The Monitor., 1884-10-31

On Friday morning, it having been pre-
viously announced that the trial of How
ard Sullivan would take place on that day,
the court house was filled to overflowing.
| After the transaction of some common bus
mess Judge Reed took occasion to COM
ment in plain language upon the INSULT
cient accommodations offered by the
court house. THE people of this county"
he said ''have right to attend the sessions
of the court and see the public business
transacted | now give notice that |
shall call the attention of the next Grand
Jury to the condition of this building
The prosecutor of the pleas then moved
the case of the State against Howard Sui
livan AS the defendant had pleaded
guilty and refused to retract his plea, there
was no issue joined in the case for jury
to try, consequently none was empaneled.
| but for the satisfaction of the court and to
enable them to fix the grade of the murder
! the testimony was presented in formal
manner. The prisoner was brought into
court and given seat inside the bar beside
his counsel NJ. II. Stratton and Charles
Mecum. He sat with eyes cast down to
the floor, his fingers playing nervously with
red pocket handkerchief he carried and
| beyond an occasional furtive glance as
some witness was called, maintained this
position throughout the trial.
| Amid stiffness almost painful the pros
ecutor detailed to the court, step by step,
the evidence he intended to submit and as
he unfolded the story of the CHASTITY crime
many eyes were bedimmed with tears
The first witness called was |. o. Acton,
Esq. civil engineer, who produced a large
and wel-executed map of the locality of
the murder from surveys made by him,
showing the road from Watson's house to
Sulliyan's house in Yorketown, with the
store. dwellings, woods and fields between.
He pointed out the different places marked
on the map. The next witness was George
Watson, father of the murdered girl, who
in broken accents told of the departure of
his daughter from home on that fatal eve
ming, his subsequent search for her, and
the finding of her mangled form in the
thicket by the road side. Several articles
of clothing worn by Ella at the time of her
murder were shown him and last her pho
tograph was produced and identified, the
poor man breaking down completely at
this point.
Mrs. Watson was called, but the court
said that unless the State expected to prove
something by her testimony which could
not be proven by others, she had better be
spared the ordeal and she was allowed to
depart from the court room. Several wit
nesses were called, the substance of whose
testimony as to finding the body and the
suspicious circumstances leading to Sulli-
vans arrest is already familiar to our read
ers. DR.. l.. A. ID. Allen testified as to the
nature of the wounds and the condition of
the body. He illustrated his testimony by
skull on which were marked the location
and extent of the wounds on the head
of the victim, one Of these being frac
ture of the skull on the side Of the head
just behind the right eye. This, the doctor
said, was sufficient to cause death. There
were also finger marks on the throat and
other indications that the girl had been
choked.
Mr. Watson closely watched every wit
ness as the details were brought out.
The court adjourned until afternoon and
dense crowd assembled in front of the
court house to witness the removal of the
prisoner to the jail A solid mass of peo-
Pile extended from the court house door to
the Jail entrance. and the officers forced
their way through with Sullivan i'll their
midst, the spectators crowding and reach
| ing to get view of his countenance. AT
2.30 p NJ. the court house doors We're be-
sieged by the throng, and the officers were
unable to check the multitude who rushed
in as soon as the doors were unlocked and
| i'll an instant filled the building to over
flowing The judges soon followed, the
bar and witnesses seats filled up, the pris-
oner was brought inand the trial resumed.
! Charles Robinson, the colored detective
who was in the Jail with Sullivan for some
time soon after his arrest, and succeeded
in inyeigling a confession from him, told
the story of the murder as narrated to him
at midnight by the prisoner. After which
4 oil fha OF fol hnu
the prisoner had confessed to him and Es-
quire Casperson, as previously described
through the county papers. The Sheriff
| also stated that the night before his trial Sui
livan had sent for him and stated that his
previous denial of an attempt at outrage
was false and that lie had after striking
the girl to the earth and choking her to
death dragged her to the spot where her
body was found and violated her person
after which he took her money and de-
parted
This closed the terrible story. The pris-
oner's counsel realizing the frutlessness of
any effort in his behalf had nothing to say,
and the court announced that they failed
to find in the evidence anything of Il pal
liative character, and they were compelled
to find the prisoner guilty of murder i'll the
first degree.
The case of Michael Whalen. Harry
Citizens, William Weise and Michael Ca
hill, indicted for assault on Henrietta
Thomas, was then called for trial. The
court assigned W. T. Hilliard, Esq, to de
fend Whalen The other prisoners were
represented by J. w. Acton. Verdict not
guilty This closed the proceedings for
the day.
Saturday morning the court assembled
at 10 o'clock.
Sallie Fisher, larceny, three months in
county Jail.
William Brown, cruelty to a horse, six
months in county Jail.
Stephen Smith, assault and battery two
months in Jail dating from time of commit
ment.
Ezekiel Loper, convicted at last term of
keeping disorderly house, fined $50 and
costs.
Lewis Miller and Charles Bateman,
breaking Jail, six months each in State
prison.
Edward Sanderlin, burning hay stacks,
goes to Reform School.
Indictment against John Fox, goes over
to next term.
Howard Sullivan was then brought into
court and being told to stand up was ask
81 b,, J,I.,n Rad IL ba ba1 a1tv thiuty ta