Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-20
BOWEN CONVICTED.
TIE JURY FIND HIN GUILTY OF IEvoL-
UKTARY MAEsLAUaHTBR.
his Punishment Fixed at Six Months In
Jail and Fius Of Two Dollars
and Half

ia, upon whom bis eyes rested with
s.rcea r recognition were his mother and
sisters. who were Visiting 10 receive him.
The prisoner bad hall an hoor TO talk
with hi. relatives aud friends before Judgs
v.u qserudci the bench. The mother and
s,.ers. hore'cr, seemed 20 do most ot the
tais.nr. ytnc Bowen, with hi' head slightly
bowed. w.. evidently an interested listener
rrr Corrr OPENED.
Wh.n peprrv-~crrcant Macon made the
proc'.m. .n opening court the Ioo" w. w.
crowded vtn the curious people VINO
rsih,r around the city Hall when muraer
trial e in progress. ~,
When fne evidence was begun ana MIS-.
Bowen AMI bcy fUo daughters lc't the pr
Iorer's side and went INTO the Judges prl-
vsic Office To-. tier are witnesses In the csseh
their pisces we're soon filed bv B0wen's IN
ilms,e friends. who are always on hand.
Tw EVIDENCE CONTINUES.
lanes Cruhhs, one oi the employees OF
fle Beoov-~lrrct engiue.house, was the first
witness cslifd. lie was one Of the first per-
sons 10 reach ,he hody % deceased. His At
tention Was attracted - the spot by cries
from Ernest ~imc0e. He ielt the body, aud
found that Ire w8s cNtinct. witness did not
remember the position in which the body
was living. The hour wss little past :
O'Clock. and the night was very dark, espe-
ci4iiv in the alley, where the lights from the
gas-amrs d.d not reach.
ero,s examined by Mr. Meredith, witness
said he went % the place Yesterday morning
where fhe body oi Simcoe was found on the
ntehi ~ thc murder. aGd he observed big
nlf rock embedded In the ground. This
roct wss about four feet from where Sims
Goes head wss living. witness bad not OBJ
served the rock until Yesterday.
Tnc POLICEMEN.
Oniccr Kelly described the position in
which the dead body was lying when ne
reached the scene, and rclsted the conyersh-
tion he bad win the prisoner when The lal-
ter was arrested and brought to where The
body of ~imc0e WAS wing.
witness sad he bad known prisoner for
ten or fifteen years, aud always looked upon
him as man of quiet and orderly dispo-
sil0n and q excellent character.
Policeman T.. J.. Brown testiicdto making
tho arrest of B0WcR. The prisoner was at
the stote with his (prisoners) two sisters
snd c0'ored woman. Prisoner seemed
rurpr,.eI when he C0itness) told him that
sucoe was dead. In conversation prisoner
told wiin,os that be struck Simcoe with
ii9ilnng bat his fat .rrisoner had The re-
uutai,on a. beng man OF quiet disposition
end of good character.
Colonel spots wood. the CommonUealth's
ATTORNEY, announced that this closed the
evidence for the Commonwealth.
The Defendants side.
pr. Hugh VI. Taylor WAS the first witness
mt UPON the stand for the defence. lie tcs-
flHrd that be has for some time been the
pnrsieian 10 the Bowen family. He visited
ibe prisoner 81 the statiOn~hOusc the night OF
his arrest. lie found wound over the
sight eye extending to the bone. such
lick upps e more tender spot about the head
would probably have caused fracture.
Nir. Meredith: What would naturally have
been thc effect o. such blow upon the pri-
soner,
Witness. The blow would Daiurslly have
d8zed the man. 81 its effect upon the BRAIN
and the force Of the lick combined were such
ns o. cause 2 knock-down.
Tnr pnisoNrI2s SISTER.
