Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-05-08
WHEEIlNG W. WEDNESDAY MORNING. MAY 8, 1889

when we got in our house she locked the
door and asked for more money. l said |
would give her no more, and then she
struck me over the head with the stove
litter. We began to tussle and took the
litter out of her hand and threw it TO the
floor. Then she reached for the revolver,
which Law on the table and said, Lou, ]
am going to shoot" grasped her around
the shoulders Two shots were fired
which think went downward. tried to
Jerk the revolver out of her hand
and the third shot was fired; il was the
one that struck her. She started out the
back door and went ont the front door; l
went down street and asked Mis-. Mullen
for some matches, which she gave, and /
went on up street to Filan's saloon
From there | came up Market street to
South, where Officer West arrested me. l
thought l was arrested for being drunk
and gave my pistol to Mr.. John Howell
was placed in the lookup and afterwards
removed to the Jail. In reply to direct
question Hi'debrand stated that he did
not know his wife was hurt when he left
the house.
A SEARCHING DISCRIMINATION.
The crOss-examination conducted by Mr.
Sommerville was severe and searching
While many eOrrelative statements in Hill
debrand's testimony were questioned the
most careful scrutiny was made of his &C
count of the events Immediately preceding
and following the shooting, and the story
was severely shaken.
Little additional in regard to his where
abouts during the day was brought out.
He said that he had drawn $40 % in the
morning, and had given his wife some
thing over IS. When he came to the house
in the afternoon, she asked for more money
and he asked her what she had done with
what he gave her. She told him it was
none of his business, to which he
replied that he thought it was some of his
business as he had to work for it. Hide
brand then described the trip to Gilman
tins, and had considerable trouble explain
ing to Mr.. Sommerville why he went
around square to 90 back home instead
of taking tue direct route. He said that
when he came back his wife had returned,
and she kept continually worrying him
about the money until be went into Mrs.
Cooks, then she came after him.
There was considerable discussion over
the amount of force Mrs. Hildebrand used
to get him back, and the witness was piled
with questions, which he succeeded in an
swering. He said that he attempted to
keep her from locking the door, but she
insisted. Then witness described minute
ly the room and the position of both par
ties. His wife stepped back from the
door toward the stove. She asked for
more money, and he refused it, She said
she would have some more money, or he
couldn't 90 out OF there alive. He again re-
fused and she struck him with the stove
litter.
THE STORY SHATTERED.
Here came the weak point in the story.
The prisoner showed one scar, which he
said had been made by the same stove
litter in the loving Mrs. Hildebrand's
hands four weeks before, but there was no
mark for the second wound, and by his
own admission it was never dressed by
ans body, but allowed to heal and "blush
unseen, &c.
The prisoner continued his story. He
took the stove litter from his wife's hands
and threw il on the floor. Then she
moved toward the table for the revolver.
The incidents OF the shooting were de-
scribed more minutely than in the direct
examination. She said: Lou, am go
ing to shoot" He caught her by
the shoulder, she having her
back turned to him and both hands ex-
IL ho n 1
trying to cock it. He pulled her hands
apart and backward, tearing the revolver
out of her hand, and Just then the third
shot was fred. The revolver WAS more in
mis- hand than hers at the time. They
separated then, the witness put the re-
volver in his pocket and went upstreet.
Mr.. Sommerville aud the prisoner had
a hard time in fixing the positions of both
parties during the shooting, and neither
seemed to be thoroughly satisfied when it
was done. Hildebrand stumbled once or
twice and conIradicted himself, but his
story was straight enough in the main.
The cross examiner made a telling point,
however, when he asked Hildebrand bow
he could walk up street and not think his
wife had been hurt, when revolver was
fred at her not foot oil. NO adequate
reply was made TO this question.
ANOTHER HOME THRUST
was made in the cross-exsmination. Hill
debrand said he put the revolver in his
pocket and did not take it out again. Mr..
put the question point blank,
and he admitted that he took out the
empty shells as he went up street, and put
in fresh cartridges. He did this when he
got to Holidays planning mill. The reason
for it, he said, was that he desired to sell
the revolver and thought it would sell bet
ter loaded. lie did not have chance to
attempt sale that night.
No other important points were deyel-
oped in the cross.examinatiOn, and 1t be-
ing late in the evening, the court ad-
journed.