The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-30
FRANK JAMES.
Proceedings of the Trial of the Missouri
DesperadO-The Hite Murder, Etc.

Proceedings of the Trial of the Missouri
DesperadO-The Hite Murder, Etc.
ST. LOUIS, Mo, Aug. 30.
The Post Dispatches Gallatin (MO.)
special saws: The Frank James trial was
resumed Tuesday morning. The defense
asked permission to introduce specific acts
against the witness, Mrs. Bolton, with a
view to attacking her credibiity. The in
tentiOn was to open up the murder of Wood
Hite, at the Ford house for which Liddle is
now under indictment, and of which Mrs.
Bolton and Captain Ford were wit
nesseS. The court decided that Mrs. Bolton
could be recalled and examined, not as to
the killing, but as to what she had told the
neighbors who called upon her on Sunday,
December 5, 1881, and ate dinner while the
lifeless body of Hte was up stairs. Mrs
Bolton testified that Wood Hite was killed
in the dlning-roOm. She refused to answer
when the body was taken up stairs An
extended cross-eXaminatiOn failed to bring
out anything definite as to the killing or
burial of Hite's body by night near the old
spring in the pasture. She puTed out re
Captain Ford was next called and exam
ined as to the burial of Hites body.
Ida Bolton, aged fourteen, daughter of
Mrs Bolton, was the next witness. She
was present at the killing of Wood Hite
but the witness was not permitted to say
who did it, She narrated the details of the
burial and the clearing of the room. Her
mother did the latter. This was in direct
a i,+i br,- n,'.v
Willie Bolton, sixteen years old, was the
next witness for the State. He positively
identified Frank James as an associate of
Liddell, Jesse James and the two
Hites The witness description of
the burial Of Hite was graphic and thrilling.
Captain Ford, Bob Ford and Wilbur Ford
undressed the body where it had lain on the
floor all day and wrapped it in a horse
blanket They then took it ont and buried
it in the pasture. On the crOSs-eXamina-
ton witness admitted having said that al
though he did not know Hall and Frank
James to be the same person, he intended
to swear they were, anyhow.
James T. Hughes and j. T. Ford were
recalled and gave unimpOrtant testimony.
A strong witness was then introduced in
| the person of Rev. Benz. Mitchell, of Cald-
well County. Frank, under the name OF
Willard, and Clarence Hite, under the name
of Scott, had dined at his house in the latter
part of June, when on their first triI
| to Gallatin. The parson was very
minute in his recital OF the event
and said his recollection was SO vivid
because he had been completely woI
| by Franks intellectually. They haC
| talked about Bob Ingersoll, and had mu
| tually committed him to perdition. They
| discussed Shakespeare and Willard whom
| the witness said most positively was the
! prisoner at the bar, recited selections with
| appropriate gestures The witness ear
nestneSs and grave, preacher-llke tones
| created much amusement.
! The next witness was no less a character
| than the preceding one. He Is known as
Ezra Cole, and lives less than mile from
the scene Of the Winston robbery. His ties
timOny showed that James was at his house
at five O'Clock on the afternoon Of the rob
berry.
Frank R O'Neil, ST. Louis reporter
was put on the stand to testify regarding al
Interview he had with Frank James before
his surrender. Declining to answer where
the interview was held and in whose pres
ence, because he had pledged himself not Il
tell, the court granted him until to-day t
reflect over the situation before compellin!
him to testify.
The general impression is that the State
Is making ont a strong caseatgainst Frank
1t is very evident Franks numerous friends
assembled here are less confident than they
were, and the prisoner himself looks a.
though if he had his liberty again he wOult
Deyer be caught suTrendering.