Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-02-18
ISAACS. TALLEY ACQUITTED
A GREAT oRoWD IN TIE COURT
ROOM.
CHARGE OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE
The Jury Qua Hut ~ Minutes
Unanimous without n BaiIOt--
Verdict Received with Cheers and
Applause, .'f.t

81, The crowd that surged into the court
room yesterday afternoon week 10 listen to
the trial of Isaac s. Talley, who shot and
killed j. Wesley Handy, in Brandywine
hundred on the 18th of January last, was
the largest ever in the building, and must
have numbered at least 1850 persons.
Every inch of standing room was occu-
pied excepting the space between the
rear of the Jury box and the north wall,
which custom requires TO be kept clear in
order TO prevent the possibility of any
/. tampering with jurymen by interested
spectators, and it was only by
the closest Watching that the bail
IFS could prevent this space al'o from
being crowded. The bar wns jammed
and the bench covered, a number of ladies'
being accommodated on the latter and
also with seats within the bar. Even after
the hall was crowded to its utmost
capacity people continued to jam the
doorway ina win effort to gain admis-
sion, and IL was with great difficulty that
the witnesses called could make their way
to and from the witness box.
Throughout the session the great crowd
remained listening intently to every word
of the testimony and to everything said
by the attorneys or the court. The
prisoner, as at the morning session, was
assisted into court by two friends and ac-
companied by his wife and mother.
During the session he reclined easily in
his chair. Most of the time his eyes
were closed, but the manner in which he
frequently opened them suddenly and
Razed ut tho witnesses testifying showed
that his senses were ON the alert and that
he was following the evidence as closely
as anyone else in the room. He bore up,
however, wonderfully we'll under his
painful and trying ordeal.
At o'clock the case was resumed,
with Joseph Handy, the States chief wit
ness on the stand. He said;
The only time was in Talley's field
was when tried to induce Talley to let
my son go through; my son was not in
Talley's field at all; he did not know
was following him until he stopped his
team, when he turned around; was not
along the road, from where my son
wanted to go through TO where Talley
wanted him TO go through until after it
was cleaned out; Joseph H. Weldin
cleared the road both the shots fired by
Talley struck my son one shot was in
the left breast, about three inches below
the nipple, and the other in his left
wrist.
Crosse s-examined-When my son passed
my house he was driving two horses to u
dearborn in which he had four calves /;
this was Is or 20 minutes past o'clock /;
the moon was still shining. but do not
think there was any daylight; had no
conversation with him as l followed the
Il nuaVknAly m ohntnf Ol0
yards from my house and before Talley's
house was reached the road was not
blocked between my house and Isaac Tai
Iey's; when first saw Talley he was in
his field, beside the stone wall when my
son got out of the wagon he had the
gun In one hand and the gambrel in the
other; the first words spoken were by
Wesley, who said he wanted to go
through, as he had to get his calves to
Edge Moor; I cannot remember his exact
words, but he did not swear; Talley said,
+ ~ won't let you go through;" then l
asked Talley to let him go through, but
Talley refused; Talley did not say any
thing about damage to his wheat by cross
ing the field; did not know anything
about the bars of the lower field being
open; Isaac Talley struck the first blow;
saw my son strike Talley, but did not
see the blood on Talley's head; l did not
see any bruises on Wesley's body after
his death; l did not attempt to pull the
rails out of the fence, nor help my son to
do so; my son did not strike Talley with
the gambrel until after Talley struck him
with the club; the bars of the fence were
not at any time down during the fight l
had no club in my hands at any time l do
not know how many blows Wesley struck
after Talley climbed over into the road !;
he was backing away, and Talley was
striking at him, but Talley's blows did
not take effect, as his club was too long
TO be handled easily; (the club and the
gambrel were held up and shown to be
the same length); Mr.. Bird then asked il
Handy could hit Talley, why WAS it
Talley could not hit Handy; the wit
ness said he did not know the
witness then detailed the other circum-
stances of the fight, without any varia-
tion from his original testimony. When
my son pointed the gun at Isaac Tnlley,
Mrs Talley did not catch hold of the
muzzle and push it down; Isaac Talley
did not say to his wife, "Lidie, you see
what they are doing to me; l must dc
this in self-defence y Mrs. Talley did not
say "Wes, for Gods sake don't shoot;" (at
this testimony, Mrs. Talley, who sal
within the bar close to her husband, wepi
bitterly for several minutes); was al
Samuel Saring's house the evening before
the shooting, and there was some con
yersation about Mrs. Talley.
4 Here Mr.. Bird asked the witness If HI
did not, in the presence of Mr.. Sarint
and his three children, say to Mrs. Sarint
that "Lidie Talley was a -" using
very opprobrious epithet. The witness
said he did not. Mr.. Biggs objected 4
the question as having NO bearing on th'
4 case. and the defence claimed that it wa
asked for the purpose of laying ground
for contradiction, and of showing th
animus of the witness towards the pri
soner's wifo. The court sustained tn
objection and the question was no
pressed.
d Mr.. Bird then asked the witness if O.
n the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday fol
4 lowing the shooting he had said in tn
n stable yard of the Gibson House in tn
presence of the hostler, john W. Farrf
that 1.-THE only mistake Yves made wa
that he got the cop on the wrong barre
+. of the gun The witness said he mad
no such remark.
| In reQlfect eAuulnutloH thV NhuSs
y said that Mrs. Tallsy did not come u
until after Wesley Handy had been She
and was lying in the road:
n John Megginson said that on the sui
day prior to the shooting he had col
versation with Isaac 5. Talley in the pre-
ence of Wesley Handy; he and Hanh
were going down to try and get tnroue
the road to the pike he called Talley OF
M l..an n,.I oelad f,atnliG9iOn 10 4
throuoh two of his lots-a corn-stalk iiel
and a wheat stubble; Talley eaid he ha
no objection, as he guessed it would {
no harm: they then drove through Il
two fields do not remember thnt Hnni
aaid ANYTHING; we went ON to Edge Mo-
and came back the same way; tot
down the bars to enter the field at u
mace where the shooting occurred belC
,nis ,,oint the snow was between and
faat deen, and the road was iinpassab
on cross. examination the witness 81
bis sou went through the road on Tu'
dav. crossing Talley's field at the pla
NJ .,,,,are the bars were down near the ced
trees. Talley did not tell him and Han
20 no down there when they first talk
with him.
Deputy Coroner Frank q. Smith idon
6ed the pistol exhibited by the State
the one he had obtained at Tnlley's hot
from Talley's wife the day of the sho
;ng. The weapon was offered in g
dence. ,., ~
Beniainin f. Handy, brother OF
aeceased, testified: The night bef'
tbe shooting my brother Wesley Ant
had a conversation with Isaac s. Tallt
We were going down 10 meet our siSt
t,,, down cot out at Tnlley'B II