Miss susie Bowen, the sixteen-year.od
sister OF the prisoner. testified that the diff
Guilty first began 10 tho store-r0om. Her bro
thsr insisted on Slmcoe leaving the prem
iess. a he (prisOueD did not wish to have
difficulty ben The prisoner and deceased
came ont St the store door George ana
Ernest SlmCOe were out on the street with
stones In thcir hands and urged their father
90 fight, s. they would not let him t>lmeoe)
30 whipped. George SimcOe Knocked her
bYother down with n stone and ran on. Pr-
Soner got MP and Iau after George and Wit
ness followed. Prisoner met mp with je-
rrased ou lhe vacant loi and q fight ensued.
Both men used their fists. Witness was
standing "a few feet away. young man
came up with q stick in his hand, but would
not separate the cOmbatants. During the
rstt both men fell, but she could not tell
rllch one was on top. After the fight ended
witness snd her brother went home and leit
eimcee standing on the vacant lot.
THE MOTHER.
Nrg. Bowen. mother Of the prisoner. tes-
1nad that she was At her daughters when
shr received word that she must come home,
al her son James aud ~imcoe were having
adiacnl.v in The store. " hen witness reached
bone elmcoo was inst leaving. She asked
deceased why be- was quarelling with her
sou. bot SimcOe made no answer. witnesses
son .lAmes) came Up aud asked his mother
nor to have any words with Simcoe. She
Oyi'uegr4 and the prisoner then started homo
acpass tlr street. when George Simcoe struck
Bowen with q stone and knocked him sense
ir,s. Witness picked her s0n uD aud wiped
fhr blood od bis face, and then went nome
f1uef helm 10 carry her son home. She could
nnJ 90 one to help her. aud the next she saw
ui Der son was when ne came home and
ieW minutes aferward an officer came IN to
arrest BIN.
As 20 CHARACTER.
Nessrs. u. T.. Glover. George Randall. J.
n. smith, james Hartley, Edgar Shine, John
Beatty. Dennis Wren, and others testified
tlaf the prisoner WAS msn Of quiet dspo'i-
rol. isat tuey never Knew Of hrs being In
s9r troual, before. and that he bore as good
% reputation as any young man in Rlch'
mQ1d.
TrL PRISONER TALKS.
The prisoner was put upon the stand and
IN calm voice and straightforward man
uer testified in substance as follows:
About three weeks prior to the trouble he
went up 10 a drugstore one sunday evening
10 ,eelf be could end several friends, among
tacn genilcuen named Welch and McCarty.
he dio not dnd them at the store, and in
compg back met with some oil them on the
srttL W,lcl bad an acquaintance living
in tne same house with simcoe aud proposed
ils tuey make call lscre.
UNDER ASSUMED NAMES.
witness 81 brst declined 10 go, but con-
Fcu,ei al .er some persuasion, lie went INTO
tue rooms occupied by deceased's family,
und l0 aud McCarty were introduced to
Nrs. Simcoe and the children under as
fumcd names. Mrs. Simcoe and her son
Letter maze 4 fFmaih iAat NltutHt Na5 ''it
much Ike Jim Bowen. Witness only re-
malned about five minutes al slmcoe's.
About three weeks after this call, and on
the night oil his arrest S,mcoe came into bis
lprisoneI'sl store. sud IN a very polite manner
iaquired slter bis health aud that OF the
family. Deceased then asked for a glast OF
beer. which wilues, gave bin. Smcoe pre- !
scnted a quarter u dollar IN payment aud |
wa6 returned tsenty cents 10 change.
BOOMING or THE QUARREL.
Deceasee uen began 10 quarrel with witt
Eess about coming 30 his house under sn as
tuIned name. lie seemed very angry and |
witness asked him 10 leave, as he did not /
wish 20 quarrel or baYe any trouble with /
bin. He lNilaess) went wdh SimcOe 10 the |
door and a. BE- opened Il George and Lester |
b.mcoe were Standing on the curblng with |
stones ia their hands. George said:
"Fslher let hIn CONE on; We won't let !
HIN hurt yOu."