Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-02-07

|
shs returned beteween 8 and
10 O'Clock, she found that a
shutter on the down stairs window had
been pried open, that the back door wss
unlocked and that the house had been
entered. Upon going up stairs she fouud
that pane OF glass had been broken in
back window, and the sticks which held
the sash dowE removed. She noticed
that the clothes and overcost OF her
boarder, Mr.. Derry, were missing.
Edward Lee testified that he saw Little
shortly after O'Clock, on the evening Of
the 2Ith OF December, in a cigar store,
and saw him when he went out. After.
wares saw man standing near Third
and Tatnall streets, but could not recog-
nize him - he concealed his face. He
coiroborated the testimony Of his mother,
respecting the condition Of the house and
the f.ot OF Derry's clothes being stolen.
James X. Derry testified that the clothes
were taken on the 9th Of Decent ber, and
that he did not see them again until a
few days, when they were In the posses
sion Of the chief Of police.
Herman Aaron was sworn and testified
that on the evening OF the 9th OF
December, he saw Little at Third and
TAtnall streets In q short time the
prisoner went up Mrs. Steels alley and
jumped the fence the witness was
positive Little was the person who
jumped the fence. At O'Clock court
sdjou n I'd til 3 O'Clock in the afternoon.
Coul. ieoonvened at 3 O'Clock in
the afternoon, with Chief Justice
Comegys and Associate Justice Houston
on the bench. There WAS a large crowd
| of spectators present, and the aislus were
| filled by the crowd. The clerk called the
names Of the jurors, and the trial of
George Little, alias George Wilson, was
continued.
Daniel Heffner upon being sworn stated
that the night Of the robbery he visited
the residence of Mrs. Lee after it had
been entered and robbed. He found some
| broken glass where a pane had been
| broken from window opening on a shed
| There was snow on the shed r.of and
also on the ground in the yard, and upon
making an examination the witness
found footprints made with base ball
shoe, the heel of which was worn down
on one side.
James l.. Hawkins testified that he is
chief Of police In this city; on the even
| OF the 9th Of December, Edward Lee
came to the city hall aud informed him
| that his house had been broken into and
| robbed. The witness from information
| which he had received suspected Little,
and about month later colored man
named Ezekiel Wright was arrested
| for breaking into store, and
| upon searching him several pawn.
brokers' tickets were found for arti-
oles of clothing that oorresponded with
those stolen from Mrs. Lee. He went TO
Philadelphia, and obtained the clothing
with the tickets.
George Davis testified that he resides
on South Seventeenth street, Philadel-
phia, and is employed as q pawnbroker's
clerk At No. 1914 Market street in that
oity ; on the 28th Of last December the
prisoner pswned an overcost with him
on It was the name OF the maker, John
Davis; was positive that the coat pro-
duoed in court and shown him, was the
one that WAS pawned.
Hugh Mcconnell testified to the arrest
of Ez .kisl Wright and the fact of finding
several pAwnbroker's tickets in his
pockets. He WAS about to state what
Wright had said about the tickets, when
the defense objected and he left the .and,
John Davis testified to making a suit OF
clothes for Mr.. Derry, and identified the
overooat as part Of the suit. When he
finished, Mr.. Gray announced that the
State would not call any more witnesses,
and would rest the case.
Ii. II. Ward, Esq., for the defense,
opened his argument to the jury by stat
ing that he expected TO show that
although a burglary had been committed,
" m u
it, and he would show the Jury where the
prisoner was, the night Of the robbery.
Mary J. Wilson testified that she ia the
mother Of George Little; she remembers
the night of the 9th of last December
her son was out i'll the early part of the
evening, but came home at, or about Z
o'clock, and, after complaining of not
feeling we'll went up stairs to bed, and
| she did not zee him again until about 8
o'clock the next morning, when she called
him to come to his breakfast.
| Ezekiel Wright, the colored man who
pleaded guilty to breaking into Heiss' store
and was sentenced by the court on Mon
day, was called by the defense, and the
sheriff brought him up from the cells in
the basement. After being sworn, he
testified that he did not know the pris-
| Ii
tickets from him he was very positive
that he is not ''de gemman that give me
de tickets" He gave his testimony in
careless, impudent manner, and when he
left the stand, started out the door in
hurry, but q sheritf's deputy caught him
by the arm. Before he had reached the
bottom OF the stairs leading to the oorri
dor, the attorney-general sent bsilitf
after him, and had him brought back.
He was again placed on the stand, and in
answer to the searching questions of Mr..
Gray admitted that he knew the prisoner,
bat denied telling any one that he had
ever received any pawnbroker's tickets
from him. -
The defense closed with this witness,
and the attorney. general recalled Chief
of Police Hawkins ia rebuttal He testi-
fed that when the pawn tickets were
found Oh Wright he admitted 70 him that
he had purehs ssed them from the prisoner,
and said that hs had redeemed the
clothes at Tenth and South streets, where
Little had pawned them, and repawned
them at No. 626 South street, where he
received dollar more for them.
Mr.. Gray opened his argument to the
jury, aud after spec king few minutes
took his seat, and was followed by
Messrs. Ward and Moore for the defense.
The closing argument was made by Mr..
Gray, who reviewed the entire testimony,
and connected it 80 perfectly that it
formed Q Chain Uf circumstantial evidence
30 strong as to leave no doubt of the
prisoners guilt. When he concluded the
Jury were briefly charged by the chief
Justice, and after an absence of five
minutes returned with verdict of guilty.
Little was Immediately sentenced to
uay the costs Of prosecution, on next
Saturday to stand one hour In the pillory,
and be whipped with 20 lashes, and be
imprisoned five years.
A few minutes before O'Clock court
adjourned until 10 O'Clock Wednesday
morning.
As soon as court opened yesterday
John Biggs, ESD, made application to
have the award Of a commission that CON-
demned land for a pnblic road through
} his farm in Apoquinnimink hundred set
aside, on the ground that the amount
J awarded WAS not half the value of the
land taken, and also that the way in
, which the road had been laid would
totally ruin his property. The court held
the matter under consideration.
A jury was then drawn, and the
bastardy case Of William +. Springer
! taken up for trial. Attorney General
Gray and Lilbnrn Chandler, Esq, ap'
peared for the prosecution, and William
n Wbitsly Esu and Harry Hmmons