The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-08
IHE AVIDHNGH IS ALL IN
In the Louis HlIdebrapd Wife
Murder Case,
THE PRISONERS HISTORY
'of the shooting OF HIS Wils and the
Event; Which Lea Up 'pIt-Tcs.
tImopy as TO His Good Char.
acteFI Fho NVtfe's Story

~, = ''H7T M.
tsrday forenoon, hayinggot Y the jury
the disputed portions OF the testimony
a to statements made by Mrs. Hilde-
brand after she was shot, and not long
before she died, $50
The defense then began taking testi'
mony, the main portion Of 1t being as TO
Hildebrand's peaceable character and
disposition, The feature Of the day,
however, was the examination Of the
prisoner Louis Hildebrand, He was on
the stand an hour, and told a reasonably
straight story, without hesitation or
confusion, His explanation OF the shoot
ing was plausible, but for the fact that
his wife's fatal wound was In the back.
Those who had known Hildebrand q
long time gave him q reasonably good
character, while his wife was spoken OF
as woman Of quarrelsome disposition.
When the court adjourned on Mon
day evening, Patrick Weir was on the
stand. He was recalled when court
opened yesterday, and his examination
resumed. He was one Of the first per.
sons who reached Mrs, Hildebrand on
the Saturday night OF the shooting,
September 20 last, alter the fatal shot
had been fired. He finished his test.
mony as To the position in which he
found the woman and what was done
with her, aud also told OF statements
she made concerning the shooting, these
statements being admitted as evidence.
Officers Carney and Shorts, Of the city
police force, were examined, but their
testimony was not important. The eyi.
dence OF William Foreman, who was on
the stand the previous day, but
was excused pending decision
| by the court on the ques-
ton Of admissibility, was also unimport-
ant, the statements make TO him by Mrs.
Hildebrand not coming within the legal
definition OF an GRie m0rtsm statement
Mrs, Holmes, q neighbor Of the Hide
brands at the time OF the shooting, was
sworn. She said she had gone into the
house almost Immediately after the
shooting, and had remained up until
within thirty minutes OF the time Mrs,
Hildebrand died. In that time she
heard the wounded woman repeat at
least half dozen different times the
statement:
"Iam going to die. 1won't be alive
In the morning. My husband, Lou
Hildebrand, killed me-"
Mrs. Holmes testimony closed the
case for the prosecution. The defen-
dant's lawyers then seyerally called Mrs,
Gilmartint Mrs. Hazlett, Lawrence Clark
and Mrs. Lawrence Clark, all Of whom
testified that they had always consider.
ed Hildebrand peaceable man Of good
disposition.
Mrs. Hazlett also said that she had
heard Mrs. Hildebrand and street fruit
yendeF, on the Thursday before the
shooting, engaged in sort Of row, and
that she had heard Mrs. Hildebrand say
there would "be q Dutch or an Irish
funeral in the house before Sunday"
Mrs. GilmSrtin, who keeps q grocery,
said that on one occasion Louis Hide.
brand bought some flour from her and
took II home. Subsequently Mrs. Hide
brand brought the flour back 10 the store
and wanted to trade II back for money.
Mr.. Cowan, Capt. j. A. Dlnning,
Chief Of the Fire Department, Deputy
Sheriff Whyte, Mrs. Brush, Mrs. Ebel-
ing, George Wilkinson, Ed Duffy, the
ex.policeman, Charles Smith, the lawyer,
John Cook and others testified that
they knew Hildebrand, most oil them
that they had known him Tor q long
time, and they all gave him good
character for peaceablenesS, Those who
knew Mrs. HildebrRnd generally spoke
Of her in unComplimentaFy teTml.
Mrs. Petticord, sister oil the prisoner,
who has sat beside him In court through
out the progress OF the trial, was put on
the stand, and told Of the quarrelsome
lite led by the prisoner with his wife.
She said they geFg almost constantly
wrangling or fighting, aud abe PLACED
the blame for this state Of affairs Oh the
vile.
Prosecuting Attorney Howard and
Col. Robert White were put on the
stand and testified as "a. distances, etc.,
In the house where the shooting took
place. Col. White said he had found In
d board partition in the room in which
the. shooting. took place, a bullet hole.
The bullet, had pierced clear through the
board, The hole was thirteen inches
from the floor, end seemed to range
downward. 4.is s 4
Mrs. Duncan, a'womAn whose prem
ises abutted In the rear on the rear OF
the premises on which Is located the
house In which the shooting occurred,
testified that she was at her home on the
night of Saturday, September 20, and
heard the shots fred. Just after she
saw two men walk rapidly down the
alley from the direction Of the Hide.
brand house, and heard one OF them say:
rDon't you tell on mel" or words 10
that effect.
The prisoner, Louis Hildebrand, was
then called 10 hestand, and the audience
became as still as the grave. Col. Arnett
conducted his examination Ia CHIEF, and
Nj. SommerHlle his eros. examination,
The prisoner was apparently free from
agitation or confusion, and told bis story
without hesItaucy, He said he was mot
working on the Goth OF last September,
but went TO the mill where be was EN-.
ployed about II o'clock In the forenoon
to get his money. He got $40 and some
cents, this paying for eleven days work,
He went toSevefal stores, buying differ.
ent articles at each, one OF these articles
being whisky. On his cross-examlna.
ton be said he kept whisky at home,
and he and bis wife both drank II there,
He went home that afternoon and
evening three times, He met bis vile on
the street and gave her some money
s. and some change he did not temem.
Der the exact amount,
The third time he went home, bis wife
asked him for more money. This was
about . o'clock. They had some words,
and he left and went into Mrs. Cooks
kitchen, In another part Of the same
house. He sat down there and began
talking 10 his dog, which followed him
In. He did not recollect Just what he |
said TO the dog, He often went into Mr.. |
Cooks and sat down 70 chat, both when
he had been drinking and when he was
sober.
This time he had been there but a
short time when his wife came IN and |
caught hold Of bis car, telling him 10
como In his own house, and askinR Il
Mr., Cook came into their kitchen when
he (HildebrAnd) was out. She pulled
Fi0hl haRd Al FRal liz t,,niatnd tl(lIia |