Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-13

of envelope in drawer. After got nome
| Florence Manly asked me why l did not
write to her. told her did. she said
she did not get my letter. | wrote nome
and told them to get the letter out CT tue
receipt book which Ihad forgotten to mail,
and give it to Mr. Craig, as it might bs OF
some use In this case.
Tuesdays Proceedings.
CRoss-ExAMINATIoN OF THE WITNESS
WHO WROTE THE ENVELOPE.
Mrs. Geo. ". Miller, continued.-Wlt-
ness examined letter handed her for In
spection by Mr.. Craig, and identified 1t as
the letter she had written to Florence
Manly, of Md, and left in a recipe boo K
on the mantel- piece instead OF mailing it
as she intended. Witness said she wrote
the letter on December 18th, last. Witness
was sick at the called trial of the prisoner
at the May term and could not come. Was
not summoned to come at that trial. The
reason that she was summoned afterwards
was that she saw in the Baltimore "Sun'
an account of the arrest and the incident
of the envelope. She then remembered
having written the name of Florence Me-
redith on the envelope, and wrote that
fact home to Stanton. 1t was at that
time also that she wrote to her relatives in
Staunton about the Florence Manly letter
she had left in the recipe book. 1t was two
weeks after she knew of the arrest before
she wrote about the Manly letter and the
envelope. Wrote to her mother twice after
her sisters arrest without mentioning the
Manly letter. Had never seen the enve-
lope since writing it, until Capt. Bumgard-
ner showed it to her the other day on her
return to Stanton. Is positive that she
never saw the label on the poisoned box
| at all.
| TEST PROPOSITION.
State s Attorney Echols now called for
pen and ink, and said to the witness
Nov write the naae of Florence
Meredith
Judge McCue opposed this proposition,
the witness being nervous from cross ex-
animation.
| Judge smith overruled that objection.
| The witness then wrote the name on q
slip of paper and the writing was somewhat
similar to that on the envelope (which off,
Ger Simpson says the prisoner herself claim
ed to have written) and on the poisoned
box.
| A line of questions looking to impeach
witnesses character was then overruled by
the court unless the States Attorney
should intend to lay the foundation to i'm
peach her veraeity.
Witness, contlnuing-PositivelY de-
MED having written the Manly letter since
she came to Staunton to attend this trial.
| Witness had met Florence Meredith IN
gentleman's Office after seeing her on the
street.
HER ADMISSION TO RHE OFFICER CON-
| TRADICTED.
| Mrs. A. j. GREGORY. an aunt Of the pris-
oner, testified latter having affirmed) that
she was present in the room when officer
Simpson asked prisoner If she wrote the
envelope found in her trunk, and the pris-
oner said she did not write it. 1t was an
other envelope which prisoner admitted to
Simpson she had written. Officer s., wit
ness said. held up two envelopes before
prisoner.
| Mrs. Fuller, mother of the prisoner
She agreed with Mrs. Gregory in her re-
collection of prisoners statements to Of
| ficer Simpson. Witness looked at address
on poisoned box and said it was not pris-
oner7s handwriting. The handwriting on
the envelope was that of her daughter.
Mrs. Miller, or her son, both of whose
writing were very similar. Witness con-
firmed statements of tse other witnesses
! for the defense about prisoners move
ments on the day of April 9th.
THE PRISONER WARMED TO LEAVE
STANTON.
On the night of February 18th crowd
Of ten men came to the house disguised by
having their overcoats turned wrong side
out, and handkerchiefs tied over their
mouths. One of them handed to witness a
threatening letter. Witness afterwards
consulted Mayor Cochran and State A ttor-
ney Echols about what she should do
under the circumstances. The following
is the letter.
| Miss Maggie Greeuer:
You have not only disgraced the sex of
which you are a member, but have. 10y
your conduct in annoying respectable fam
lilies and otherwise, which it is unnecessa-
ry to recite, rendered yourself an ntolera-
| bic nuisance in this community and have
called for the exercise of that un ,ritten
! law which the most law abiding commu-
mites are sometimes calleG upon to exer-
| else. We therefore notify you that you
are expected to leave this community
within ten days. If you do not We propose
to take such steps as will enforce our
mandatory decree.
| You can see by our numbers that aye
| mean business.
| COMMITTEE OF TWENTY.
| Witness denied that officer Simpson read
the warrant to her when he came to arrest
prisoner. Witness knew Of the Manly
letter through information from Mrs.
Miller but forgot to give it to Mr.. Craig
at the May court. Witness denied ever
having offered Martha Vaughn, colored,
$40 to come to court and testify in behalf
| of the prisoner. The witness was rather
more confused in her statements on cross
examination than any witness for the de-
tense up to that point had been.
| Wednesday.
| THREATS BY FLORENCE MEREDITH
AGAINST HER STEP-FATHER. $
Hemp Irayer, expressman, had heard
Florence Meredith say while her father
was suffering from the poison. night of
April 9th, that she hoped it would kill
him that no one knew what kind of life
she had to lead with the two old people.
Witness had not promised since then not
to testify to that in court.