St. Paul daily globe., 1888-11-17
"PEAhL" Ta.SIIFIES.
Scanlan Shot Her Because She
Meant to Leave Him.


"PEAhL" Ta.S IlFIES.
Scanlan Shot Her Because She
Meant to Leave Him.
Pearl Wilson. looking calm and cool
as a May morning, then took the stand.
Before beginning her story she looked
around the court room and smiled
slightly when she caught sight OF
an acquaintance. She married Will
lam Helwig, the nan who now sat by
her side, in Hot Spring, Ark, in 1881,
she said. She had known Scanlan for
fifteen years, and was with him in
Fargo last July, while her husband was
in st. Paul.
Il left St. Paul with Scanlan," con-
tinued the witness, with the. intention
of going to California. But at Fargo
jim was taken sick with rheumatism,
and we came back to Minneapolis and
got room opposite the California wine
house. told jim | was going out to
see friend. but instead went to st.
Paul, saw my husband and made ar
rangementS to return to him. When [
went back told jim about it, and said
/ was going back. Then we took
room on Washington avenue south.
The morning of the shooting | got up
and sat down on the bed. When told
jim was going to leave him herepied:
No, you are not going to; you will
never go.' Then | experienced a dull
shock. and the next | knew was in the
hospital"
The witness said that she remembered
only i'll an indiStinct way being at the
hospital; had no recollection of con-
verSation with PatroIman Reese; had
not had revolver in her hands Aug.
ID, and did not shoot Scanlan or her
self. Here. the defense rested, and a
recess was taken until o'clock. When
the case was resumed after dinner the
witness testified that Scaulan had told
her twice to lock the door, and she had
replied that it was needless, because she
was going to st. Paul. County Attor-
ney Davis then took the witness. but
under his close questioning her story
did not differ materially from what she
had said before.
CONCLUDING TESTIMONY.
Deputy Sheriff Lou c. Shepley was
the next witness. He testified that dur
ing the noon hour he had experimental
upon handkerchief with revolver,
and had found that at distance of
three, six and eight inches, the powder
from the revolver had burned large
hole in the cloth. This was done to
show that had the Wilson woman shot
herself her head would have been badly
powder-burned.
Dr. Burton was recalled. He had
found two marks, he said on "Pearf'
Wilson's head, which he took to be
powder marks. Even if there had been
more powder marks, he thought that
they would have disappeared. as in a
would OF that kind there was naturally
more or less sloughing off. He did not
think that Seaman, after being shot,
could have made much of muscular
exertion. Suddenly Mr.. Wellington
broke ont:
"Dr. Burton, you have no interest in
this ease, have you?"
mo, SIR
''But you have sat there and made
suggestions to the county attorney?'
Il am not helping him try this case"
Mr.. Davis-Doctor. you have sat
here at this trial; has it been at my re-
quest?
''Yes, Sir"
'Had you any other purpose?"
mo. Sir"
IN REBUTTAL
DR.. w. H. Jones was called. He testi-
fed to having examined the wound in
.'Pearl'' Wilson's head, and said he
found slight diScoloration both at the
point OF entrance and exit, which he
thought was caused from powder. He
had heard Coroner Hill describe the
wound on Scanian's head, and thought
that such wound would cause instant
death, and that the muscular action
after receiving such Il wound would be
nothing more than a Slight culver of
the limbs. Coroner Hill was recalled
and testified that he discovered the
same discoloratiOn on the wound on the
head of "Pearl' Wilson referred to
by DR.. Jones. He thought they
were powder stains, but said they
might have been caused by the burnt
powder which would naturally cling to
a bullet which had been fired. Philip
Miller, who occupied the second room
from the one occupied by Scanlan, tes-
tilted that he was in his room when the
shooting took place, and that he heard
no noise preceding the shooting, but
heard two shots fired, and second or
two after he heard third shot. The
balance of his testimony was the same
as that given by Jenny Harris and
which has been published. This testi-
mony closed the evidence in the case,
and the county attorney began his
ARGUMENT TO THE JURY.
He pictored to the jury how Pearl
Wilson was a prostitute and how she
had left her husband, Helwig, and gone
to live with Scanlon in open adultery.
He gave as her motive for killing Sean
lon the fact that she had lost her hus-
band by going off with him and that,
after her money was ali spent, she con-
Sidered him as the cause Of her troubles
and concluded to kill him and then COM
nit suicide. He then pictured TO the
jury how Scanlon was lying asleep
in bed and how the defendant
placed the pistol to his head and fired,
and then, seeing what she had done,
and knowing well the penalty would be
her own death at the hands of the law,
concluded to forestall the law by COM
mitting suicide. She then placed the
still smoking pistol 10 her own head
and fired, but failed to destroy her
worthless life. He then called attention
to the fact that when the door was
forced in by Officer McNulty the pistol