Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-18
EVIDENCE FOR THE JURORS.


 EVIDENCE FOR TEE JURORS. The Third Day of the Peter J. CoFee
 Trial For Murder EIfcits Some Strong
 CfrcumstantiaI Evidence Against the
 Aecused-What He Told Mrs. Fully
 and Others Early on the Morning
 After the Murder-A Piece of His
 Knotted Hue OveralIs Found Near
 the Track-What Coffee is Alleged to
 Have Said.
 An atmosphere of suppressed excitement pervaded the Superior court room yesterday at the opening of the third days proceedings in the trial of Peter Coffee, whom the State Is trying to prove is guilty of murdering the unfortunate young Stony Creek station agent, Charlie Way. As the State proceeded with it's case and put forth damaging testimony against the accused the excitement grew apace. When court adjourned few minutes before five o'clock Coffee looked and acted a | miserable man and the exclamation which fell on all sides from the densely packed | court room was:
 ''It looks bad for Coffee"
 | When court opened at 10 o'clock the first | witness who took the stand was Roger Hall, | who lives eighty rods from the railroad sta | 6lO0 ana kuoW DObu way anu OO4AoCs AA0 | arrived on the spot where the body lay on the night of the murder between twelve and | one o'clock. Saw Coffee about six o'clock the morning after and Coffee said that he had bag of sugar in the depot and guessed | he would go in and get it. Witness saw a
 bag of sugar in the depot. Coroner Willett took this sugar and bought another bag, | which he gave to Coffee.
 | Richard How'd was recalled to testify that | he examined the rocky cut through which the | track runs seventy-f five paces beyond the end of the depot platform. Found the indica-
 tions of a struggle there. There were num- Der of tracks and several stones On enc of these he found blood. Found these tracks before he went for Dr. Gaylord.
 On cross-examination by Mir. By denburgh he said: ''The tracks saw were those of boots and shoes dug into the ground as if l there had been @ scufde. I did not count them, but there were all of dozen tracks. | don't remember whether called attention | to the tracks or not. I told my boys about | it'
 Deputy Sheriff Nettleton, of Branford, next | testified that he had conversation with | How'd in regard to the tracks sworn to and | that they had been shown him the morning f after the murder. Edward How'd testified to | seeing blood spot as big mans hand on | the tracks about two hundred or three hun 1 dred feet from where the body was found. Miss Mary R. Davis, the first lady to testi- | fly in the case, was next put on the stand. | She passed the depot about g o'clock with
 her father and noticed that the ticket office \ door was open; there was light there and the depot door was open. She saw shadows ! in the depot and heard voices. This is half | an hour later than anyone can be found who ! saw Way living. Her testimony was also
 confirmatory of that given by the witness
 agent at Stony Creek, next testified to the To- ! cation and lavout of the QeDOt
 George Hanaford. who lives 150 yards | from the Stony Creek depot, testified as fol lows: "I went to the depot to wait for the 10:10 train on the night of Ways death to
 meet my wife who was coming home from New Haven. The depot was darkened. heard door open and shut from the direc-
 tion of the water closet. I also thought \ saw the figure of man on the track, but couldn't see it after the trains came in. While | I was standing at the corner of the depot \ heard the sound of voices. I walked around I to Vhe north eide of the depot and came back. could still hear the voices and thought | they came from inside the depot. My wife | came in on the train and three or four others \ got of. I saw Coffee on the depot platform
 at about 7 o'clock that evening, but not later. I did not see anyone get on the train. ' | pr. Gaylord was recalled and related the conversation between Coffee and Deputy | Coroner Willett the day after Way died. | Henry Page, of Stony Greek, testified that
 he reached Stony Creek on the train from New Haven on the night of May g. When
 the train started he saw man standing al { the northwest corner of the depot. Sey. ! mour Champion, a brakeman on the late train for Stony Creek and Guilford thai 1 night, testified as to the make up of the train
 and that he saw neither Way nor Coffee at | the depot and did not see Coffee on the train Mrs. Mary Ann Hanaford, wife of George I a47 7nl kC11 k4rv 1I s.&4 Creek on the train and was met at the depot | by her husband. She could not swear l whether she had seen Coffee or Way. This | seemed to be all the State wanted her to say, but on the cross-exaninat1on the witness ] stated to MT. Blydenburgh that when she ! stepped on the platform she saw 8 man 1 coming from the ticket office door whom she thought was Charley Way.
 The State then recalled MT. Page to the stand to say that he got off the train before
 Mrs. Hanaford did, went to the ticket othce | door, then turned back and as he walked away passed Mrs. Hanaford. The State evi l dently wanted to impress the belief on tht 1 jury that it was Page and not Way whom ! Mrs. Hanaford saw.
 ! Horace King, baggsgemaster of the train ! corroborated the testimony given by King | the brakeman.
 Theodore How'd who resides near the depot I at Stony Creek, testified that it was Coffee's | habit to go to and from his work at Leste'E | Island on the railroad track He also visit | ed the place where the body was found and saw pieces of bone and flesh scattered be- tween where the body lay and the path lead | spot.
 Next came important testimony. It was given by Mrs. Mary Fully, who lives on the l turnpike road between Guilford and Stony Creek. She said: "It was after o'clock 1T | the morning of May 10 that Way came to my
 house. was in bed and Mrs. Maggie Con molly was with me. He first rapped at ths ! window and then at the door. I asked whe it was and he said Peter Coffee Then threw a dress on and opened the door.
 asked him who was killed or hurt on ths
 railroad the night before, because the freigh
 ond spile bridge. He said he couldn't tel
 and wouldn't tell. Then I said that wa
 strange, for he lived near the track, bu
 we'd have all the news later anyway
 Then he told me me that charli
 Way was killed" The importance Q
 considered that Coffee claims to have gone t
 Guilford on Mason's train and walked back
 The State argues, if this was the case hoy
 did Coffee know that Way was killed befor
 he got back to Stony Greek. The crose
 examination had no effect on Mrs Fully
 lives with Mrs. Fully, heard part of the con
 versation. Mrs. Edward s. Palmer testife'
 to seeing Coffee coming from the vicinity o
 Mrs. Tully's about 5 o'clock on the mornin ! after the tragedy. He first turned as if h l were going to Guilford and then turned bacl
 to Stony Creek.
 \ A recess was taken until o'clock
 After dinner the State began weaving
 pretty strong web of circumstantial evi
 dsnce about the accused. The mos
 important testimony of the trial &
 far was given during the afternoon The first witness was Selectman Palmer
 who swore to meeting Coffee in the morning
 just after he had been to Mrs. Tu1ly's, short | ly after o'clock. He asked Coffee if h.
 had heard about who had been killed nea
 his house the night before, and the accused said no. Witness teld him it was Way, ant
 Coffee said he was sorry, for Way was friend of his. Next followed still nor
 damaging evidence. It was given by F. 0 Lum, a member of the grand jury whiel indicted Coffee. Counsel for the defens | objected, but the objection was overruled by
 Judge Torrance. The witness heard the
 statement made by Coffee and said: "Wher
 Coffee came before the grand jury he said
 If they will not put my head in rope vii
 tell all know about it. know about il
 and will tell. I am not alone in cEime.' H' A all AS1 41A11 l. -SkI ~1ulxA