The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-25
THE FIRST TRIAL
FOR MURDER NTUcKIR COUNTY
DeVslopSS Very Sensational CsSe-Ths
MyItsry In the Aaair DsspSnS as the
Trial olOsss-Msn Go Under
Names Not Their Own.
Seeial cOrapopdeDos u M lntelllqaou,

Special cOHrEoHdcRee of thl Intelll0aseeT,
81, GEORGE, W, Va, Dec, 2S-The firsI
trial for murder ever held in Tucker Coun'
ty Is now In progress here, and is exciting
much attention and comment from our
people, Last June, at Davis City, in this
county, T, B. Joseph, q Justice Of the
Peace, shot and killed Henry Roblnson,
who turned out to be Peter Harrington,
He was going under fictitious namC,
There has been mystery connected
with the affair from the first, and many
are the reports, aud exHavagaut theories,
as to the cause. Everybody seems Cona'
dent that there 10 something yet untold,
but what it 10, no one can tell, The prose-
Cution, by P, Lpscomb, assisted by local
talent, has tried In vain 10 unravel the
mystery. But, when the last witness for
the prosecution had left the stand, the
simple and plain facts OF the killing were
all that had been found, The defense,
conducted by A, B, Parsons, W. B, Msx-
we'll and L. HRntford, Of st, George, and
7. A. Bradford and Gordon Dayton, Of
Phillippi, then took up the invesugation
about where the prosecution had dropped
Il, and tried TO get at the bottom
Of the mystery, which, 1t appears,
Ia IS impenetrable to them as to the prose.
Cution, Both sides seem conscious that
the whole truth has not been told. Wit
nessee are here from several States.
The evidence OF the trial was concluded
about eleven o'clock last night. The ar.
gument Of the case will probably not be
concluded before Friday night aS there ia
large amount Of evidence TO be reviewed,
THE MYSTERY or THE CASE.
The argument closed without having
brought to light the mystery which has all
the time hovered over the affair, AT one
time 1t seems that a thread had been
touched which would lead TO some dsyel.
opments; but, II proved to be Of no avail,
and was only an imaginary conception Of
one OF the lawyers Of the prosecution,
he aimed 10 show that the defendant,
Joseph, had formerly been married, and
had left that wife and had married again,
and that he was keeping this secret from
his present wiis and had killed Harrington
TO keep him from developing the secret,
When this line was entered upon, II Great
ed q sensation In court, as 1t promised to
lead To the solution ol the problem. But
there was not particle Of evidence to
show that such was the case. The mar
riage certificate OF Mr.. Joseph and bic wife
was produced and settled this point, and
the matter was dropped there.
This was the laat attempt on the part oi
the defense 10 prove that Joseph pre-.
medltated the killing Of Harrington, and
when this ground was abandoned, the
prosecution evidently felt that they were
losing ground. For, to judge Of the AFFAIR
solely by tho actions Immediately pro-
Ceding 1t, II is plain that Joseph did the
act in seli-delense.
Sensation was again caused when ofli.
GERS and public documents from Penn
sylVauia were introduced TO prove that
the prosecutions principal witness, Jack
Robinson, was not Jack Robinson at all,
but was going under fictitious name.
dis real name was Albert BowerF, and he
had recently been in the peniteutlary at
Allegheny City, Pa, for wrecking a rail-
road train and Furthermore that he was
man Of bad character, not to be believed
on oath.