Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-03

1 0lyut, tntit 10 hO FioVi w ~
| is the " old man -? He moro likely
than the prisoner made these tracks.
Mr.. Evans, in close scrutiny OF the
evidence, found undoubted conflicts IN
the testimony about the tracks, and he
contended that the mans track may
have been that Of a laborer passing
through there. The two men, Train
ham and Hutchison, who tell most
about the tracks, never told anything
about them until this trial commenced.
Why their silence? They say they
told Mr.. Lucas, but Mr.. Lucas says
they didn't. However the case may
be, there is nothing to show that the
tracks were made by this prisoner
Here the proof of the prosecution IS
sadly wanting.
WITH GLOVES OFF.
The fact that the gloves Of deceased
were off, Mr.. Evans took as pointing to
suicide. What would a murderer want
to take off the gloves Of his victim
fort
The whole distribution OF her effects
he took to be rather the work Of wo-
man in a mania than Of cool, delibe-
rate murderer. Again, if he hit her
with his fist a sudden blow and knock
ed her sensoless, why did he put his
hands over her mouth to get them
scratched? Further, Mr.. Evans con-
tended, it is almost physical impossi-
bility for man Of prisoners small
stature to throw woman Of her weight
over that fence.
THE wATCHKEY.
As to the watch-key found near the
the reservoir, said Mr.. Evans, 1t is the
watch-key of the unfortunate girl her
self" Here he reviewed the testimony
of Hunt (colored) who solemnly swore
at the Coroner's inquest that he sow in
deceased room, at the American hotel.
key " eractly Tor very muchl ike the
key' found at the reservoir and shown
him at the inquest.
Mr.. Evans charged that the witness
Hunt had gone back upon what he
had said at the inquest at the
almshouse, but the written record
Of the inquest is in every material
point substantiated by Police-Jus-
tice Richardson. So that, Mr.. Evans
contended. that if the key was found at
the reservoir, and that he much doubt
ed, it was the key that the witness
! Hunt described to the Coroner as hay-
ing been by him QIunt seen Lying on
the bureau" in the room of the de-
ceased woman.
Mr.. Evans considered it settled by
the testimony of Hunt that 4" the reser-
yoir key " belonged to deceased.
THE GLOVES, AGAIN.
What motive could have prompted
anybody else than deceased to have
taken of the gloves-what could have
prompted anybody else to throw the
hat in " the dead-house? - And here,
he said, you are asked to believe that
the hat contained gravel from the walk
way. But none is shown an :" inlini-
tesimally small one was seen by CorO-
ner Taylor with his glasses. Again,
what object did the murderer have in
throwing the hat in the dead-hOuse and
the shawl over the Dunstans' fence I:
What possible object?
sUPPosABLE VISIT TO DUNsTAN's.
Mr.. Evans now went back 10 Lillian's
visit at the American, and he com
batted, and not without success, the
theory that she was so ignorant of the
city. He showed that she went alone
to Miss Curtis's. She had the Dun
stans' address, on Reservoir street, and
may not she have gone there ? The
pioneer witnesses of identification at
the almshouse were the two Misses
Dunstan. They knew her. She had
known them. She had their address.
She had corresponded with them.
Now, said Mr.. Evans, it is not IN proof
that Tommie Cluverius knew anything
at all about the reservoir-grounds I;
anything at all except that he went to
Richmond College, three quarters Of a
mile Distant.
Now, we are permitted to suppose
while the Commonwealth is not. Sup
pose that Lillian found her way out
there on the night of the 18th, whether
alone or with companion | know not.
But let us suppose that she made re-
connoissance Of those grounds. Let us
suppose that she went out to the Dun
stans' that night and Knocked for ad-
mittance and was not received. She
may have left the shawl on the fence as
a farewell token. In state Of mania
she NAV have found her way through
the Clarke-Spring grounds, and in a fit
Of desperation, " fearless of the spirits
Of the dead and of the bodies Of the
living" may have recklessly thrown her
hat into the dead-house; thrown her
glove away; then made her way through
the hole in the fence /; then gone to the
embankment, thrown another glove
away, and then thrown herself in the
water. So much for the theory Of sui
eide.
MEDICAL EXPERTS.
Mr.. Evans strongly relied upon the
theory of suicide as advanced by Coro-
ner Taylor in the early stage of the
case; that theory, Mr.. Evans held, still
stands good. The medical evidence is
that the wounds are as much accounted
for in suicide as in murder.
| HE DIDN'T ESCAPE.
Mr.. Evans now reviewed the circum-
stances leading up to the arrest Of the
prisoner, ard showed that prisoner got
the papers containing an account Of this
affair early enough to have enabled him
TO make good an escape if he had so
wished. If, unexpectedly, the dead
body was risen to the surface and the
secret was out, why Gf he was guilty
did not he fly? But the dogs of the
law are let lOose--big dogs and little
Blanch, Tray. Sweetheart, and all
and when it is discovered that one oi
the dogs, Hunter Hunt, is on the wrong
track, he is called back and told of his
error.
In this connection Mr.. Evans made
another "dig" at Colonel Aylett for
appearing in this case.