The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-13
SADDLER GOES FREE.
Jury Acquits Rufus Slayer in
Eight Minutes.
MRS. HALL IN HIS DEFENSE.
Her Evidence and Strong Testimony OF
Character Get Him oH-bist-
ter and Trial Calendar.

sylyanius y. ssddIer, charged with the nur-
der OF Nicholas Rufus, the Greek fisherman, on
septeHber 8, ISL, YVES acquitted last night siIer
the Jury had been out eight minutes.
The trial lasted two days, and the arguments
OF counsel were completed a. 5 O'Clock II Tie
afternoon Judge HuEnes reserved hls charge
until after supper. and charged the jury al 10
Pm The jury returned almost Immediately
with verdict of soqGittsl. saddler was de-
Tended oy George ". Blake and Fred Zlck- ne
was very much pleased with the outcome OF the
tFisI. and nearly every man II the
courtroom esme and shook hands Win
hfIa when the verdict was announced IhfEe
was big crowd OF spectators al day. who lis
tened 70 the testimony OF the Witnesses Win
great interest The overwhelming number OF
Witnesses who testified TO SGdGlers good char
acter, and his Straightforward bearing on the
stand, won him the verdict of aequittel-
/ @. Hail. tie husband OF the woman who is
alleged TO have been the cause OF the trouble
between saddIer and Rufus, testified that be
had never heard anything about any gossip ex-
oept from SgddIer, who had told him that ne
had better keep Ruins away. He said he had
given his wife liberty to go out with saddler,
who had been out sailing with the whole
family several times.
syIynnus n sedder. the defendant, told his
story of the trouble, saying that Rufus was cut
accidentally with bis knife while he was push
ing him away. The testimony in substance is
as follows:
On the night OF September Mr. Patchen's
little child died and the next morning went
out to help bury il, and got home about 8
o'clock in the evening. After getting out of the
carriage went into John StaAvs house and
stopped about thirty minutes and came out
upon the sidewalk 70 60 bome-to the bath
house where was roonlng. ! picked up
stick and was making a toothpick with my
Euife, as ! had been chewing tobacco met
Rufus between the Dewdrop saloon and the
London lodging house; stopped anu spoke to
him, leaning with my elbow On The TAI! aad my
hip agAinstit ! said:
Hello, Nick, What do you know tonighs?"
He hauled OF and struck ne twice below the
temple with his fist " nen he attempt
ell to strike me the third time ! pushed
him away. / did not think of my knife ia
nly hand ana he got cut Ii was purely an ac-
eident never had any trouble with MIN be-
fore that-not q word Al the time did not
think ! had hurt him much, though
thought he Was cut, because be put his hand
down. He went across the street with his hand
on his side. l went home and Law down and
intended 10 come Up IN the morning and give
myself up But the lieutenant OF police came
down about 10 o'clock. and said, IL suppose
yon have come alter mee' He said, "Yes, and
We went up 70 jail together.
j. H. wocleTy anu William 3. WooIery testi-
fed TO having known saddler for fifteen years.
They said that his character was without a
blemish.
Samuel Combs had known saddler in Maine
thirty years ago, where, in tie town of Rock
land, he had been intimately acquainted with
him for ten years. He had always known him
as good, law abiding citizen, and had never
heard anything against him.
William Bamfield, a ship carpenter who had
worked with saddler for three years, testified
that he had never known anything against
saddler, and that his character was without q
bleInlsh.
n. McCullum, formerly auditor OF Kitsap
county, said that he had known Saddler for
fourteen years, and that he always found him q
man who tried to do what was right
Thomas Phillips, a. ship carpenter who had
boarded with saddler, said that he had been in
innate with him-had slept in the same room,
and had never known him 20 carry a pistol or a
weapon of any kind. He would have known
had such been the ease. Also, that Saddler
always tried 10 avoid trouble, and that rather
than have fuss with couple OF boarders he
had voluntarily left the house He would Ger
tainly have committed no act of the kind
charged unless he had been driven to the wall.
saddler, he said. had taken insults rather than
have trouble OH several occasions
John Casio, a Greek, testified 10 the general
bad character of Rufus, who was regarded as q
ousrrelsoIne man.
O. c. AcGray, baiiif in the superior court
saG that he had known Saddler for thirty years
lie was in the Fourth Maine egiment-the same
=
heard anything else OF him but that he was a
law-sbiding citizen and always tried to DO what
was right. Asked what his opinion of Saddler
was, he said: HE Is good and grand old
man."
Frank G. heIlus had also known saddler for
thirty years and testified 70 his good character
Louisa Rhodes, who lived opposite Rufus
cabin, said that he was always Quarreling aud
fighting with his countrymen.
PeteT Brunn, an ex-pcliceman, said that he
came up from san Francisco fifteen years ago
with saddler and had known him very init
rnately ever since; that lie never knew anything
detrimental TO his character, either in dealings
10 mis- honesty or anything else
Andrew J. Hartley and Frank Griffin also
tes tilted that they had worked with saddler for
three years and had never heard anything else
than that he was ii law abiding citizen.
Lieutenant Frank +. Sims testified that Rufus
had come to him and given him a revolver that
he had taken of Hall Rufus wanted sims TO
go and arrest Hall for carrying concealed
weapons.
Officer John Brennan said that he had gone TO
Halls house with Rufus ami had fixed up the
quarrel between the two men, Hall requiring
Rufus 20 stay away from his house. Brennan
had told Hal that he wou.d be justified in
shooting Rufus II he did not keep away
t. Reed. watchmsa on schwahaeher's
wharf. told OF having seen the trouble between
Hall and Rufus on the wharf. He was sure it
was Rufus and not Sadd,er, who was With Hail,
as Rufus had said in his dying statement
Charles W. IaimaGge. ahotelkeeper who hap
peue1 TO BE passing along West street az the
time Of the trouble, corroboratcd Saddiers story
about the way ie aud Rufus were standing.
Mrs Hall yesterday produced the letter that
saddler wrote her "A month or two ago when he
was IN lati. IL was written in answer 10 one
THAI she had written. About \ month after
SaddleE VAS put ia the county Jail, Mrs. Hall,
considerably excited, went up 10 see him. She
stood IA The hallway. aud after she had gotten
Saddier To come 80 the end of the corridor she
accused BIN Of numbering "that poor innocent
man She talked 80 loud and so long thst the
tsiler had II put hey OUT As she failed to say
al ste wanted, she wrote Saddler = letter, and
IN answer 20 this S&idlor wrote her one advis-
iaE her "a stay at home and he = dGtiIul wife,
and not go about seeking notorieiy He called
attention 70 what lie had done for the family
Aad gave her other good sdvlce, which shs did
not relish.
THE ATTORNEYS ARE roo SHARP
Under the Fee system They Tryt to Cheat