The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-12
THE CROSS MURDER CASE.
Something of its Magnitude and General Outline
Given--No Kansas Lawyers KilIed--Case
to be Appealed in the Event OF No
Trfa

Mr. H L. Gordon, of the firm of Halo
well, Hume & Gordon, who has been at
Paris, Tex, four or five weeks, engaged in
the Cross murder trial, returned yesterday
morning, much to the surprise of many OF
his friends. The report that some ruffian
| Texas had invited him TO sip little coffee
and had threatened rough and tumble
! physical violence to his slender frame had
caused many to suppose he would not
| get back without having visited
an undertaken in q way most
acceptable to the aforesaid undertakes.
But he got out of the Texas gang alive,
and with threats of personal violence
/ hurled at him, his friends hope he will be
! better prepared to stand an Investigation
on his Texas record than some other Kan
sans who have visited that state rather re-
Gently.
There has scarcely been a case in the
criminal courts for years that has attracted
| as much attention as the one commonly
known as the Gross murder case" The
trial called for over 800 witnesses, and for
over four weeks time, and for nearly $780,
600 and placing in the balance possibly the
lives of a dozen men would appear TO be an
outline for considerable attention for the
average man. Most Of the EAGLE readers.
no doubt. recall the reported facts concern
ing the murder of Sheriff Cross, of Stevens
county, and two others on the 18th of July
IS, in No Mans Land. The case resulting
il appeared as the United States vs. Sam
Robinson ct al Before the arrests could
be made, with indictments, Robinson has
commenced term of fourteen years in the
Colorado penitentiary. He was over the
one trouble temporarily, and the others sup
posed to have been associated with him
in the killing appearing on the Indictment
were c. f. Cook, o. j. Cook, G. Frease,
Jacob Lawrence, O. B. Chamberlain, j.
jackson, A NJ Donald, VIM. O'Connor, 5.
Grubbs, J. A. Ruddef, J. II. Calvert and
Ed Prowden.
The latter took sick before the trail was
over and could rot be present. He has
given bail and will be tried October next.
The trial lasted just four weeks resulting
in the first six named being found guilty
of murder in the first degree and the &C
quittal of the other five. Those convicted,
on the day of the killing were
seen in No Mans Land and in
the course of the trial it was
established that Chamberlain participated
in the shooting and the judge held that
should it appear to the jury that Chamber
lain was guilty the others who had been
seen with him some hours before were also
guilty. Herbert Tony, who was a member
of the Cross party and supposed to have
been killed, identified Chamberlain as
having been the man who shot him.
The attorneys for the prosecution were
United States District Attorney Wilson
and his assistant, Hanney, Sam Woods, of
WOodsdale, J. Z. McComb, who had been
district attorney under Cleveland. For
the defense appeared j. c. Hodges, of
Paris, S. B. Bradford, of Topeka, II. l..
Gordon, J. S. PancOast, of HugotOn, j. G..
Hall, at one time county attorney for
Stevens. The argument for the prosecu-
ton was opened by Mr.. Hanney, followed
by Mr.. Gordon for the defense
The Paris Daily Times said the follow
ing: At the converting of the court this
morning Mr. Gordon opened the case for
the defense. He is young lawyer from
Wichita, Kan, and is here representing the
defendant, Jackson. On account of his
comparative youthfulneSs and the magni-
tude of the case his beginning was watch
ed with some trepidation by those who
most wished him well. He, however, had
not spoken long before the wisdom was
seen of those putting him forward to the
responsible position of disclosing the case
of the defendants.
Mr.. Gordon is fluent and logical
speaker, and made mastery argument
for the defense. The strong points of the
government he made bulwarks for the de-
PENDANTS. The physical facts Of the killing
upon which so much stressis laid, he show
ed to be witnesses for his clients His
speech received the close attention of
the court, the jury and the spectators. "
1t was in this speech that the gentleman
from Bluff township, Texas, wanted to
fight in the court room, when the judge
that lawyers most anxious to
fight in the court room were least anxious !
to fight on the street or elsewhere, and in |
structed the sheriff TO keep him quiet.
The motion for new trial in the case |
will be argued on Tuesday next In the I
event it is not granted the case will be ap- |
pealed to the supreme csurt. The defense |
is strongly of the opinion that the !
evidence submitted will result in |
releasing at least four of those |
found guilty, as they can not admit !
that the evidence shows four of them |
were present at the shooting. Mr.. James /
Jockson, one of those found guilty, had /
lived for a number of years in this county |
He is IS years old and his father is well /
10 do farmer, eight miles north, beng a
highly respected citizen. Those most ac-
luainted with the young man have never
thought he would be found guilty of .
-he crime he was charged with