The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-29
T. |. WREN.
SECOND DAY OF HIS EXAMINING
TRIAL BEFORE JUDGE Won
ROSENBERG.
Conclusion of MelVen's TeSti-
mOny-Eyidence of DIR. Burt
and MIR. Fred Carleton.

The preliminary examination OF
Mr.. L. l.. Wren, upon the charge Of
murder of Col. l. E. Edwards, came
up before Justice Won Rosenberg yes
terday afternoon, Col. Tom e. Sneed
representing the defense, and Jas. ID
Sheeke, district attorney, appearing
for the state
r. II. BRUMBY,
attorney at law. being sworn, said:
"KnoW defendant, L. L. Wren;
knew deceased; know that he is dead
saw defendant and de ceased, l.. E. Ed
wards, together twice I'll the night OF
the difficulty. On that afternoon about
$50 o'clock witness walked into the
bar and billiard saloon of the Capitol
City club; besides others present no.
ticed deceased, l.. E. Edwards, Mr..
Fred. Carleton and Mr.. Il. l.. Wren
standing near the bar; Edwards was
evidently qIlarreling with somebody;
witness walked in amongst the three;
| the first words witness distinctly re-
membered hearing Edwards say were:
Cd d-n you, you can't be elected
to that office again" To this there
was no reply. Edwards con-
tinued: Cd d-n you, you
can't, you are thief and
you can't hold that office" Immedi-
ately afterwards he said you are Cd
d-n land forger, and you ought to be
in the penitentiary with the balance
of your gang; and I've got evidence
enough t. send you there"
About that time Carleton and wit
ness succeeded in pursuading Ed
wards to leave the club room. Ed
wards, Carleton and witness went out
the front door opening on the balcony
facing on Congress avenue, and walk
ed around on the balcony facing BoiS
dare to post about nine feet from
the head of the stairs leading from
that (Miller) building down to the
sidewalk. While standing there talk
ing, witness saw Wren come out of
one of the rear doors of the club down
the gallery on Bots dare street. Wren
walked from that door to the head of
the stairs. AS he got at the head of
the stairs, with his left hand on the
railing, Edwards said: "There's the
d-n 81 of a b--h, now" and
ran at him, striking him in the face
with his fist, at the same
time catching hold of him with his
left hand. Edwards continued to strike
Wren with his fist, Wren ducking his
head down is if guarding his face.
While Edwards was striking him in
in the head witness first saw the knife
in the right hand of Wren, who had
this arm over the banister; Wren was
on the staircase, and all the cutting
done by him was done with his right
hand over the railing; the whole thing
was quickly done. Capt. Carleton
caught Edwards by the coat or coat
collar, j1rking him back, and witness
jumped in between him and Wren;
Wren and witness then went down
stairs together and walked up the Az
enue as far as Finklea's drug store,
one block, where they separated.
The staircase mentioned is the only
available one in the building; there Is
another away in the rear, but it is very
rickety and is not used. ;,
The post near which Edwards
Carleton and witness were standing at
the time Wren made his appearance
on the gallery, is about nine feet
from the head of the stairs.
There was no response by Wren to
any of the epithets of Edwards either
in the saloon or on the gallery, except
LII UuO So1OOA WllCn hO lOPllOu
"that's all right Witness was not
positive as to which of the doors
opening on the east gallery Wren came
through, but saw him on the gallery
before he was closer than forty feet
to the party standing near the post.
Edwards back was turned in that di-
rection at the time. The width of
this east gallery is probably nine feet.
VhArn hinr fn nrl.unnf Nrnn
from seeing Edwards from the mo-
ment he (Wren) came on the gallery.
Wren was at the head OF the stairs
when Edwards made the remark,
there's the d-n s-n of b-h now"
Witness saw Wren on the gallery be-
fore Edwards did. Wren was at the
head of the stairs when Edwards
made the remark. Edwards seemed
to have seen Wren over his shoulder.
The attack by Edwards followed i'm
mediately upon the use OF the Ian
guage. The scuflle could not have
lasted more than fifteen seconds. Ed
wards had nothing in his hand at the
time OF the difficulty. He wore a
large seal ring which must have in
tlicted the wound received by Wren in
the face. Edwards had hold OF
wren WIN MS l6IC ndnu, dill uurlHS
the difficulty. Wren did not return
the blow of Edwards, except with his
knife. Edwards had struck two or
three blows, at least, before witness
saw the knife in Wren's hand; was
in a few feet of participants at the
time of the difficulty and would have
seen the knife had it been used before;
could not say when the knife was
drawn; could not have been drawn
during the difficulty, or even after the
use of the language by Edwards; it
could have been drawn by Wren as he
came down the gallery, without wit
ness noticing it, although Wren was
in view all the time, as witness was
not watching him closely; saw blade
of the knife during the difficulty. and
it seemed to be two, or two and half
inches long; it was dusk, but not dark,
and witness had no trouble in recog-
nizing Wren on the gallery, at the dis
lance of forty feet; when witness
returned to the club room, after leav-
ing Mr.. Wren down the street, he
%a,, On txua1yn TAroanQ In fho