Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-27
The Clay County Flend Given a Pre-
llmiuary Trial and Refused
Ball---A Rope in Court,
Evidence Shows He Was the Father OF
His Daughters Babe and Muir
dered the little One.
The Feather Anxious TO Adminis,cr an the
Medicine 60 the Young Mother
hid ie Poison uors


-licciattp tho pAlcite,
IIENRRrrA, THX., Jan. 26.--A, a, Stoag-
~, who is charged with having murdered
his unmarried daughters infant, born on
tae isih inst. 10 Clay county, Tex, was
arralaned In the courthouse OF this place
to-day 70 stand his preliminary trial. rno
testimony upon the trial was as follows
Dr. Bitslck was first introduced by the
state and testified as follows. know OF
an infant being born az the house OF the
defendant IN Clay county, Tex, on Satur-
day, the 10th inst, 1886. ] never saw the
young lady before who gave birth 70 the
infant From the best Information | can
get think her name was Miss Molllc
Steagal. Miss Mollie passed as being the
daughter of the defendant. The infant 20
which Miss Mollie gave birth Is dead. /
have seen II since II died The last time |
saw II ! think was last Thursday or Fri
day. Dr. Ferris brought the corpse TO
my house. was sick at the time, but |
identified II as being the same that Mollio
gave birth TO. aul sure Of L.. believe
the infants neck was broken when Ferris
brought 1t to my house, but am not Ger.
tain. Mr.. Steagal came after me the morn
ing OF Friday, January 10, to 90 to see his
wife, who, he said, was going to be con.
fined. When got near the house he said
he wished TO explain II was not his wife,
but young lady who was going to be
confined, who had been livingat his house
two or three months. He said he did not
care about IL being told, as she belonged
TO good family and that he was going 10
send her away as soon as she was well
enough. | told him did not sec how Il
could be kept n secret, as the child would
he evidence OF itself, and Stcagal said lac
did not think the child would live. | br-
gan to think something was wrong by the
defendants remarks. | told Stoagal
would not go in unless he would get
about two of the neighbor women 20 at.
tend, that l did not Ike TO
have anything 90 do with a case
OF that kind unless somebody was present,
He insist, q on my going III, and said he
Thought that II would come of rightaway.
| went back TO Henrietta, about three
miles, and got DR.. Galloway, ard We
both went out. We examined Mollio and
found her labor progressing slowly. This
was Friday evening, and the child was
born on Friday evening. IL was ordinar'
| lily healthy | suppose ! remained an
hour and a half after the child was born
then handed the child 10 Mrs. Steaga
| TO take 10 the stove TO dress. She Their
| began washing It, There were two
women coming to the house, and Mrs
| Steagal took IL in the other room ant
covered IL up. When the ladies' left
told Mrs. Steagal she ought to bring thu
infant In and dress IL, but the children
were coming la, and she seemed per
picked 10 know what TO do. l then left
The smaller children had been playing
/ about the yard all day The ladies' askct
Steagal how his daughter Mollie was
! lie answered that she was yer,
sick and could not rec, i've company, tina
4 they might come back in two or thre
days and see her. This IL the FIRST intima
ton got Of Mollle being the defendant
daughter. As ! was going along wit
Steaga- ! q seemed TO intimate that 1t wa
my duty to keep this as professional
secret. He said no one knew IL but al
old lady and she would die before sh
would give IL away. Mrs. Steagal sail
! she did not see how In the world IL couli
! be kept q secret, as SO many people KEEP
coming IN. The defendant said he woul,
send the infant aud itS mother away u
soon as they got better In two or three
days, and told him they wouldn't De abll
TO 20
on cross-eXamnatlon Dr. Blitick sale
Mrs. Steagal never said anything abpu
the child having spastn or anything beiut
the matter with IL. | told her 10 turn th,
| infant on its left side because 1t favors
circulation Of the blood In newborn chill
dren. know the child's neck WAS moi
broken when born. There were nc
bruises on II anywhere.
| Redirect examination; / made three
visits 20 see Miss Noble, two of them
after the child was born. | went back OF
MOnda, morning after the child was horn
and the child WAS missing when | gol
there. | asked Mollie where the child
was She said she did not know. | then
asked the defendant and he said he had
given II TO man aud his wife 10 raise
| nut did not give their names This war
the same child that afterwards examined
aud Identified in the presence OF DIR
Ferris.
George Norton was then introduced by
the state and testified as follows; ! know
the defendant. have known him abonl
two years. There was dead infant found
Ia his house about the 2lst day OF jam.
y, 1886. | found II upstairs above
the ceiling, rolled up 10 quilt
IN box. There Is no stairway
There Is hole cut IN the
ceiling about two feet square. A piece
OF Two sacks was over IL aud a piece OF
wood tackled on one edge Of IL. had
hard work pushing my head through IT,
| mad heard the testimony Of witnesses al
the inquest OF Mollie, which showed that
Mollle had given birth 10 child, and II
was missing. When found the infant
II had nothing on but piece Of canvas
around its waist. I handed II down
stairs. II was then taken out the door
and an inquest was held over II. lts head
was found crushed, It's neck broken and
It's arm brok, n. DR.. Ferris was present.
The baby was taken TO Henrietta 10 DIR.
BIttlek's house 70 remain.
Cross-examination | am not a ply
slcian and made no post norton exam
nation OF the infant. did not examine
the chIld before IL was brought down