The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-18
EVIDENCE AGAINST WATKINS.
Traced Near the Scene Of the
Murder.
The Prisoners Uncle Strong witnessfor
the Proseeution-Susan Had Been SAot
When She Arrived ut Ills House t7ie
Evening Before Her Body Was Found
Accused the Prisoner of Shooting Hep
md Was Lost Seen With Him.
ROANOKE TIMES BUREAU,
HoNSER BUILDING,
SALEM, VA, Nov. il

y
Some time before 10 a. m. Tuesday
the Roanoke county courthouse was
again packed with people, three-fou ,ths
OF whom were colored, whose interest
in the Watkins cnse seems to be in
creasing. Promptly at 10 tho prisoner
was brought in, counsel appeared, the
jury, in charge of tho sheriff, filed in
from the Hotel Lucerne, where they had
spent the night, and the trial proceeded.
Mr.. Samael Strickler was tho first
witness for the prosecution Tuesday
morning. lie it was who, with John
Banks, stayed by the body all Tuesday
night. He described the position OF the
body as sit lay on the little island,
with part OF the head in the shallow
water, the hands by the side, one being
wrapped in cloth and swollen; spoke.
or tho imitation sealskin. cloak, and re-
lated the discovery of the metal heel
plates OF the woman and the imprint of
the rHbber overshoes OF the man, these
being near the secluded spot where the
body was found Counsel for the de-
Tense tried hard to shake this witness
regarding the spot being secluded, and
endeavored to make him say that the
BODY In tho stream could have been
seen by any passer-by on the road.
MIR. Charles Hatsher, who, as one of
the coroner's jury, visited the spot
where tho body was moved next gave
in his testimony, In describing the ap-
pearance of tho body, he alluded to tho
watch chain being pulled to the left of
the body, whilst the gold watch was
found in the water under her right side.
The watch was produced In court and
was identified by the witness In en-
deavoring to show the jury abe exact
location OF the different houses in the
mountain, the prosecution haa prepared
a diagram, to which the defense
the objection, nm the ground that the
diagram not being prepared by a sur
veyor was not accurate; the diagram
was not used And then much time was
consumed discussing the distances of
different points in the nesghborhood
from the exact spot. Mr. Catcher was
OF tho Same opinion as previous wit
nesses that passersby on the road,
though only fifteen feet away, would
not have been likely to have seen the
body in tho branch, so we'll was it hid
den by tho bank and bushes growing
around, though perhaps q man on horse
back might.
DR.. b. p. Sanders. one OF the physi-
clans who made the post-mortem ex-
animation OF tho body In Oakey's morgue
"a hours after it was found, and who
went with the coroner's jury to the
scene of the murder. testified as to the
position in which tho body was found,
but moro especially as to the wounds.
The first of these was the small pune
ture at anglo of left jaw, which he
thought might have been caused bys
pistol ball, until he probed 1t and found
that it only extended Il OF an inch.
There were four wounds on the head.
one behind the left ear where the skull
was fractured, ono near the top of the
skull anc two others at back of the
mead, either ono or all'o which no con-
sldered sufficient to produce death, and
which he considered were made with
blunt instrument. Was sure thew were
not produced by fall or by dragging.
He examined the whole body super
Totally, but did not examine lungs or
heart; described bruise on left arm, al
luded to tho gravel in tho nostrils, the
gold teeth and plate in tho mouth; and,
In fact, mado fine witness for tho
prosecution had not the commonwealth
attorney made bad break, asking
what would have been the condition OF
the body had it been drowned. This,
OF course, as the lungs and heart had
not been examined, tho defense made
| OF good use.
DIR. laird. who assisted DIR. Saunders
in tho posl-n ortem, followed, and in
dorscd all that had been said by his
brother physician, adding some addi-
tional information in describing the
| operation of tho autopsy, and in speak
| ing Of tho swollen eye, hand and ankle.
for which no could not account; he was
| opinion that death was immediate.
1t was 1890 when DIR. Baird stepped
down, and tho commonwealth's attorney
inquired OF the court il thew should
have another witness before recess, to
which Judge Griffin replied
'.Oh, yes; this is a mighty slow process
and we must move alongr'
George Washington, the owner OF tho
Roanoke boarding house, where Charles
watkins and Ida Freibel lived while he
was working at tho Hotel Felix, was
| next called. He IS dark brown
skinned man, well.aressed, baid-headed
and with side whiskers. decidedly slow
and hazy as witness, being OF opinion
thatit was the fall of this year when
Charles lived with him.
He had hardly begun his story whom
the opposing counsel got inso an argu-
menu WIN caou otner, bringing fOrth
reprimand from the Judge. George
then stated shat on the Sunday m orning
preceding the finding of the body Bon
Wright and his daughter. of Salem.
together with the murdered woman,
came to his house while be was at
church. Charles Watkins, who was
then working at Hotel Felix. was atthe
house at tho time, but left soon after,
and Charles met him returning from
church and told him that there had been