St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-05
ON TRIAL FOR MURDER.
Smith. the Gypsy, for the Killing of
His Uncle, Before the Court.

Yesterday morning the district court,
Judge Wilkin presiding. commenced the
trial of William Woodruff, or Smith, as
he is best known, for the murder of Samp-
son Palmer Oct. 25 last. The prosecution
was conducted by the county attorney, J..
j. Egan, while ex-Mayor G. D. O'Brien ap-
peared for the defense. The case will be
remembered as the Gypsy case, in which the
shooting was done on West Seventh street.
The prosecution put on the stand four wit
nesses who testified fully as to the killing of
the deceased by the defendant ON the day
named in the indictment. The defense is
that OF self-defense, the shooting being
fully admitted. AS a part Of this defense
the alleged malicious and vindictive char
acter and disposition of the deceased will
figure very largely. The defendant went
upon the stand and told the story of the
shooting. The substance of his story was
that Palmer, who was shot, was ugly and
violent, and that the night before the shoot
ing Palmer made an attack upon the defend
ant and struck, kicked and choked him in a
very cruel and violent manner without any
provocation whatever; that the next morn
ing he was sitting in front of his tent door,
when he looked up and saw Palmer ap-
preaching with woman by his side, who
cried out to the witness to run away as
Palmer was going to fight him. Palmer
approached quite near and gave evidence
that he was about to attack the defendant
The latter retreated into the tent
AND AIMING HIMSELF
with large Colt revolver, returned to the
tent door. By this time Palmer had got
pretty near and efforts were made to get
him to go away and make no trouble but he
refused to go. The defendant, who is
sickly and consumptive, told Palmer to
keep away but the latter paid no attention
to the warning nor to the requests Of those
who were with him and attempting to get
him away. He threw off his coat and
started for the defendant and the latter
shot and killed him. As soon as the shoot
ing was over and the defendant learned the
result he started for the city hall, but in
his enfeebled health he had to give it up,
aud meeting two men in a vehicle he made
statement to them and got them to take
him down to the city hall, which they did,
when he surrendered himself to the officers
of the law.
Mrs. Woodruff, wife of the defendant
testified as to the ugly and quarrelsome dis
position of the deceased and to the threats
he had made against the defendant He
had many times threatened to kill the lat
ter, and she had frequently heard Palmer
declare he would knock Woodruff's brains
out. When the shooting occurred she said
Palmer came up in boisterous and threat
ening manner and demanded that Wood
ruff get up and fight. The latter said he
did not desire to fight, nor did he intend to-
The deceased continued his rough and
threatening ways and was going close up to
her husband, who was sitting in front of
his own tent. The latter told Palmer to go
away, and to keep away, but he paid no at
tention to what Woodruff told him. He
continued to advance towards the latter,
and being a very large, strong man. while
her husband was small consumptive, it
was evident
THEY WERE NO MATCH. ,s
Her husband seeing that Palmer was GER
tain to attack him instantly got up and told
him to keep off. AS he said this he jumped
to one side and fred.
Bell Smith, sister Of the defendant. testi-
fed that she had often heard her uncle, the
deceased, threaten to beat her brothers
brains out, and to kill him. She also testi-
fed as to the i'll health of her brother, the
violence of the deceased, and that her uncle
always had a good deal of difficulty with
people, because of his violent temper
Frank Coney was 16 years old. lived in