The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-07-20
Preliminary Hearing.

Preliminary Hearing.
Justice Marvin's court was crowded
almost to suffocation yesterday at !
o'clock p. m. when it became known
that the case of the state VS.. L. L.
Mu lens, charged with the murder of
Henry Thatcher, colored, who was
killed near Hughesville last Tuesday
morning, July 18th, would come up
for hearing.
Promptly at 1:3O the case was
called, but nearly a half hour was
consumed in waiting for the attorneys
Of ia defendant, Messrs. Steele and
Barnett, and hunting up absent wit
nesses. By this time the already full
court room was overlooking with as
motley a mass of humanity as was
ever gotten together any where and
not an inch of available space re-
manned pnoccupied by the compact
mass. Fortunately the day was not
over hot, otherwise some would have
certainly succumbed to the pressure.
In the crowd was a large delegation
from Hughesville, including witnesses
and friends of the murderer and the
deceased, many of whom came through
morbid curiosity. All prelininaries
were finally arranged and the sttor-
neys announced
READY FOR TRIAL.
Thatcher, wife of the deceased, was
the FIRST witness called. She is a
small, delicate looking woman, with
a good deal of the characteristic fea-
lures of the true, Guinea race, and as
a consequence, anything but hand
some, though she seemed to be a
woman of very quiet, modest and re-
firing disposition and except when
overcome by grief, gave her testimony
in a clear, unhesitating, straightfor-
ward manner, which seemed to bear a
stamp of frank truthfulness, only
made the stronger by her evident
ignorance of even the commonest
every day matters. She was examined
by Prosecuting Attorney Lamm, who
is conducting the case for the state in
has usual able, clear and careful way.
THE EVIDENCE.
Mrs. Thatcher said: My name is
Martha A. Thatcher | am about
thirty-eight years of age the de-
ceased was my husband ; We had been
marri'.d about four years we have
been diving upon Mr.. Mullins place
since last October f; my husband has
been engaged in farming
and clearing new ground. He was a
renter from Mr.. Mullens on the shares
and Mr.. Mullens furnished the teams,
implements and seed. My husband
was killed Tuesday July Is. The
last time / saw him alive was early |
Tuesday morning, the sun was up. |
1t was good day light when we got up |
Tuesday morning. My husband went |
to Mr.. Ritcheys to get reaper to cut
some oats. 1t is about mile to Mr..
he walked there. 1t was
my husbands oats grown on Mr.. Null
lens farm that he wanted TO cut. He
was not gone long, only little while.
Breakfast was not ready when he re-
turned. He helped me to cook the
meal after breakfast he started to
get his team to 90 to work he went
out by the horse lot; it is east of the
house don't know how far not more
than 800 yards; the horses were in
the pasture he went right by the
feed lot going east. There is brush
1T the east side of the pasture. /
could not see the other horses; the
pasture is hilly.. He had been gone
about quarter of an hour when /
heard two shots, one after the other |,
n the direction he had gone, a little
north east of the house / walked
asst out In the pasture just beyond
he feed pen to see what it was, /
Gould not run had been sick; / heard
more shots after / started; can't
ay how many, two or three. Iheard
more shots after stopped, four or
i've. 1t was several minutes after got
o the lot that / heard the other shots
he shooting seemed to be anglin,
toward the north). The first shots
we're south east, the last ones futhur ]
Iorth. The last shots were altogether. I
did not see anybody. The shooting a
vas the other side the brush from me. t
heard no noise or voices. / stood {
y the pen till the shooting stopped. f,
Don't know how long it was before / &
aw anybody, about FIVE minutes, 1
maybe. Then / saw q girl that lives {
t Mr.. Mullins riding across g
be oats field toward the