Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-05-24
THE STATE RESTS
Yesterdays Proceedings in the Big Murder
Trial.
ONE DEPENDANT ON THE STAND.
Henry D. Christie Tells a Long and interest
ing Story.
A TREMENDOUS CROWD PRESENT.

Just before Tuesdays session Of the
Circuit Court, in the trial of Christie and
Kelley, closed, it was announced from the
bench that yesterdays session would open
at nine o'clock. This order was after
wards amended, but as the general public
knew nothing of it, the crowd Of specta-
tors began to fill up the corridors Of the
Court House before nine o'clock. When
the doors were finally opened, about twenty
five minutes later, there was great rush
into the apartment, which swept Deputy
Sheriff McColloch, who attempted to regu-
late matters, to one side like straw in q
flood. When the taking of testimony was
resumed there were two hundred people
present, but many others came in later
The jury, counsel and prisoners were
very prompt in coming in, but some little
matters between counsel requiring adj asst
ment with the Court, it was twenty min
utes of ten when Oliver Hunter, resident
of Knox county, Ohio, was called. He was
confined in the Knox county Jail for cut
ting with intent to kill. He had seen the
defendants in Jail at Mt. Vernon. He had
talked great deal to the prisoners.
Kelley told him be didn't care for the Mt
Vernon trouble, but was
ANXIOUS ABOUT WHEELING.
He said he could stand on his head five
years at Columbus, and come ont as good n
man as when he went in. He said, There
was but one thing against burglar, and
that was a dog" Witness didn't know
what he meant. At another time, when
Kelley and Christie were both talking TO
witness, Kelley said, IF it hadn't been
for Christie there wonid have been
nothing Of the Wheeling scIapc, TOR
he (Christie) was d-n fool enough to send
that letter out of Jail. Christie defended
himself by saying he took the mau he gave
the letter to, to be friend, as Kelley had.
At another time he repeated that he didn't
care for the Newark arrest, hat for the
hereafter" Witness asked Kelley why
ne didn't get out of the scrape," and Kel-
ley replied he couldn't without shooting
men and women and everybody He chad
mis- pistols out, but the G-n s. of a had
the drop on him" Excluded. Again
Kelley said to witness they
MADE On FOOLS OF THEMSELVES
by staying in neighboring towns around
Wheeling" BY hereafter" Kelley meant
the Wheeling affair. Ole morning painter
came into the all with rope ten feet long,
and said to Christie: "If you have any
thing to say you better hurry up; your
times getting short" This frightened
Christie, and when he went away, Kelley
said, referring to Christie That -
- hasn't got any nerve, to get scared at
rope. I'm afraid hs will give me away
yet" Objected 10, aad excluded, after
consideration Again Kelley said; Chris
tie always had to get drunk az hell and
give everything away" Excluded AT
another time Kelley said: "Wheu any
one crowds us, we're going to get out of il,
ii we have 10 shoot; dead men tell no
tales" He was talking about Wheeling,
and their fear OF coming here at the time
Kelley also said, They made fools of
themselves takipgin every house they come
to-bSiDg so bold" He also said: They
HAD 10 no SOMETHING
to clear themselves" referring to the po'
liceman.
On cross-examination witness said he
was in the Jail whGn the defendants were
brought in, and his first conversation was
the next week after they came in. Before
they came TO the Jail, he overheard Mrs
Fowler, wife of the deputy sheriff, say to
one of her family that That them fellows
at Newark, that burglarizsd Burk's hard
ware store, must bs bad ones" He was
about -four feet from an iron door, which
was closed, and Mrs. Fowler was on the
other side Of the door. The defendants
were in the Newark Jail ut the time. Wit
ness had also seen a paper in the Jail, in
which il was stated there had been muir
der in Wheeling, and a reward was offered.
This was before he heard Mrs Fowler
speak. There was no one in Jail but wit
ness. When the prisoners came he saw
them ''all day long" The first converse
ton he had with Kelley the latter said
81 don't care d-n about the Mt. Yer.
non case, IL was the hereafter concern
ing the Wheeling trouble" Witness was
awaiting trial for the offense against him
He came to West Virginia voluntarily, for
the sole purpose Of promoting justice, and
expected to 90 back to Ohio voluntarily |
He had beeI laked about his knowledge
concerning the prisoners by various parties,
hpt hoA IN Nall H.
thought it was none OF their business He
was asked about it Monday of this week by
Prosecuting Gotshaw, of Knox county, and |
told him because he thought he was a
smart man, and knew what law and ustice |
was"
Ol redirect examination, witness said he
hsd
NO PROMISE OR HOPE OF REWARD,
and had no expectation that his coming to
Wheeling would make any difference in
the outcome of his individual case.
Officer John Shorts testified to going to
Menkemiller's and finding the wounded
officer, and also his visit to the scene of
the shooting, He found the door of the
stable aisr. There was q platform in front
of the stable door, and man on the plat
form would appear taller than one beside
him on the ground. He recited finding
the bullet marks in the fence and spout,
seeing foot prints in the stable, and to find.
ing one of the chisels. He fl the chisels
in the marks on the door, and they fit ex-
sctly. He produced pistol case, said it
belonged to Officer Glenn, and marked on
the diagram the point he picked it up.
To the Court and not for jury-0ficer
Glenn said to me one time: 'Johu,
think I'll pull through" At another
time: Its bad for me" bid him good
bye the evening he died. He thought he
would die. was lesvir the room, and he
beckoned me to come back. He reached
up his Ihand and bid me good bye" 1t
was two hours before he died. He was
very restless, tossing about, and in great
He did not appear to be feeble,
but was in torture-great suffering. He
couldn't talk much. He was merely able
to bid me good bye.
Officer j. F. Meredith, of Newark, o.,
stated he bad made every effort to find
Robert Williams, at Fostoris, the man
to whom the Christie letter, written in
all, wss addressed, but had not succeeded