Omaha daily bee., 1888-06-01
District Court.
RYAN's TRIAL REGINS.

RYAN's TRIAL BEGINS.
The preliminary work of securing a jury
in the case of the state against Ryan, for the
murder of Mrs. Helen Howard, was con-
cluded Tuesday evening and the work of try
ing the case was begun yesterday morning.
There were about one hundred people pres
emit in the court room when the court or
dered the state to call their first witness.
Among the spectators were only three
women. Mrs. Scott and her daughter. the
mother and sister of the deceased, did not
make their appearance in the cou TT but re-
manned in a more secluded part of the build
ing. Mrs. Scott Is a delicate woman about
sixty years old and was dressed in deep
mourning. The sister of the deceased IS a
pleasant looking girl of about eighteen and
was dressed in half mourning.
Ryan appeared in the same ministerial
garb he wore Tuesday and was as neatly
were appearing on his wedding day, rather
than as a criminal to be tried for murder.
Ryan's brother occupied a seat inside of the
bar, and took a close interest in all the pro-
ceedingS.
Before the first witness was called, Dennis
Cunningham, one of the jurors, stated to the
court that he was mistaken in his answer
when being xamined for the jury, and on
the statement of the fact that he was &C
quainted with the deceased, he was excused
from service on the jury, and a special
venire of ten men was ordered by the court
from which TO select the twelfth Juror. The
jury was filled at 10 40 by the swearing in of
James Doyle and Mr.. Conover, and
jury for the state and defense. The attorney
for the state revived briefly the history of
the relation of the defendant to the Scott
family, and the deceased, and his associations
with them, and the history of the case. The
attorney for the defendant in presenting his
side of the case spoke of the family of his
client, his associations with the deceased, eX-
planned the law and what constitutes murder,
dwelt at length on the character of the de-
ceased as being a woman who was accus-
toned to making appointments to meet men
at wine rooms and that from the facts in the
case itself they would endeavor to prove
their clients innocence.
DIR. George b.. Ayers was the first witness
called for the state. On direct examination
he testified that he is a physician in this city
and made the post mortem examination of
the deceased the next day after the shooting
occurred. He stated that the ball entered
the left breast through the cartilage of the
sixth rib and passed in q slightly upward
course through the heart and lodged in the
back. This examination was made at Drexel
& Maul's office.
There were no new facts brought out in the
crosS-eXamination.
Henry Doty was the next witness called.
He stated that he was a member of the firm
of DOty ~ Darst and was acquainted with
Ryan,, tle uSIeDuanJ IN unlS case. lie was III
the saloon when the shot was fired and saw
the defendant soon after. Ryan stated there
and then II shot her, but | did it accidental
ly.n 81 heard a scream come from the back
part of the house, continued the witness;
''soon after | heard the pistol shot. They
were in wine room No. 5. had further
conversation with Ryan; he walked up and
down the saloon until an officer came and
took him away"
The witness was shown a diagram of his
en1Ann a,,l NINA ,.nAp,u ~ ,.h iph h nxy,1ninnl
to the jury the outline and arrangement of
the saloon and wine rooms. '"The first init
nation i had that anyone was in the wine
room, ~ he said, was when l heard the pistol
shot The tirstone saw was Mrs. Howard,
who was standing in the wine-room door. l
heard heri say, Sim shot!' 1t was then
that Ryan said he shot her, but did not in
tend ton He stated that he had seen Ryan
and Mrs. Howard in his wine rooms at least
half a dozen times, and the most friendly
relations always existed between them.
Joseph Blackwell, the porter in the saloon,
was then called. He testified that he was in
the saloon the night the shooting took place
and when he heard the pistol shot rushed to
the room. Mrs. Howard opened the door
just as hereached it and exclaimed that she
was shot. Ryan handed me a pistol that L
think is the same one you show me.
There We're no new facts developed in the
cross examination of the witness and tho
court adjourned until after dinner.
pAt the opening of court in the afternoon
there was n larger crowd present than in the
morning, and several more ladies were in at
tendance. A young man by the name of
Luck, who occupied WINE room No.
8 the night the shooting took
place, was the first witness put on the stand.
He testified that he was in the wine room
drinking a glass of beer when the shooting
took place, and that prior to the shooting he
heard no noise in No. 3, not even the sound
of voice
Thorn $ Ross was the next witness. He
was in the saloon when the shot was fired.
He testified that when the shot was fired he
rushed to the wine room door ana found Mrs.
Howard standing in the wine room door and
Ryan was standing Inside of the room, 81
heard her say Pm shot, 1 then saw Ryan
step out OF the room past her and
walk into the front of the saloon.
/ saw Mrs. Howard begin to fall and caught
her on my arm and placed her on a chair in
the room. She fell from the char TO the
floor, and we placed her ON it again, but she
was so limp that she could not remain on it,
and fell TO the floor again.
There We're no new facts brought out in
his cross examination and Mrs, Scott, the
mother Of the deceased, was put on the
stand. She testified 10 Ryan's coming to
| her house as a roomer and Doarder. She
stated that Ryan was a soldier when he
came 10 her house and that her daughter,
Mrs. Howard, was not at home at the time.
II never knew them 10 be together, - she
said, "only the day before she was killed,
She was then talking of going away, and
was arranging TO leave, When She told him
| she was going ava he said, If YOU 20, YOU
will so a corpse He had q pistol in his
hand then. That is the first time | ever
heard him threaten her. She was going
away the next day or Monday. Helen
worked hard all day, and left the house in
the evening tn go down 70 her uncle's.n
On cross-eXamination, Mrs. Scott testified
that she and her daughter went out fire.
quently with MIR. Ryan, and that her daugh-
ter was out a number of times alone,
when she did not know where she was.