Telegram-herald., 1886-10-08
JOHN AbOYDC0Av|CTED
Declared Guilty OF Murder IN
the First Degree.
He TESTIFIES IN HIS OWN BEHALF.
The Defense Fails TO Establish the
Theory OF insanity Remanded
10 Jail 10 Await His
Sentence.

The Boyd murder trial was resumed IN
the Circuit Court al 9 o'clock yesterday
morning On entering the room Boyd
shook hands with several of his Rockford
acquaintance lie drew large plug OF
tobacco from his pocket, cut of generous
allowance and cheWed il slowly. He was
put upon the stand and testified as follows
| ann the defendant in this case am thirty
seven years of age; have lived in Rockford
five years; and in Kent County seventeen
years; l had some trouble with Mr.. W. b.
Johnson over some furniture; the first time
| bought furniture 10 the amount of $50
and paid so down; Mr.. Johnson took
mortgage back upon the furniture; the
second time / bought S3s worth Of furni-
ture and paid SO down; Mr.. Johnson took a
new note secured by mortgage upon all
tie furniture and all my household goods:
the week before the note became due | saw
MIR. johnson and asked him about il; he
told me when il came due. when the note
came due my wife was sick and / told Mr.
Johnson of my circumstances and he said
that would be all right, Mr.. Johnson
then went TO PetOskey and soon after
the officer came TO my house and
demanded the payment of the note. said if
il was not paid al once he would take the
goods. | fixed the matter then salisfac-
rorily; afterwards paid Mr.. Johnson 50 al
time until owed him $40: then he said he
must have his money: | was in partnership
with MIR. Mason and he owed me some
money; | asked him 10 help me in the mat
ter and | made new note and Mr.. Mason
signed il as security; Mr.. Johnson did not
give up the mortgage. The note was
finally paid, but the mortgage was not given
up. The only other trouble ! had was
when Mr.. Johnson wished TO move the
house | was in; l told him | did not Wish
to move, and he said if | would pay him
two weeks rent IN advance | might stay in
the house; then 1 told Johnson | thought
him hog: | moved out and Johnson told
me not to take the goods out of town, as he
held a mortgage upon them. Our dliier-
ences were all settled before the time of the
shooting and had no i'll will toward him;
continued TO use his scales 10 weigh my
stock upon up to the time of the shooting
carry one set of his keys in my pocket now;
do not remember shooting Mr.. Johnson: do
not remember any of the occurrences of
that week, only as | have heard them stated
by witnesses on the stand; | drank liquor
quite freely by spells; bought il at different
places. but for the most part at VIM Hes
ler's drug store in Rockford; l did not
sleep much for several nights prior to the
shooting; did not sleep hail the night for
week or ten days; business matters caused
me great deal of trouble; had bought sey
eral head of cattle; paid money upon them
and feed was short and they were growing
constantly poorer; do not recollect visiting
MI COOn's or the statements made by VIII
nesses regarding statements ] made, 90 not
H.. I .lfl .f4rH
after the shooting, when Mr.. Kinney
brought me some whisky and told me what
| had done; | drank some chlOral the week
Nr. johnson was shot: bought four ounce
bottle AT HeSier's drug store and drank
little at a time all along. Cross examined.
Paid fifty cents for the chlOral think
bought il on Tuesday prior 10 August II.
had the bottle filled twice; ! took chloral
once before when ! had bad time caused
by drinking too much; don't remember
drinking on Friday; don't recOllect telling
Mr. Collins anything on Saturday, after the
shooting: knew that Mr. Saunder's gun
was in hls brothers harness shop; do not
recOllect going TO the shop the week OF The
shooting to examine the gun; think / got
something 10 drinK on Thursday don I
know where exactly; don't know that my
recollection ceased when | had the previous
bad time" 1t is two or three years ago |
had one OF the bad drinking spells, and ten
or twelve years ago before ] was married,
that ] bad another one of them, didn {
know what / was in Jail for; for month
after my being in jail ! would lie awake
nights wondering what | was there for.
Homer Spencer testified that he saw Boyd
before sunrise on the morning OF the mnr-
der drink something from a small bottle.
! They talked together for some time, and
Boyd seemed 10 De in his right mind. !.
L. Lee said that be saw Boyd on Saturday
morning at O'Clock and that be appeared
/ 10 be either under the inAueace of liquor or
some Opiaie. The day before he was fully
/ intoxicated. was. in fact. under the in
! nuence OF liquor most of the time He car
4 drink ten glasses Of liquor an hour and wals
straight. Witness knew Boyd WAS intoxi 'al
I ed desolate and hard up. He old not tnnt
/ he was in his right mind Friday. The das
+ before the shooting. Witne Z SAID be was
I detective "a well as "A dentist. that he has
suspected Boyd Of the depot robbery o.
| June "a because he was hard up and ha'
I been drinkiug Nessrs. Saunders. Wood
ruH. Drew, Bnroh Jakeway. Kinney. Col
( Inns aud others We're put on the stand an'
! all testified that they considered BOYD per
| fectly sane and not drunk. when they sag
him both before and after the shooting.