The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-12
HELD OVER THE BODY OF WILL
LIAM WATF0RD, FATALLY
SHOT MAY 27.
The Jury Find that Deceased
Died at the Hands of
Rubirth.

ana DelleVeu lnere Was nO HoPe VI lo-
covery.
The shooting occurred OH the night
of May, 26, to q, on Live Oak street,
in the city of Austin, county OF Tray
is, Texas. was shot by short, heavy
set yellow man, barber, on last
night; | had not given him any |
cause for shooting me the same
man that shot me called me to come |
to him, and when L walked toward
hir some one else came up behind me |
and knocked me down, and when l
was getting up, he, the barber, shot |
me the man who shot me l recog- |
nized this morning; the officer, |
Charles A. Lauson, brought Robert
Rubirth, the prisoner who shot me, |
before my bed and recognized him |
as the party who shot me; l have |
made these declarations volun- |
tarily, and am not influenced by
anybody to make these statements;
my mind is sane and l am conscious
of all which l have stated; l
F.. don't know who knocked me down.
Judge Tegener cross-eXamined on
Watford's statement-Wat afford lived
eleven days after making the above
statement he said he had known the
man who shot him, for two years, and
that he was the same man brought be-
fore him by officer Lauson. The name
of Rubirth was suggested he did not
appear under the influence of narcotics,
and DR.. Burt said he was not so at
the time; know nothing as to his char
acter as regarding violence; do not re-
member thatWatford was ever brought
before me upon charges of violent as
sault, but his face seemed familiar
when l saw him that day; the records
of the courts, if fact, will show it.
CHARLES A. LAUSON,
policeman, being sworn, testified:
Was not on that beat, but hearing
whistle blown in first ward, also tele-
phone call from there to send two
officers down at once to Metz saloon,
as there was serious trouble,
L went down; upon arrival
there was told by Cal Metz that
trouble was across the street; found
the man who was shot,
across the street, and by
this time the other police ar
rived at the house; L gave orders for
all to leave the house. The other po-
liceman who came was Kalman Sen
drey. L stayed in charge of the house
until morning between 6 and a. m.
The trouble occurred between the
evening of the Goth and morning of
the 9th; between 6 and z o'clock on
the morning OF the 9th. took Bob
Rubirth, the defendant, to the house
where the man (WatfordD was lying;
l went up to the bed and Watford
said: Gle, Robert Rubirth, is the
man tina. shot me-" again called his
attention to the man, Rubirth, and he
again said: EYES," he is the man"
Fred Callahan was with me lat the
time; do not know the names
of all the parties in the room;
recognize Emma Williams and Lau-
IA Hall as two of those in the room.
CROSS-EXAMINED.
When l first went into the house 1
did not hear any one say: "Here
comes Robert Rubirth and police
man, now" he was awake, and said:
Yes, he is the man who shot me-" it
was not necessary to shake Watford,
he was awake; said: "Billy, is this
the man who shot you ?" and he said:
EYES," he did not turn over after the
question, but looked at Rubirth; l
know the appearance of man under
the influence of an opiate; Watford
did not appear in that condition: /
arrested Rubirth on Cedar street, 1
think, where his family lives; he
raised no objection to being arrested;
he did not attempt to run; did not see
any pistol on him; he had on only his
drawers or shirt; when he dressed he
did not take any pistol out of his
clothes; Mitchell's wife opened the
door, and went through their room
into Rubirth's.
KALMAN sENDREY,
policeman, sworn, said: Saw Rubirth
on the night of the shooting, about
half an hour before it occurred; he
was sober; Rubirth said he would get
Callahan out; the negroes told me l
was coward and they would help
me; said call right, come and help
me-; l said this to Rubirth;
Callahan had been beating woman
in the street; did not tell Rubirth to
go into a back room, he replying
he would not, as he was I'M
armed; nothing of the kind was said;
did not show him the room after we
got on the gallery, and say: "there Is
the room, go and get him." l went
myself and knocked on the door.
q. Did he not say he would not go
because he was unarmed, and would
not go In upon an armed man, and for
you to go ahead?
A. He did not
EMMA WILLIAMS.
Colored, sworn, testified: Could not
swear who shot Watford; Rubirth
was at the place when the
man was shot; don't know
whether he had pisto
: or not the man who did the shooting
was about same size as deceased, but
heavier set and had on what appeared
10 be light hat.
Odd you see the man shoot him ?
A.-Yes sir. One man hit him in
the head, and as he was rising from
the; ground the heavy set man did the
shooting. He had on what appeared
to be white hat; waited on him
during his sickness Mr.. Harry
Baum, Jack Ryan and Laura Hall
were with me during the time
on morning after shooting, POI
lice-officer Lauson brought Rubirth,
around, and Billy looked at him CRU
Dirth) and said: Yes, he is the man."
Rubirth said: 'Look again" And
he looked again and said :: Eyes, he
Is the man." He looked at him as
though he knew him both times; do
not know who was there at that
time; Watford looked at Rubirth |
twice. and both times recognized him |
as being the man who shot him; |
Laura Hall helped me to take Wat
ford's shirt off after he was shot.
CROSS EXAMINED.
No one woke him up when the |
officer came; the doctor gave him
nothing the night he was shot; when
Watford started into the house |
some one called him; the |
hat of this man looked white: |
was about thirty feet from the
men at the time of the shooting: / |
cannot recognize Rubirth as the man
who did the shooting; when Watford /
came into the house be said Bob, the
barber" shot him; he said he had
known Bob two years, after he
was in bed; the man who did the
shooting was about Watford's height.
only heavier; am not positive that the
man was no taller than Rubirth, but
he looked no taller; when the shoot
ing occurred we, were on the gallery,
MR. HARRY BAUM,
sworn, said: Watford was an English
man. twenty-eight years of age; he'll
had been in the state about four years:
he died June s, 1884, in Austin.
DIR. BURT'S STATEMENT.
DIR. w. j. Burt, city physician, !
sworn, said in substance, as follows:
L. -