Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-05-08
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| special Uprospuudenee II 4. J.. .ja1 | Jrd1tI
DOVER, May Court ct to-day with
a full beuch present.. Nearly all tie
morning WAS taEen up In empsuelliug a
jury in the case OF Robert Wisher, colored
indicted for oursgs The dsisnsa mad.
severs cha'i.t s.r.s.' 'ie Stare 81
lense two. In 10 ssii re
gooj oL..
1t WAS after IL O'Clock when Mrs.
Evaline Adkins, (the Victim OF the. ga
sault), WAS called to the witness stand.
She Is small woman, about 40 years Of
age, and not by any means prepossessing
in appearance Her testimony was listened
to with considerable interest, but as she
talked very low he WAS not heard very
far of. She stated in substance % fol-
lows:
She had been living in Edward Pleas
anton's family, about 6 mill from Dover,
for about IL years. On the morning Of
September 18th, the last, no one WAS in
the house but herself. Mr.. Pleasanton
WAS out In the field at work and Mrs.
Pleasspton had gone to Dover. She WAS
In the sitting room when Robert Wisher
called her. He was at the yard
ten,e, few feet from the house.
He asked where Mr.! Pleasanton was.
She went to the door and told him that
he was In the field. He then said the
turkeys were out in the field aud we're
going towards the woods. She asked him
to go and drive them up, but he said he
had not the time. He said he would 90
and help her drive them up. She
replied that she could 60 without him.
She started and Wishsr went
on ahead. After they had gotten some
distance down the lane she said: II See
no turkeys" His reply was: "You are
the orly turkey l want;' whereupon he
knocked her down and dragged hsr some
distance by the feet towards the woods.
She managed to get upon her feet, when
he caught hold OF her arm and pulled her
into the woods, where he knocked her
down again and assaulted her.
She WAS asked by the attorney. general
II she resisted Wisher she replied,
eyes" He next asked her il she made
any noise, to which she replied, "No"
"Why 2" Because she did not think
there was any use, as no one would hear
her.
She said Wisher threatened her life il
she told any one what he had done to
her, and 1t WAS only upon her promising
him that she would say nothing about it
that he let her 60. She left the woods
for the house, but at first walked very
slowly as she feared he (Wisher) would
overtake her, but when she got out Of his
reach she ran IS fast as she could for the
house. Wisher never left the woods.
When she got 30 the house there still was
no one there. Mr.. Pleasanton soon
afterwards came in and laid down on the
settee. She did not tell him what had
happened to her. When Mrs. PleAsanton
drove up she went out and took the horse
from the carriage and fastened him. Mrs
Pleasanton asked her II she had dinner
ready, to which she replied, "No."
When they went into the house she told
them what had happened to her.
On oross-exsminAtion the witness be-
came very much tangled up, saying that
Wisher had assaulted her twice. In her
examination In chief she made no mem
other witnesses know OF it. Taking her
testimony all in all, It would be
dangerous to hang a man upon it. She
not bright woman and, while pubic
piDion Is tus; the negro ought to be
uhihntu, IL uvts NOT 20 TO the extent
nat he should be hanged. Nearly
III OF the prosecuting witnesses were ex.
mined this afternoon, and they only re-
tersted what Mrs. Adkins had said III
'nb'tsnce, as they only what she had
told them on the morning the crime was
perpetrsted.
George V. Massey, Esq and wife left
here this morning for Colorado. Mr.. M.
goes to recuperate his health. On his
return he will reach Chicago iu time to
be present at the convention.
Caleb Stephney, colored, who WAS SEN
fenced to imprisonment on Tuesday for
larceny, tried to-day to break Jail by
picking hole in his cell under the win
dow large enough to let out two men at
one time; but he was discovered in time
by Warden Spencer to prevent his
escape. He is now In chains.
Samuel J. Levy, who was indicted at
this court for manufacturing and selling
liquors in less quantities than one quart,
ard found guilty, has skipped town, and
cannot be found. He left enough money,
understand, in the hands OF some
parties, to indemnify his sureties.