Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-09-26

The taking of testimony in the trial Of
Samuel P6o for the murder OF Samuel
Edwards, coi0red, occupied all OF yester-
day afternoon weeks session Of court. A
large crowd was present, including many
colored people, and all the available
space in the court room was jsmmed with
interested spectators. The prisoners
wife and their two children, little girls
of and 6 years, sat beside Mayor Har-
rington, Peo's counsel.
Senator Gray asked for and was granted
postponement Of the trials OF the seven
men charged with participation in the
Dobbinsville riot until the November
term.
Henry O. Conrad, Esq, counsel for
George II. Williams, colored, indicted
for the murder of Walter e. Wright,
asked for continuance of the trial until
the November term, on the ground of
the absence of material witnesses for the
defence. The continuance was granted
and the trial set down for the first We'd
nesday of the term, November goth. MIR.
Conrad also made application for the
payment of the defendants witnesses by
the State, the prisoner being too poor to
pay them, which request was also
granted.
and Frank Il. Oarswell exhibited plot
of the intersection of Front and Market
streets, where the fraoas that resulted in
Edwards death occurred.
Lewes Hayden, driver of the police
patrol wagon, one of the eyewitnesses
Of the occurrence, Baid he first noticed
Peo and Edwards quarreling in front of
the peanut stand on Front street. when
the italian struck the colored man with
whot he thought was some kind CT an in
Rtrdment. The oolored man backed away
five or six feet, nearly to the ourbstone
when he picked mp stone or hrickbat
which he threw at the Italian, the missile
striking him on the shoulder. Again the
colored man started towards the south
west corner of Front and Market streets,
the italian following him. When
he nesred the gutter plate on the west
eide of Market street tho italian over
took him and struck him blow In
the stomach with weapon. [The
date pick with which the murder
was committed was shown 10 the
witness and he said it resembled the
weapon he saw the italian strike with at
the time. After the blow was struok,
Hayden continued, the negro and the
italian clinched and fell. A crowd
quickly collected and the witness did not
see anything further. He identified Peo
as the man who struck the blow.
Mayor Harrington oross-questioned the
witness at great length, but his story was
not shaken IN any respect. Judge Grub
inquired of him how long time elapsed
between the striking Of the Italian by
the negro with brick and the intliction
of the fatal stab by the Italian. Hayden
khNuobf TINT the t,ariod xuaa Yrn,n Hva 30
10 minutes.
Elijah Clark, eolored, another eye
witness, told story OF the murder that
differed very little from the testimony OF
the previous witness. He was sitting
on chair at Peo's fruit stand, preparing
to eat his dinner, when Edwards came up
and asked Peo the price of something.
The figures given In reply were pro.
nounced too stiff by Edwards. The
latter then stepped back, and the italian
applied vile epithet to him. Edwards
demonstrated, but the italian came up
and struck OF him twice, with pointed
instrument, Edwards retreating mean.
while, until he was almost across Market
street, when they went together and the
Italian struck at Edwards. The witness
said he saw nothing further, as the crowd
closed around the two men. During all
the proceedings he remained seated Oh
the chair in front of the peanut stand.
Perry Miller, lame colored man
little and old, said he saw the oolored
man, Edwards, retreatipg from the Ital
ian's fruit stand, and heard the italian
Gall him q vile name. Then Edwardt
picked up stone and the Italian raI
back into the store and came out with q
weapon In his hand. Edwards met hin
as he came out on the pavement and Pee
struck at him with the weapon, following
him up nearly across Market street, where
they clinohed, and the Italian, according
to Perry's language, ''stoye it into him. ,
Frank N. Robb stopped on the corner
of Front and Market streets, attracted by
the quarrel between the Italian and the
colored man. Something else drew hi
attention for q few seconds, causing hin
to turn his head, and when he looked
around again the two were in the middle
OF the street, striking at each other, th(
italian striking with some sort of an in
Btrument he held in his hand. This in
Btrument, he said, looked something liki
the date-pick exhibited by the attorney
general. The oolored man kicked TIT
italian once in the stomach and durinJ
the fight seemed TO be backing and trying
to get away from the italian. Near tn
gutter-plate on the west side of Marke
street the oolored man fell. The Italian
struck some half-dozen times at the col
ored man during the struggle and tn
blows seemed to be directed at his head
The witness saw stone In the ooloreC
mans hand, but did not see him use it.
Court here took o recess until i
O'Clock Thursday morning.
There was another crowd in attend
ance OF court Thursday morning, whe
the trial of Samuel PEG, for the murde
of Samuel Edwards, colored, wa
resumed. Richard G. Cooper, colored
on behalf of the State, testified that h
Saw the whole trouble that resulted il
18th, at Front and Market streets
Edwards had bunch of fish in his han
and the witness heard the italian offer
cents for the bunch. Then there wa
some conversation, and he heard Edward
say TO PEG, II wouldn't talk to you lon
before I'd hit you" PEG said, "Wha
would you hit me for ?" Some NOR
conversation followed, which the witnea
did not hear, but he saw Edwards rails
his left hand and lay it lightly agRns
Poe's breast. The latter then flew into
rage and reaching over to his stanG
picked up the date-piok and made tw
passes with 1t at Edwards, who retreate
until he got to the curb, where he Btoope
and picked up piece of brick. But the
stood apart, each apparently on the d,
fensive, and the next thing the witnei
Haw was Peo again striking at Edward
. he. hxyk hot 80.