The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-19

lion all this, III Tx 1t all. Ben, uoh
leave mel want to see you"
81 waited ten minutes and then went
to Hotel Felix with my daughter and
Ida. Left both of them there and went
to Nick Lewis. Went back to Wash
ington's at o'clock. Charles had gone
to Hotel Felix; Susan and woman
didn't know were in the room. Alter
that I never saw Susan again until
saw her dead body on the mountain,
Wednesday. On that Sunday She had
on q navy blue skirt, with largo white
figures on it, and kind of seal-skin
cloak (Witness hero recognized the
clothing shown in the court-room.) She
had somo money in pocketbook, but
not much"
Asked again as to Charles manner
when he saw Susan, he replleo that
Charles looked as il he was surprised to
see her. Should say that Charles was
excited then, whereas when he met him
first was cool and quiet. The morning
was pretty cold. and Charles was in the
act Of washing, and as soon as he saw
Susan he seemed shivering all over.
When questioned about the
HISTORY OF THE WHITE WOMAN,
Ida Frisbel, Ben stated that in July,
1890. Ida came with Charles to his house
and introduced her as his wife from Mil
wauKee. Wisconsin, where he said he'd
been working in hotel. They staid
three DAYS at Wrights house, living as
man and wife, then went up to Charles
grandmother's house. Afterwards they
both found employment at Lake Spring
Hotel Commonwealth Attorney BAL
lard then asked Ben if he heard from
Charles after he had left, to which the
witness replied that he heard from him
by letter.
AN ENVELOPE WAS THEN SHOWN HIM,
which he identified as the one contain
ing the letter referred to. Witness
having stated that he was familiar with
Charles Watkins handwriting, the
court inquired
'How did you become familiar with
Charles handwriting?"
Il have had correspondence with
him." answered Ben, from the West
for many years, and have also seen
him write
The prosecution here asked:
"Have you had any conversation with
Charles about this letter."
To this the witness replied: YES,
when he was in Jail he sent Mr.. Charles
Hatcher for me- and l went about
o'clock on the Sunday after tho Satur-
day he was brought here. l didn't go
in the jail. Mr.. Henning was with me
at the back window in the Jail yard.
Charles asked me did l receive letter
from him in North Carolina? / told
him did, and he said he was sorry he
had ever written it,"
Objection was here raised by the
counsel for the defense regarding evil
dence on this letter, and after some le-
gal ouibbling, the much talked OF letter
was handed to the defense. Then for
the next few minutes the heads of
Messrs. Pugh, Moifet and McClurg, the
prisoners lawyers, were close together,
while in silent CONSERVATION they read
and pondered over tho all important
document.
Presently the defense announced that
they desired to present several objec-
tions to the letter, and the jury was
sent out in charge of the sheriff whilst
Pugh, who did every thing in his powe-
to have the letter passed by, but the
court decided that it could go before
the jury as evidence.
After the jury returned the defense
did their level beet, by long and diff
cult questioning and cross-eXamination
OF Wright, to weaken his confidence in
regard to his Identification of this letter
as being written by Charles, but all to
no purpose; the witness was firm and
positive. He also stated that this letter
was taken out of the postofiicc on
Monday morning by his daughter and
handed to him that night, and Tuesday
about ten o'clock he handed it to Deputy
Sheriff Weber Major Ballard then in
clear, strong voice read the entire let
ter, word for word, as follows:
THE LETTER THAT CAUGHT WATKINS
"Wn.MINGToN, N. c., July 4, 1891.
"DEAR COUSIN BEN: no that you
are my Friend if there is any one
on earth; you all ways have been,
Ben. Dear Sir, you no the trouble am
in, but you don't no why got in this
trouble and how it was. / will tell you
all about it. l no you was tho cause of
Sme doing what did. will forgive you
because you was not thinking. If you
had come to Roanoke and inform me of
the trouble l was about to get in l
would of taken Ida and went about nv
business, but you taken this old lady
and brought her on LIE in a respectful
family with out me noing word about
it. Oh, do think this will kill me. l
don't think will ever get over it, Ben
have been every place to get away
from this woman, but she followed me-
all over the country. If She had been
any thing it would of been different
thing, but ! will tell you the truth
about il.
''sho has threaten my life 90
times. She waited one night in Chi
cago all night for me To go 10 sleep SO
she could shoot me, and drawed pistol
on me when she thought was sleep in
the night and caught her hand,
Bonnie. She told mo the night went
home with her in the country, she says:
Il intend to kill you and Ida before 20
back to Chicago;. also she says to me if