The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-21
The Evidence.

At 2 o'clock pm. the court met and
the State introduced its evidence.
Dr.. ]. P. McGhee was the fist wit
ness called. He testified as follows: l
am practicing physician and surgeon
in this city, and have been for a mum.
Der Of years. | was called on the 8 h
of last September by sergeant OF
police to go and see man who was
said to be shot on Second street, up
the first fight Of steps north of the
frat alley south Of Adams street, and
on the west side Of Second street. |
found in the front room man dead,
whom / was told was Mr.. Dunna.
want. He was lying on the floor. A
bullet hole was in his left breast near
the nipple, which l probed with
my finger and found; the ball ranged
upward and outward, and must have
gone through his heart. The wound
was fresh and had bled very little. |
do not remember the time OF day, but
think it was in the afternoon. / mean
when say the ball ranged out that it
went toward the outside OF the body
from line where it entered. ! don't
think the ball came out, as / saw no
signs OF it having come through,
though l did not make a very close
examination for it, as the man w0s
dead when / got there. ! am per-
fectly satisfied from my examination
of the body that the ba caused the
death OF Dunnavant. The room in
which the dead man lay was on the
second floor, and was the front room,
fronting on Second street and
the alley, and might be called
the southeast room. The body was
lying on the floor with the head to-
wards the northeast corner or door
leading into the little room or closet
at the head OF the stairs. observed
no blood or wound until / opened the
mans coat or vest and saw it. don't
recollect how he wss dressed except
he had on either coat or vest or both.
The rooms are connected by sliding
doors, and | am certain that in passing
through from the room in which the
body lay to the back room l went
through the south one OF the sliding
doors, and l don't know that the
north one OF these doors was sided
sufficiently far to the south to admit
Of a person seeing through q crack
that would thus be left to the north
OF said door, or where it entered the
wall. l saw a bed or lounge in the
northwest corner OF the back room.
/ saw a kind of pallet ON the floor in
the little closet room, near which the
dead man was lying. There was also
a kind OF wardrobe sitting in the front
room partially against the north fold
ing door.
The next witness for the State was
Capt. Pat Hackett, OF the police force,
who testified: l was in the Station
House on the 9th of September last 1t
was very warm day. ! was sitting
behind the desk when the defendant,
Meyers, came in hurriedly and
taid he had killed man. l
asked him what for and he replied
something TO the question which / did
not understand. / then asked him
again what he had killed the man for,
when he said he killed him for seduc-
ing his wife, or words to that effect.
He was very much excited. / had
him locked up, put on my coat and
ran down TO the room, went up stairs
and found Mr.. W. b. Dunnavant on
the floor, dying / Immediately ran
over to his shop and notified his
brothers of the shooting, When | got
back he was dead. When | first got
to the scene Of the shooting Capt.
Pryde, of the police force, and John
Bruder, local editor Of the Scimitar,
were there. Others came in in
a few moments. Mrs. Meyer was
there. She was first in and
out Of the room during the time | was
there. met her in the hallway near
the head OF the steps and asked her
for the pistol with which the shooting
was done. She gave me small ps-
tol, think sell cocker. ! came back
to the shop and found Dunha-
want dead. When first saw him he
did not teem much Convulsed, but
still / knew he must be dying. He
looked to me like dying man.
was gone for perhaps five or ten min
,utes. think 1t ls about 200 feet from
Meyers room to Dun aSants shop.
Dunnavsnt was carpenter, contractor
aud builder. The shop 10 east OF Sec
ond street, on the alley between Sec
ond and Third streets, and near thu