Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-05-20
TRIAL OF THOMAS J. CLUvERIUs.

TRIAL OF THOMAS ]. CLUVERIUS.
THE EVIDENCE IN THE TRIAL OF T. j. Gu
vERIUs CHARGED WITH THE MURDER
OF FANNIE LILLIAN MADISON.
After a weeks examination of talesmen
a jury was obtained on Monday of last
week, six from Richmond and six from
Alexandra, as stated in the last ISSUE
One of the jurors, G. E. French, being I'M
well on Tuesday of last week, the exami-
nation of witnesses did not commence until
Wednesday.
The first witness examined was Lysander
Rose, keeper of the Old Reservoir, who
first discovered the body of Lillian in the
Reservoir He notified the coroner, and
the body was taken out and examined by
the coroner. The foot prints of man
and woman first attracted his attention.
He found glove on the walk-way. One
or two planks were off at the opening in
the fence, and one was hanging by nail.
A ditch ran under the fence at this point.
and to go into the reservoir through this
hole in the fence one would have to stem
over this ditch and walk on some planks
across the ditch. Witness was not present
when the body was removed from, tie res-
ervoir. The water in the reservoir was
fifty inches lower that night than usual.
The walk-way was furrowed up, and
there were only two tracks he could make
out distinctly woman's close to the
fence, and mans further off"
| Mr.. r. T. Lucas was the next witness
called. 81 saw the glove and sboestring
and the walk-way disturbed as if there
had been a struggle between man and a
woman; rope was tied around the body
and it was pulled to the gate and there take
out. Mr.. Hagan tied the rope. lie reach
ed out to the body and tied the rope to it.
At first | could not tell whether it was
human body. 1t looked like lot of cloth
ing. When | touched the body it moved
little and l saw one of the legs. The
wafer was clear at that time. l stood on
the inside of the fence when | was using
the pole. held on to the fence with one
hand and to the pole with the other
Mr.. J. Wesley Trainham, another en-
ployee at the reservoir, was next called. He
said he saw foot prints of lady and gen.
| tleman upon the bank, add that he was
there wheel the body was first discovered
and when it was taken out Of the water.
went up there fifteen or twenty minutes
after the body was discovered. did not
stay up there very long. The lowland in
the bottom lspace between hole in fence
and reservoir embankment) is not able to
bring weeds. 1t is mostly red clay.
| saw the tracks up to the walk way on
the embankment. There was Cay like
/ that in the bottom in the footprints on the
embankment
I William Hutchinson, another employee at
the reservoir, was next lied and testified
as follows
81 was at the reservoir when the body
was found; | saw where the walk-way was
disturbed By foot prints. They were the
tracks Of two persons, and seemed to be
the foot prints of a male and female. |
saw the tracks first. l called Mr. Train
/ hams attention to them. l traced the
footprints from where l first saw them
down to the hole in the fence. l do not
remember how many TRACKS | saw. They
were the tracks Of two persons"
DR.. William II. Taylor Coroner of Rich
mond, was next called to the witness stand
He first tod of the character of the foot
prints. He saw the tracks, but they APP
peared to him to be in confused state, in
a circle Of about eight feet. He noticed
twe heel-tracks made ty g different sort of
shoe from tina. which made the Others, He
then described the appearance of the body
when be viewed it, saying 'it had an ex-
ceedingly placid and peaceful look" He
then described to the jury the clothing of
the dead woman. The clothing was in a
large wooden bog, and he took them out
pieea by piece and exhibited them separate
iy to the jury.
The result Of the post morton examina-
ton was then fully given by Dr. Taylor,
who made a remarkably plain explanation
of the character of the bruises upon Miss
siadisop. He exhibited IL sketch of fe-
male cad, ana tie bruised spots thereon
were indicated by blue ink spots The
etfusion Of blood on the brain, occupying
two square inches Of surface, was also
very plainly explained. ''My impression
was that she had been drowned. Tie
lungs wero somewhat reddsr thap usual,
and in cutting into Them I found lit
froth, which is usually considered very
excellent symptom of drowning. Water
| in thn 10 ind. Of
drowning. In this case l found a handful
Gf frothy, digested food-so much digested
that / could not tell the character Of the
food. l cannot tell you whether there was
any water in the stomach. The child
weighed five and half pounds and was
eighteen inches long 1t was male child,
ana / said that it was child that had ar
rived at the eighth month";
| THURSDAY, MAY 18th.
Coroner ray,Qg and Lucas were recalle d /,
but nothing important was eiiciteG,
| Mr.. Arthur W. Hargrove was called,
and on being questioned by counsel on
| both sides sa that he was on Clarke
Spring property and saw Mr.. Rose, keeper
of the reservoir; thai M. Roge appeared
excited and be {witnessj went oyer to tine
reservoir and saw the body CT a woman
| that had been taken out Of the water. al
saw footprints, and traced them from the
hole In the fence up TO the slope Of the
embankmeut. did not go any further
saw no other tracks near the ditch. There
were other tracks near by. but Lot enough
TO cal e>te3tion from the other two tracks,
which looked as if they had been made by
two persons walking arm in arm. I saw
the tracks about II O'clock
! Mr.. Dun,tan was next called. Lives about
half u mile from the Old Reservoir. Found
red shawl hanging on his fence about
6 o'clock in the morning. He carried it
into his house. He did not see any one
when he foprd the shawl. The shawl had
some grass in it like grass that grows in
field not like that in his ward