Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-12-06
A DOCTOR TEsTIFIEs.
Holcomb Talks to Samuel Crawford
of Damned Rebel

ffOtSoWD AXIS 10 Sdmuei OraWrOfu
of Damned Rebel"
JACKSON, Mich, Dec. 5.-The first witness
put upon the stand by the prosecution in the
case against Dan s. Holcomb, yesterday
afternoon, was DIR. Nathan III. Williams, of
Jackson, Dams family physician. The
prosecution did this to please the defense,
who declared before the close of the fore
noon session that the people didn't want
TO deal fair, or they would give the doctor a
chance to say how the victims of the great
tragedy met their deaths, a fact which they
said had not been done satisfactorily as yet.
DIR. Williams held the post mortem, assisted
by DIR. Gibson. The doctor said ON the
stand that Jacob Crouch's death was the re-
suit of the shot back of the ear and was in
Simultaneous. Whites death was the same
but he thought it possible Policy might have
had spasmodic motion of the muscles
which had moved the bed-ciothing over his
body. Mrs. White died from one To two
hours after she was shot and the blood upon
her lips indicated the shot passed into her
lungs. Her eyes were open, in his opinion.
when the shot was fired. The eyes of all
the Others were closed when they were shot
After DIR. Williams came Samuel Craw-
ford, of Blackman, who was a nephew of
Jacob ID. Crouch. Crawford saw Dan Hol-
comb upon the streets here a day or two
after the burial of his wife, and Holcomb re-
marked To witness: "They have done all
they can to her now, and don't care what
comes, but wish my wife could have lived
10 see the guilty parties found, but il was
that damned rebel that killed my wife"
Holcomb then got into a cutter and drove
dp'f hau oh
ask him whom he meant by the damned
rebel"
Mrs. George n. Hatch sworn: In company
with her husband she met Dan the morning
after the tragedy as she was coming into the
city about III O'Clock. Dan was going to the
Crouch house. and he stopped them and said
TO Mr.. Hatch: George, is this true are they
all dead?" adding, II don't see who could
kill that old man, who never harmed
anyone" Holcomb had not been to the
house, but was on his way there on foot
This ended the testimony for the people
without touching the conspiracy branch of
the testimony, but the defense said they
would like To have one or two of the former
witnesses recalled, as they had a question or
two to ask them. Therefore Detective Harris
was put on and said he found the thirty
eight calibre revolver at Holcomb's house in
a drawer among some bed clothing and
ladies' wearing apparel. He had got the
Original statement MADE by hOlcOmb at the
interview in the Hibbard House Jan. Is.
which he handed to the defense for their in
spection.
Sheriff Winney said he found revolver
the morning after the tragedy in commode
drawer in Polley's room; saw no blood upon
the clothing in Poleys ROOM
JACKSON, Mich. Dec 5.-Mr Gibson for
the people and Wilson for the defense used
up the forenoon in the Holcomb trial argu-
ing on the question OF conspiracy Gibson
said the prosecution could 90 no further
without bringing Judd and Foy into the case.
They had shown that Judd had brought the
famous rubber boots for Holcomb and that
Foy was trying to buy thirty EIGHT calibre
cartridges-while Holcomb claimed no such
pistol was ever there. He said the people
needed no evidence of conspiracy; a concert
of action on the part of those who would be
benefited by Crouchs death. was enough.
The jury must determine if a conspiracy ex-
isted, not the court. He also said he could
show concert of action all through if allowed
to do o
Wilson said the people had given no evi-
dence upon this point, nor would they do so.
Notwithstanding they promised to. He said
they had got none of the alleged conspirators
nearer than two miles from the tragedy on
that night, and never would.
The arguments are still in progress, and !
decision on this point will probably not be
made this week