The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1884-07-17
THE TRIAL OF FRENcHY ROSS. q
The Case sent TO the Jury This Az.
ternoOu. -


The Case sent 20 the Jury This Ar.
ternoou. -
Tho trial of Frenchy Ross, charged with
the killing of Isaac Tinney, was continued
in tho Criminal Court yesterday afternoon
after the report of THE CRITIC closed and
the testimony in the case concluded.
The defense called as their first witness
Margaret Boyd, who testified to quarrel
between Ross and Mary Neal before 10
o'clock on the night of the homicide, Ross
subsequent return to tho house, n renewal
of the quarrel and Ross running from the
house, followed by the men.
Ross Statement.
French Il. Ross, the defendant, testified
that he went to tho house about 8 or 0
o'clock to see a girl. He sat and talked
with her some time and went out, the girl
going with him. Mary Neal camo out
and ordered her upstairs. he and Mary
Neal then had words after which he came
away. He went back about 11:30 o'clock
with friend and all the parties were In
there. They got TO joking with each other,
when Mary Neal came down stairs and said
hard words. She then blackguarded him,
and that was how the trouble arose. She
grabbed him by the neck and tried to pull
his necktio of. Turner came to him and
got him to come out They went up to
Sullivan's, and while there Turner told
him that he was a fool, and he had better
go back and apologize. They went back
and found Mary Neal at the door.
She said they could not como in. Turner
said that the witness had como down to
apologize, and she said all right. Ho told a
man standing in the door to get out of the
way. He heard something said, and Tinney
clinched him. He had his knife opened,
and while they were clinched he heard
Tinney say he was cut. He got up and ran
out, they following him, and he hid in the
Smithsonian grounds. Afterward no went
to Ninth and Il streets, and did not know
the man was dead until after daylight. It
was Meredith who hit the witness in tho
mouth. He did not draw the knife until
he was lying on the floor and being kicked.
On cross-examination the witress said he
opened the knife while he had Tinney
down with one hand. He knew Mary Bur-
CESS about three weeks before this trouble
occurred. She had been to jail to see him
several times since the difficulty took
place.
A number of witnesses testified to tho
good character of the accused.
The Government offered testimony in
rebuttal Of his as having q good character
and contradictory of his statement as to the
fight prior to the cutting.
This completed the testimony and the
court adjourned until this morning.
Ross Case.
Upon the converting of the court to-day
the argument ofthe case was ut once en-
tered upon. District-Attorney Worthing-
ton, in his opening, claimed that the
Government had made out the case prom
ised and showed clear case Of murder.
Mr.. Mackey followed and contended
that there was no testimony To
show murder, but If crime had been COM
mitted at all it was manslaughter. They
went further than this, however, aud
claimed that the cutting was justl6ablc.
The Case with tho Jury.
The Court instructed the jury. He said
that he did not think that the case called
for any remarks from the Court The rule
was that the intention to take life was to
be inferred by the use of a deadly weapon
1t was for the jury to say whether the
weapon was deadly one or not. But the
use of deadly weapon which produces
death is not always murder. There must
DO malice aforethought.
The jury took the case at $50 o'clock.