The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-06-10
IN THE TOLLS AGAIN
Nj. III. HANCOCK RE-ARREST-
ED AND CHARGED WITH
KILLING HIS WIFE.
A BROTHER OF THE DECEASED Is
THE COMPLAINANT -. THE
COMPANION MURDERoF
MRS. +. PHILLIPS.


The Christmas eve murders of Mrs.Eula
Phillips and Mrs. NJ. II. Hancock are still
so fresh in the minds of the public, that
the circumstances cannot be easily for
gotten. The two women, whose hus-
bands were both carpenters, were found,
the former dead and the other so terribly
wounded that she subsequently, died of her
injuries. Phillips himself was badly
wounded in the head and his wife's body
was discovered IN such con
dition as to lead to the
suspicion that she had been not only muir
dered but ravished. The detectives form
ed the idea that Phillips himself was the
murderer, and had either inflicted his own
wounds, or been wounded in scutfle with
his wife. In the meanwhile Mrs. Han
cock having died, Hancock also was ar
rested and charged with murder, but after
being arraigned before Justice Won
Rosenberg, the charge was dismissed
upon written motion signed by District
Attorney Robertson and Z. L. Moore,
bath representing the State. Then fol-
lowed the remarkable trial of Phillips,
and, as many think, rather strange YER
dict of the jury, finding him guilty of
murder of the second degree, and
fixing his penalty at seven years
in the state penitentlary. His
attorneys, as if impressed with his inno-
cence, promptly filed a motion for new
trial, based on pretty strong grounds, and
declaring the verdict "a travesty on
law, logic, justice and common-sense,"
which motion will probably be argued to-
day, as it is motion day in the district
court.
Both cases were supposed to have been
diligently worked up by the detectives,
and among other features of their investl-
cations was the use of bloodhounds to
trail the murderers, and in the Phllilts
trial the prosecution seemed to lay grei t
stress upon the fact that the dog, after
circling all around, failed, as they con-
tended, to strike any trail, but went to
Phillips and reared up on his bed" as if
they had scented out the right man.
Z. This testimony was specially ridiculed
S by Judge Hancock, who said he would
1; not hang dog upon such testimony of a
dog" But for all that it may have had
d some weight with the jury, although it
y was shown by the testimony of Mr..
Thompson, the dog sergeant, that the dog
g did apparently follow trail, or scent, or
e something, till the sergeant called him off,
at wire fence some distance outside of
e the city, because, as he said, 1T was
/ against the law to cut fences"
Then, too, there was nothing brought
l. out in the evidence to combat the proba'
5, bility that the murderer in the Phillips
case or the Hancock case, one or both
q might not have escaped on horseback, as
e was doubtless the case with the murderer
S of Oracle Vance and Orange Washington
g. or that the Phillips and Hancock mur
derers were not fairly susceptible of elm
Il nation 80 as to be accounted for on
different hypothesis from the other mys
terious murders committed during tn
year in this city.
However this may be, there are man.
who apprehend that Phillips may have
been falsely convicted ,or, rather, that de
spite the fact that circumstances pointet
strongly against him, indicating him a
the guilty party, tkey did not show in fac
of all the probabilities of the case, ant
: "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Mrs
Phillips could have been murdered by M
one but her husband. The fact that Phil
lips refuses to accept the verdict agains
70 him is presumptive also of his limo
ID cence.
IS, The STATESMAN has no desire but to Sc,
he the guilty punished, whether Hancock o
y Phillips, or both, or whoever may be tn
. authors of the bloody work committed ii
Z, Austin during the past year and ending
10 with the Christmas eve outrages, an
" hopes the real offenders will be discovers
IT, and made to pay the full penalty of thei
is crimes.
le In the Hancock case, as now presented
y it is understood that the complaint
II made by Mr.. W. L. Skaggs, a brother o
'i Mrs. Hancock, and while Mr.. Skaggs di
e. not at first think Mr.. Hancock was guilty
lie he now believes his sister was mur
o. dered by him, and will vigorously prose
III cute the case. To do so, he has employ
g. ed able counsel, including ex-Unlte
as States District Attorney Jack Evans t
ne assist in the prosecution. What evidenc
y Mr.. Skaggs has for opening the case re
X mains with him and the prosecutin
ne officers for the present.
IL A young man named Hagga, who wa
r9 with Miss Hancock at party the night {
ne the mruder was brought in last nigf
p from San Antonio, charged with bein
q an accessory to the murder of Mrs. Har
nc cock.