The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-14
The Examination of the Burglar
Cacac


Monday began the trial of what
is destined to be one of the most cele-
brated cases ever brought before the
courts of this county, 1t is the bur-
glary of Mr.. Walkers store and the
binding hand and foot of Mr.. Hunt, a
clerk who slept in the building. Three
parties are under arrest charged with
the crime: NJ. V. Rock, julius Leo
nard and Harry Crossman. \ new
charge was filed again them alleging
robbery in addition to those
which had been filed before.
Mr.. Brumby appeared for the defend
ants and County Attorney Wooten rep
resented the state. The first step
taken by the defense was to file an af-
fidavit under the statutes asking for
separate trials so that Leonard might
be used as witness; but Justice Won
Rosenberg held the statute under
which the application was made did
not apply to preliminary examinations
and refused to grant the motion. The
examination began at once. 1t is
evident from The shaping of the cross
examination that the defense purpose
to establish two theories in defense.
First, it will no doubt be their effort
to prove an alibi, and also-secondly-
to show that Hunt himself did the
work. In their defense forty witnesses
have been subpRned and if they
swear in support of the theory the
trial promises to lie highly sensational.
The examination began yesterday,
but when it Will end is about as un-
certain as the most of hu-
man affairs. The stone masons
association seem to be in
number of whom were present at the
defenses deal of power. The prose.
cution is influential and determined
and nothing will be left undone to
bring the guilty to justice, whoever
they may lie. The first and only wit
ness examined yesterday was
L. GREER.
He lives in BastrOp county, on Cedar
Creek about twenty-five miles from
Austin. On the night of the End of
this month, he was sleeping, in COM
pany with his wife, near Mr.. Walkers
store, in the wagon yard. In the night
his wife heard Mr.. Hunt calling him,
and she awakened the witness and he
went to window which had light
of glass broken out and found Hunt
with his hands and feet tied. Hunt
told him Of his condition, and the wit
ness obtained knife and cut the
ropes and cords from Mr.. Hunts
wrists. He then went back to
the yard where his wife was,
and informed Mr.. Christopher,
who was also staying in the yard, of
the occurrence, and together they
went to the store; they found the
doors unfastened and one of them
open. The safe had been drilled and
blown open with powder, the drawers
taken from the safe, and some bur-
glar tools were found on shelf over
the safe-a brace and couple of
chisels. Mr.. Hunt could hardly
use his hands from the effects
of the binding, and his
wrists showed welts from the
one or two places the cords
had broken the skin. The witness did
not see Hunt cut the ropes from his
feet, but he informed him he was go
ing to do so, and then stopped and
went through motions indicating that
he was doing that. After witness
came into the store he looked at the
clock and it was little after four
o'clock IN the morning-about five or
ten minutes. This is in brief the evil
dence on the direct examination. On
the
GROSS EXIMATION
he said he was not familiar with the
furniture inside the room where
Hints cot was. He would not swear
that Hunt cut cords
from his feet, for it was dark, but he
to be doing so. He saw the
bed after the light was lighted when
he and Mr.. Christopher came into the
store, and it was short distance
from the window where he cut the
ropes. If a man were to go from the
Bed to !5e window where Hunt Yves
w6en tife cords were cut, he
would have to throw himself from
the cot and move in some
to the window. When he cut
the ropes Hunt was either standing or
sitting on the window sill, and must
have reached there some way. With
plenty of time he might have reached
the open door in the same way.
AT the close of the examination of
this witness the court adjourned till |
o'clock this afternoon,