Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-05-29
THE PERRY HAMILTON CASE
MORE TESTIHUhY BEFORE THE
OOhUN HE,S JURY.
A Web Of CircumstanfiaI Evidence
The PRISONERS Interviewed by .
tGagetie" Keporier-A Very Jolly
Pair.

| eGasetfe" Keporier-A Very Jolly
Pair.
The coroner's jury met in the city hall at 8
| O'Clock Friday afternoon to take final tes-
timony in the case of Perry Hamilton, who
was found on the railway tracks Sunday
morning week horribly mangled.
Many colored citizens living in the vicinity
of the tragedy were present, and, although
they suffered greatly from the heat crowded
and jammed one another up against the out
side railing and listened to the evidence with
the greatest interest.
The first witness WAS j. T.. Wood switch
man. He testified to seeing blood on the
W. ~ N. tracks about 100 feet from where
Hamilton was struck. He also saw few
drops OF blood on Monday near Harlans
yard.
Hiram Kates, colored, saw several fights
the deceased got into on Saturday afternoon
of the participants. say to Perry, ''You B. Of
a b., I'll get you before Sunday morning."
Mrs. Eliza j. Rothwell, colored, testified
that the body was run over just below her
house, which is on the railroad. On last
Sunday morning she became restless in bed,
arose and went to the front door.
She saw two men pass on the
railroad track, but it was too
dark to recognize them. One of them,
whose voice she took at the time to be Pres
ton Kane's, said, "We've fixed the Cd d-n
s-n of b-h, now haven't we," and the
other responded 'tYes, by Cd we have.'
Just after the men were out of sight, north
and south bound trains passed and in a little
while she saw crowd of white men standing
ON the tracks below her house about where
the body was run over.
This,witness was thoroughly cross. examined
and said it was about 1.30 a. m. when she WAS
at the door. She knew Preston Kane very
well and she felt sure at the time it was his
voice that said, s'we've fixed, &C."
Henrietta Rusk, colored, testified to seeing
Hamilton on Front street with Benson about
1890 O'Clock Saturday night. Hamilton asked
her for five cents which she gave him. She
had no conversation with him and it WAS the
last time she saw him.
|. Eleanore Hamilton, wife of the deceased,
was next called to the stand. She said that
on last Saturday afternoon Preston Kane
came In her yard and called Hamilton out to
fight. She tried to keep Perry in the house,
and ordered Kane out of the yard. The
latter tried to break in the window, and
Hamilton broke loose and went out into the
yard. Kane said, "Iye good mind to killyou
now Hamilton responded, 'I'll fight you fair"
Both men were about to take off their
coats when policeman came in sight, and
Kane made oil. She heard that later in the
day Kane said Sunday morning Perry
Hamilton will eat his breakfast in hell" In
the evening her husband, she said, went in
town, and she followed him to bring him
home. She found hlm at Front and Market,
and got him as far as ront and Tatnan.
He seemed willing to go home, and she
left him, going to the house of a
neighbor to await his arrival Here
she spent the night, and in the
morning was apprised OF his death. On Sum
day afternoon she went to Elijah Benson's
house and found him there with his
woman" She questioned him az to her
husband and he said that he left Perry
on the railroad. They were both
drunk and he wished Perry to come home.
The latter said mo l want to meet
woman" He did not know what time it WAS
when he left the deceased. She went again
Sunday night to Hamilton's house but could
get nothing out Of him. She went to see
Kane and said preston, where is Perry ?"
He jumped as if startled and said, fWhy
Eleanore, don't know
Carrie johnson, colored testified that
Hamilton was quarreling in Benson's house
at O'Clock Sunday morning.
Rebecca johnson, with whom Benson and
his woman" lived at the time of Perry's
death, testified to Bensons arrival home Sun
RsysoI day morning drunk ri She % said that
not have a fight that Benson
was in the house all day Sunday and he WAS
in the kitchen when Detective Jones first
called [Other witnesses, Mrs. Benson among
them, testified at a previous hearing that
DeusOu Mhs uOt III lue uOuse hl IQ6 llm6 OF
the detectives first call. When told this the
witness said she did not care what others
might say. she was telling the truth.
This concluded the testimony and the case
was left in the hands OF the jury.
The jury, after brief consultation, ad-
lourned to the scene of the tragedy. No
signs of blood had been found at the end of
Marsh Lane where the first cutting was sup
posed to have been done. The surface here
ls covered with cinders and consequently
dried blood would not show.
In lot back of the houses close by the
siding of the Wilmington Il Northern rail-
road large pool of blood had been found by
Detective Jones, and the dried cots are still
visible.
The following observations made by
Detective Jones were considered by the jury:
THE distance from the blood on the Harlan
~ Hollingsworth Company's siding to the
blood on the W. Il N. railroad track is 573
feet The distance from the blood on the
w. " n. railroad track to where Hamilton
was run over on the r., W. IL b. tracks is 1873
feet The distance from the same blood on
the W. ~ N. tracks to where a pool OF blood
WAS found three feet south OF the north
bound F., W. Y d. railroad tracks is 70 feet"
The jury rendered the following verdict
The deceased came to his death by foul
means at the hands of parties unknown to
the jury, but that circumstantial evidence
points to Elijah Benson and Preston Kane as
| run over by the cars"
The people in the vicinity of the tragedy
and those who have heard the evidence are
generally of the opinion that Hamilton WAS
murdered and his body dragged to the tracks,
Some think that he was fatally wounded by
unknown parties and wandered to the tracks,
where he fell down faint from loss of blood
Detective Jones and Chief of Police
Mcconnell have had the case in hand since
last Sunday night and with aid from Coroner
Smith have worked with unflinching zeal and
energy to got at the true inwardness of it, Their
actions have been heartily commended by the
| public. and, as will be seen by the evidence.
| they have succeeded in weaving strong
chain of circumstantisl evidence around the
two prisoners for whom Coroner Smith has
| already issued commitments.
| Elijah Benson and Preston Kane, the
alleged murderers, have been in close confine-
ment at police station since Sunday night.
| FRIDAY morning, through the courtesy of
Chief Mcdonnell, a GAZETTE reporter was
admitted to their cell. Benson is a mulatto
about 2S years old with dark moustache and
rather slight in build. He wore
good clothes and had a large glass
pm stuck in gorgeous neoktie
His companion in iniquity is about 2S or 80,
very black and stout. His face is beardless
and bears rather sinister expression. They
| were both very jovial this morning and are
perhaps the jolliest alleged murderers ever
in jail
You're reporter, amt you," said Benson
| as soon as the GAZETTE man entered
81 thought it was time for you fellows to
come aronnd. You want statement don't
you. Well, do you see anything green
three Z" (rolline down his eyelid.) Kane
gave vent to roar of laughter and Benson
marched around the cell with his head down,
hat cooked over his eye and arms in fighting
attitude reminding the scribe of Mark Twain 5
corpse maker from the wilds of Arkansaw. !"
Yon fellows take the verdict cody" said
the reporter
"Oh, don't care" said Benson
'When did you last see Hamilton P"
''rhats my business"
Benson then marched around the cell sing
ing, "Be easy and free when you take drinks
with me, for I'm a man you don't meet every
day"
Walter Bacon, Esq, has been engaged as
counsel for Benson, and as vet Kane mas no