Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-02-14
LOCAL.
LOCAL.
THE BROWNSBURG TRAGEDY
TN COURT.
THE SFRANGEST OF STRANGE STORIES.
TOLD BY The WITNESSES At THE TRIAL OF
WILLIAM MILLER.

kER'S STRANGE LETTERS-TIs BROTH
ER-IN-LAW TESTIFIEs THAT HE WAS
MADMAN-MOsT REMARKABLE HALLU-
CINATIONs-HE EIAGINEs HE Is AT
WARON PICKET AGAIN-MRS. WALKER S
TERRoRs-EFFoRTs OF HENRY MILLER
TO MAKE PEACE.
&C.. &C. NC.
rReported for the Staunton VINDICATOR.l
LEXINGTON, Feb. 18th.
On Friday morning last, the rehearsal OF
old and new incidents of the Brownsburg
tragedy of November Sth, which gave the
public such a shock, commenced III the
County Court here before Judge VIM. L.
Houston. 1t having been previously de
cided to try the prisoners separately, (James
Miller has elected the Circuit Court for his
tribunaO, all the rest of the prisoners, III
Guiding young Reese. were taken out OF
court, leaving William at the bar to be first
tried. The Miller boys-James, William,
George and David, might all be called hand
some men, seem to be around the end of the
twenties in age, and are neatly dressed.
David, who was wounded in the fight,
seems to have partially lost the use OF his
limbs, and was brought into court on a
chair and laid on couch. When all except
William were taken out Friday, leaving
William behind, there were gathered around
him his mother 1.-THE widow of Henry Mil
ler,) lady about sixty; niece, quite
pretty girl Of eighteen, and two little girls,
the older lady7s grand children. He seems
quite affectionate and every morning-fol
they are there waiting his appearance every
day-kisses them all when he is brought i'll
from jail. When put to the bar Friday he
was dressed in aneatly fitting suit Of brown
cloth. His demeanor is well calculated to
further his case with a jury. He stands
charged with the murder of DR.. u. J.
Walker and his wife.
The counsel for the defense are Edmund
Pendleton, E. Morgan Pendleton and
Frank T. Glasgow, Of Lexington, and
Thos. N. Williams of Lynchburg. The
counsel for the prosecution are David E.
Moore, Commonwealth Attorney OF
Rockbridge, assisted by w. A. Glasgow
Jr., of Fincastle. l was Informed that the
expense of assistant counsel for the prose
cution is borne by Miss Hope IRVINE, the
adopted daughter and heir of DR.. and Mrs
Walker, and who now resides in the OLD
Walker homestead at Brownsburg.
The court room is densely crowded al
day long, but Judge Houston permits no
demonstrations and no indecorum of any
sort, and order is vigorously enforced by
Sheriff r. r. Witt and his deputies, J.
Sidney Saville, W. F. Templeton and Jno.
Z. Wilson.
The theory of the defense was,
that there was a preconcerted plan
to get Henry Miller before mag
istrate and there kill him. 1t was
well established that that was DR.. Walkers
idea, but no participation by any of his
friends in that plan has been shown. l
send you the evidence in the case, which is
perhaps the most remarkable in some re-
spects, ever given in Virginia court of
justice. The first witness was the Magis-
tate, E. B. Bosworth, in whose court the
fearful tragedy took place:
E. B. BOsWoRTH.
This witness, the magistrate in whose
court the tragedy occurred, was sworn and
testified as follows
[ live in Brownsburg and am a Justice
of the Peace. l was present holding court
when DR.. Walker was arraigned before me
on peace warrant. I issued the warrant
at the instance Of Henry Miller who swore
it out on November Sth. DR.. Walker
was arrested by a constable and brought
to the Academy, where we usually hold our
trials. Special Constable T. S. Agnor
brought DR.. Walker to the Academy.
When DR.. w. came in [ read the warrant
to him and told him what he had been ar
rested for. The room in which the trial
was held is about 2Sx3O feet with rows of
benches on either side and a 4 Oh 5-foot
aisle in the middle. There is pulpit in
the north end of the room in vacant
space. | was sitting near the pulpit on the
left hand side of it. Henry Miller, at the
opening Of the trial, was sitting at my left
on the east side of the room on bench.
DR.. Walker was standing near the centre
of the room; he had not taken his seat.
David Miller was sitting On bench in
front of his father. l think II. L. Terrill
was on that bench too. The benches in the
room were pretty well filled with people.
The Miller boys were in the room. but |
can't say where they were sitting.
There is a pillar in the centre of the
room. DR.. Walker was three OF four feet
from it and in front of it. He placed two
chairs in front of the pulpit, one of which
he held in his hand. They We're placed five
OF six feet apart facing each other Dr.
Walker remarked to me that he wanted
Henry Miller to occupy the chair next to
the pulpit-that he wanted to face his ac-
cuser. l asked Mr.. Miller if he had any
objection to occupying the chair. He said
he had no objection, and got up from where
he was sitting and came and sat down in
the chair that DR.. Walker had placed
there.
| then swore Mr.. Miller and he gave his
evidence and told of his being threatened
by DR.. Walker who had come in front of
his house with a gun at different times and
had with him negro man also armed with
= gun. DR.. Walker corroborated all OF
Miler's evidence, saying cit is true-it is
all right Dr.. Walker then asked me tC
examine his wife as a witness Examine
Bettie.'' he said. Mrs. Walker was there
sitting on the east side of the room away
back by window, on a bench. She came
forward and corroborated the evidence Of