The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-05
THE DEFENSE CLOSED.
Evidence for Robinson All
Before the Jury.
The INDIAN STORY SHUT OUT.
Another Version Of Willians' pxinr
statement--Mrs. Robinson's Story
Evidence in Rebuttai.

he- Aue argument VIII Degin tnis morning,
and the case Will 60 to the jury some time this
Gternoon. The defense covered a great deal of
Cound yesterday and introduced q great mass
o. testimony, considerable of which was of
great -alue to Robinsons case Two of the
most important witnesses were Mrs. Robinson,
the wife OF the defendant. and William p. viii.
lana assistant superintendent of the mines
AlArge numL2r of colored miners were put
upon the stand, generally to corroborate the
details OF the general story OF the defense Sew
eral testified to dying declaration of Williams
quite different from that sworn to by the states
witnesses. One Of the negroes claimed to have
been an actual eye witness OF the encounter be-
tween Robinson and Morris, but his testimony
differed considerably in important particulars
from that OF other witnesses, and as he was not
any too sure OF his facts, as q whole, his evil
dence could not have been of much assistance
10 the defense, although he swore I,ositiv ly
that Morris was the aggressor An attempt was
made by the defense to prove by George Nelson,
chief of the Seattle tribe, located at the Mukil-
shoot reservation, that white miners had en-
deayored to hire the assistance of his braves for
raid on the town, but the court refused to ai-
nit the testimony, on the ground oiyirrelevancy
James Peck, colored MINER WIS che first
witness OF the day. He swore that he was on
the north end Of Franklin at the time of the
riot. About thirty minutes after the shooting
stopped he heard a man over in the brush call
Ing for help He said:
"aercy! mercy Come and get me: I'm shot"
A:terwsrd he said: 81 told them not to do This.
Now you see the fix I'm in"
~ The witness didn't know the wounded man.
but was told it was Williams
G. s. Miller, colored, testified to hearing a
man in the woods calling for help alter the
shooting He was wounded He said: az told
them not to start It. They placed me on the
hill By PARK Robinson's house"
Taylor Piles, colored, testified that he was at
the north end OF town when the shooting began
&c went down the county road. Between the
store and Park Robinsons house the balls
began to fly, and he lay down in the road
(which way did the balls conner" asked Mr..
Burleigh.
"They come from right up thah," Epointing
!, Up, Is If to the hillside)
The witness then went on to say that he had
been expecting trouble because a man had besn
shot in the morning He could see men going
back and forth with guns. He had asked if
> they were going hunting, and they had an
ssered that they were guarding their hall; that
TIE company was going to burn it.
After cross-examination Mr. Burleigh asked
the witness II he had seen the white miners
drilling on the fats The state objected to ex-
animation ON such matters and the objection
was sustained. The defense took an exception
to the ruling.
The next witness was Ben CASTOR, the negro
3,
He testified that he was acting guard at
Franklin until that date.
"Why did you quit?' was asked him
81 done had to; got shot with broad
grim.
After he had stated that 1t happened about 2
o'clock in the morning further examination
was stopped by the states objection. Mr.. Bur-
leigh insisted that he would not only show a
system among the white miners, but that the
shooting of CASTOR created an impression on
Park Robinson's mind that tended to influence
his actions. The objection was sustained.
= D. II. Richards evidently made more preten-
tons to correct grammar than the majority of
his eolored brothers at franklin. His speech
was almost free from, the negro dialect and he
took considerable pains in the choice Of his
words He had been up to the north end Of
town when the shooting began Explaining
the situation, he said:
During the day | seen white men floating
across, and l was on the lookout I come on a
large party as were going up the county road.
They were going northeast near the branch. /
counted twenty-nine of them. lost sight of
them In the woods. This was about twenty
minutes before the shooting began. then went
down towards the store. When the firing COM
menced looked around in every direction.
some bullets whizzed by my head. l looked up
the hill and seen where they come from. Two
bullets throwed dust on my shoes.
On REORGANIZATION, when asked why he
had gone up to the north end, the witness
piled:
-, were on the lookout Tor trouble. were sur
rounding the camp.
George Nelson, the Indian chief, was next
placed on the stand. He is a tall, wel-formed
- man, with face OF some intelligence. He was
fkeatly dressed in a suit of "store clothes" Ben
Solomon, Puyallup Indian, was sworn in
Interpreter, and administered the oath piece
nesl to the witness. The chief, in answer to
a kI.cNA
the head of the Mukilshoot reservation.
which was under the protection of
the government He did not know
how far 1t was from Franklin, but it
would take from breakfast time to noon to
walk the distance. He remembered when the
negroes went to Franklin, About month
after, while he was going to Black Diamond, he
met white man the road. He knew the
white man. His name was "Molly." He had
heard OF the trouble between the whites and
blacks He had talk with the man.
ASK him what the man said, said Mr.. Bur
leigh, but the question was not put to the CHIEF
Ar Hughes objected to the admission OF evil
dence OF this character and, Notwithstanding a
protest from the defense, the court sustained
= the objection and granted the states motion to
! have ali o. the chiefs testimony stricken from
TIE record Mr.. Burleigh took his usual excep-
ton to rulings of the same kind.
John l. Fry testified that he was one Of the
few white nea that continued working after
the negroes cane. In consequence he received
communications from the strikers making
threats against him in case he continued work
Ing with the colOrei miners.
Upon the states objection Fry was not al
lowed 20 testify about the threats lie man
aged al one point, however, to get in state
fnent about black looks that were given him by
the strikers before Mr.. Hughes could stop him.
He told about going down to the company s
Store on the evening of June Is for his mail
lie saw Morris there, sitting on stump. He
went In the store, and when he came out
Morris was gone. When he was nearly home
we shooting began, and he ran for his Wfnehes-
Yer. He did no shooting.
Charles Price, a negro miner, testified that ne
uFed at the upper end of town. lie was IN the
house. and didn't hear the shooting. When he
came out doors he heard a man calling for help.
\ He saw some men go over and carry him out OF
TIE brush. The wounded man said:
= This was the night we intended to raid the
camp I'm shot to death.
James Simmons. the colored steward OF the
oregon Improvement Companys hospital al
the time OF the not, told of the shooting OF Ben
Gaston early on the morning of tho 18th. lie
vas brought 70 the hospital There was 8 great
cesl OF excitement during the day. The wit
ness could see men travelling up and down the
county road and up in the woods back OF fark
Robinson's house. He saw about forty or hity
men 20 out OF sight in tho woods. He noticed
particularly because Ii was very unusuai tc
see anyone travel that way. painstaking
Juror interposed the question: "What was the
color Of these menu
y "They were white men," was hcansver.
Lewis Digs, helper at the hospital solo
practically the same story as simmons, but Q