Burner said if he would let hin
go he would go up town. Burner Wa
trying to pull loose when the door wa
showed further open and she saw pisto
swing in the hand Of some one, did nu
know which. When she saw it, woman lik
she was frightened and stepped inside tn
door of back room and tuning roun
SAW Fannie Lewis run IN between the pal
ties. and throwing up her hands cried 20