National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-05-20
ON TRIAL FOR Ills LIFB.
Louis Karchor Before the Court for Killing His
Wi0s paramOur
The Scene in the Wfe's Bedroom De-
soribed by Eye Witnesses.
Testimony Of tho Man Who Heard fac Disturbance
from an Adjoining Room.
ISarcher'S own story OF she Affair as
~
ISurchero Own story OF tho Affair as
Told by Him ia jail.

dctcd for the murder Of J. w. Grimes on tho
night Of tho 27th Of last March The court
opened at the regular hour, and tho counsel
on both sides were promptly in their places.
Out of the forty ordered to DO summoned
| thirty-soven answered to their names, and
when the panel was acceptable to both sides,
nine Of the number only remained uncalled
The jury selected IL as follows: Hiram II.
Kmmall, Richard Riggles, Lewis MCDade,
Nathan Jannoy, solomon ]. Fague, James b.
| Nourse, John Moran, George j. Davis, 3.
Dclord Webb, w. H. Astrop, aud A. p. White.
The question ofquartoring the jury coming
up Judge Macarthur said that as tho jury
could not be accommodated together Mt tho
hotels, in consequence oftheir crowded state,
quarters had been provided for them in the
upper part Of the court house building where
they would be made comfortable.
Assistant District Attorney Covle opened
the governments case to the jury and after
rcCiting the circumstances connected with
the shooting promised to show that it was
case Of murder.
Mr. Mackey, for the defendant followed
and asserted that the shooting done by his
client was in sclEdctense.
Mr. AbuOr Il. Huntington, q craftsman em-
ployed in tho geological survey, was the first
witness called. lie testified that, on the
evening that the defendant was arrested tho
Nlbutro Ndo N8olNiIk az "a hbuNo utlluoL W.
rectly opposite that occupied by Karchor. :. 1t
was about II o'clock when he started to leave,
and lust rs he reached the front door, and
was about opening 1t, no heard throo pistol
shots in rapid succession. He closed the
| door, but hearing the cry of police and muir
der no opened it again. As he came out ho
saw n man standing in Kurchers door calling
for the police The witness ran to the station
house and got Sergeant Daily and officers
| Smoot and when they returned they found
karcher out on the curb calling for the police.
They followed him upstairs to the front bed
| room, where he pointed to q man lying on tho
floor at the foot Of his wife's bed, and, hand
ing pistol to sergt. Daley, said that he had
found the man in the closet and shot him.
Karchor was placed under arrest, but allowed
to 80 into his room to put on moro clothing.
His wife was in the bed in the room, and
objected to her husband being arrested, but
Karcher said nothing TO hor
Mr.. James L. Padgott, assistant district
attorney for the District of Columbia, testi-
fled that, at the time Of the homicide. he lived
next door to karchGr. The witnesses bed
room was in the front of the house and ad-
joining a similar one in KGrcher's house.
The witness was in his room ut 1870 o'clock
that night working, whom he was attracted
| By noise in tho next room. lie heard the
voice of Karcher demanding admission to the
bedroom. He did not obtain it, and all was
quiet for o short time. While karcher
| was silent the witness heard the voices
of man and woman in the
room. Then he heard Karcher come
back and again demand admission, and after
! that blows were struck on tho door, Then
he heard the voice of Karchcr, followed by
three shots, after which KGrchor said somo-
| thing like take that" Afterward he heard
| karCher on the pavement crying ''watchmun,
| police. murder" Then, shortly after, he
| heard men tramping Upstairs The witness
next went into the house, and when he got
| into the room k0rcher said to him: II have
! shot him." or caught him." he did not know
| which. The man shot was lying face down
ward on the floor, as if he had fallen out of
| the closet. Mrs. KarCher was standing at
the door of the back room when witness went
| in. Karcher had on n night shirt and no
pantaloons when the witness entered the
room. When Karcher said that he had
caught him or shot him the witness replied
ho thought it would come to that.
On crosse examination tho witness said that
the cry Of KGrcher as he heard him getting
into the room, seemed 20 be like that of n
man who had had something he appreciated
and had lost it.
Serat. James T. Mullhall, Of the police force.
testified TO visiting I<archer's house between
II and o'clock the night of the homicide,
and to finding Grimes lying on tho floor with
his feet on the edge of the closet. At that
time karChor was locked up in the station
house Grimes lived about two and hall
blocks away from tho residence of Karcher.
Previous to going to the house the witness
had talk ut the coll with Karcher. lie
told him that the man was dead, and Karchei
said, Well that is just MS l wanted
it should be-" Karcher further
said that he came home from
the Office unwcll aud went to bed carly. II,
, woke up shortly before the shooting and
thought he heard mans voice in his wife's
room. Ho went TO tho door and was refused
admission. lie aftorward demanded to bC
let in and got in, He went to the closet ant
found the door fastened, aud asked his wife
for the key. She denied having it, and sait
she did not know whero it was. lie sale
that ii did not make any difference he woul(
find key lie went into the next room t
procure Ratchet, as that was tho key he in
tended to open the door with
When he lett tho bedroom doc
was closed, and when he got bacl
he was again refused admission. He pounded
on the door with tho hatChet aud his wifi
opened it. lie then went to tho closet and
as he was trying to open it, the door flew oper
, and the man attempted to rush ont, but hr
was too quick for him and shot him thre
. times.
The witness asked Earcher II he dii no
know of his wifo's conduct and carrying Ul
in that way with men, 10 answered, Yes
aud all am sorry for is that did not leay
% her long ago."
On cross examination the witness said thu
! all he knew about tho adultorous conduct d
MIS-, kaTchcr WAS what no had heard. II
had never told Earchcr of any Of these 10
. ports, and would not toll any man unloss D.
knew il 70 be an actual fact. lie had BeGl
Mrs, Khrchor uudor tho influence Of II
quor and she had been locked up at the STA
ton house, but no had never seen hor o
: known her 10 commit lewd act in tho pres
/, ouce Of her husband
= formed the autopsy on the deceased, and tcs
titled rs TO the cause Of his DEATH
Sergeant John h. Daily, of the police force
testified TO finding karcncr in front Of hi
house calling "policu' Witness asl,e
what was the matter, and Karchc
said, "GOu come with mo and IN show you.
lie took them upstairs, aud a man laid a
the foot Of the bed doad, Witness asked VIII
did it, Karchor said, 81 dId il, 1 shot hir
three times" Witness asked why he ala Il
kaIChar said, ut has been going on for
long time, but / have caught him at last.
On his way 90 tho station house karcler sai
20 the witness, you can SEQ l am not drunk
am no fool. ! have rot my revenge"
On Cross.eNamiuatiOn the witness admittc
that no had said 10 was pity that q ma
should lose his life on account of Mr.
karcLer and tho reputation she boro, II
donicd saying three days ago, on Eour-and-l
half street, in the presence of Messr6, Mas
and Earr, that karchor ought TO be hung.
At this point tho examination was SUI
pended, aud the court adjourned until tn
) morning.
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