The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-06-11
The Lawyers TanEllng Things 4 Into
"Pretiy Case"
I'd. Bran Again On Trial for Ills Life
at Marshall.
The TN OF a New York bank Tapped ny
the Teilsr-Two More killings In
Southwest .reNas- Banker
Ward Indicted,
THE DAYS RECORD OF GRIMES.
The Crook. n.bsa. cerpu. Trial.

SHERMAN, June 3.-tspecial. The
testimony elected yesterday evening In
the habeas corpus trial OF Mack Crook,
charged a. an accomplish TO the murder
of Sheritf-elect Black, of Lamar county,
was OF a desultory nature and amounted
nothing. On assembling ofcourt this
morning, the state began the introduce
ton o. evidence. On aquestion OF sd-
hitting evidence against Harris, who
was not on trial, Wright, OF Dallas,
stated as one ground OF objection that
the papers would publish II, and
that while IL might not
affect the court 10 hear IL, IL would have
a tendency 10 prejudice the public mind
and difficulties he encountered In OBJ
taining q jury on the final trial. The
court then gave orders TO all CORE
spOndents to not publish the testimony.
On adjournment OF court Tor elmer the
HERALD correspondent saw the judge
and the order was so far modified a To
be to not publish the testimony of the
witnesses, as given by them, but that a
summary OF tho evidence would not be
Objectionable
The case as made out so far is that
Sherid.elec. Black, ut his homo nj
Blossom Prairie, was killed on Su udaY
evening, November o, in 1854. Mack
Crooks had boon sheriff previously and
was defeated by Black. Newt Harris,
who is also charged with Crooks. as an
accomplish to tue killing, was a deputy
under Brooks ana acted as .iall0r.
Crooks lett Paris and went 70 Hot
Springs, Arkansas, on the morning Of
November II, 1851, and while there re-
ceived telegram from his brother 10
the effect that Black was killed and Tor
him 10 come home. On reaching Par.s
IL is testified by party who was
afterwards arrested as an accessory, and
who had nolle pros entered in his case,
and made written agreement with the
county attorney to testify on behalf of
the state in consequence OF having his
cause dismissed and he not prosecuted,
that he met Crooks and informed him
that Middleton had told him that he
had killed Black, and had left the gun
he killed him with hung up in tree;
that Crooks seemed surprised at his
knowing anything about 1t, and said
that they must make out, they were
h~ntiaG for the murderer, and
also asked him if Middleton had
gone back and got the gun, and that the
witness informed him that Harris had
told Middleton to go back and get 1t,
and that Middleton said he did not be-
lieve he could find 1t again.
Jack Duncan, a detective, now figures
IN Inc ChS6 Us HdNlnG WIiJtou u
letter to Paris from Caddo and
from Kansas, signed with name
that Middleton went by and that
on receipt OF these letters Crooks and
Harris sent Lewis Holman to Kansas to
either kill Middleton, give him money
to go TO Mexico, or decoy him to where
they could kill him, and they both gave
him $llO TO go on. This evidence is all
from the accessory, and outside of 1t
there is so far no evidence that in any
manner duplicates Crooks, unless it be
the evidence of one witness, who says
he saw him get gun out OF Shiliing's
saloon on the evening of November ii,
The gun he saw him take, ii he did see
him take one, is shown must have been
the gun of Capt. o. +. Parish. A gun
was found on March %, 1885, some four
months after the killing, near the scene
of the killing that is identified as tho
gun of 0. +. Parish and that was in the
saloon on the evening of November IL,
1t is also in testimony that the gun of o.
f. Parish was In the saloon and seen
by Parish on the evening of November
ID and on the morning OF November Ia.
The argument was opened by Mr..
Wright, of Dallas, who stated the full
defense; and that the only evidence in
any manner inculpated the defendant
was that of one who was admitted 70 he
an accomplice and of anoth,r whom he
claimed was an accessory.
He was followed by Mr.. Ho iges, OF
Paris, for the state. Mr.. Hodges did not
conclude this evening.
Mr.. Lightroot, for the defense, will
follow him, and Mr.. Woolridge,of Paris,
will conclude for the state and Mr..
Judge will conclude for the defense.
Tue case is what the lawyers would
term "a pretty case" involving as it
does, such tangled variety of facts that
require skill to unravel and weave into
theories, and ara apparently as capable
OF being woven one way as another.