The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-06-03
A MYSTERY.
STILL FURTHER NVESTIGA-
TON INTO ADARK AND
FEARFUL CRIME.
CONTINUED TESTIMONY CONCERN
ING THE MURDER OF EULA
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
EVIDENCE.

WheR the state resumed It's testimony
yesterday morning, Mr., George McCutch-
con, well-known citizen of Williamson
county, was the first witness called. The
examination in chief had reference only
to what he had observed and learned of
the conduct of James Phillips towards
his wife, Eula while they lived on wit
ness place in Williamson county, and after
their return to Austin within few weeks
prior to the murder of Eula.
He testified that while in Williamson
county defendant upon one occasion
threw cup at Eula with such force that
it broke it into sIuall pieces, and then he
chased her with a case knife; and that
upon two other occasions defendant asked
him if he thought his wife was nice and
yirtuous, and swore that if he thought she
was not he would kill her and then kill
himself The last threat of this charac-
t,r was made by the defendant in the city
of Austin, three or four weeks prior
to the murder of his wife.
He said that defendant had told him that
his mother, Mrs, Phillips, had said that
Eula was too fast and that she had told
witness the same thing
The line of the defense was made mani
fest in the cross examination of this wit
ness, the object being to fasten upon him
the guilt of the murder with which Phil
lips had been charged. He was questioned
with great minuteness concerning his re-
lationship towards Mrs. Phillips, and was
asked if criminal intimacy had not ex-
listed between them, both at his home in
Williamson county, and in Austin. To
| OF tha I'm
denial, and, during the course of the nu
merous insinuating questions asked him,
manifested disposition of resentment
that singularly impaired high degree of
excitement to the large audience that
thronged the court room. This was par
ticularly noticeable when the de-
eense insisted upon his removing the
shoe and sock from his right foot
in order to prove that the popularity of
that member correspondent with the
bloody imprint of foot. preserved upon
wooden panel that had been sawed out
of the gallery of Phillips house.
An effort was made to induce the wit
ness to indirectly convict himself of hav-
ing been in Austin on the night of De-
cember "a, by proving the short length ii
would require him, with his well known
trotting horse, to drive from Austin tc
his home in Williamson county, as vel
as by showing through him the frequency
of his visits to Austin for the purpose Of
seeing Mrs. Phillips. But the witness
o ated that one of the reasons for his com
ing to Austin was to collect from Phillips
n sum of money that he was owing him
and gave the names of four or five gen
tlemen from Williamson county, who. hi
said, could prove that on tn
night in question he was at the house o
Mr.. Bob Mitchell, in Williamson county
over twenty miles from Austin, from 8 til
II o'clock. He was examined at lengt
in reference to certain conversations h
had had with Mrs. Campbell, in which i
was claimed that he had threatened to xii
deceased If she should give him up, ant
also to kill Mrs. Campbell if she ever di
vulged what he had told her of his Grim
inal relations with deceased. He wa
asked if he had not, upon one occasion
bought medicine from Tobin's drug stor
and delivered it to Mrs. Campbell for tn
purpose of being used by Eula Phillips t.
produce abortion. Each and ever
insinuation and charge the witRsss EN-
phatically denied.
lie confessed that three or four week
before Euls's death he had at her earnes
appeal given her five or ten dollars, h
did not remember which, to pay her eS
penses to Elgin.
Mrs. Annie M. Dyer, who during las
December lived in part of the Phillip
house, testified that she was startled fro1
her sleep on the night of the murder b
the screams of persons in the Phillip
house, and upon repairing to the room
in which defendant lay wounded
: found Mr.. Phillips and Mrs. Phillip
dressed in the apparel she had seen thei
wearing the evening previous.
That she herself cut the night garment
I from Eula Phillips, which had been tigh
: ly twisted into rope on her shoulders, g
.. if having been, caused from dragging
> That the skin was all dragged off on eac
side of her spine, from the waist to he
4 shoulders, and the back of her hal
v filled with dirt and chips, an
saturated with blood, showing, evidentl.
a that she had been dragged along tn
ground. She testified that she did nc
retire until nearly ~ o'clock, up to whic
time there had been no unusual noise
disturbance of any kind in the PHILLIP
house. After Eula Phillips had bee
carried into the house she discovered thu
her hair was rolled up on brown curtin
paper. She said that one night, some 81
weeks before the murder, she heard
voice that she supposed was Jim Phillips
say, "God d-n you, will kill you"
4. Justice VIM. Won Rosenberg, jr, was e.
amined, primer pally in reference to tt
bloody tracks and trailing of the bloc
I hounds, and though mis- evidence was OF
very interesting and important characte
it was too long to be detailed Ill substan'
here
The most attractive and entertainir
feature of the court procee
ings yesterday was Sergeant Thorn
sons narration of the hunt of hin
self and his favorite bloodhound, "Bob
for the mysterious path of the murder
of Eula Phillips. He said that when Il
first trailing was made, on the afternoc
. after the murder, that his dog attempt'
r to 90 in the house, but that he called hi
off. Athis request, however, and with Il
consent of the officers, he made anoth
search that night after supper. Startir
g from the spot at which the body of Eu
Phillips had been found in the yard, "Bol
followed directly the course leading in
the room in which Phillips lay wounde