The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-11-22
THE CRIrcHLow TRIAL
The Hearing for tho D-fsnSO-ImprSsSit
That nm AliDi IL Proven.

Icy was the first witness called in the
Critchlow case this morning. There
was a large crowd present in anticipa'
tion that tho defense would open the
first thing.
He said he was in the employ Of the
Pinkertons. When he saw Critchlow
the witness was standing OH the bow oil
the boat There were four or five men
with Crllchlow. Major Montooth con.
Quoted the cross-examination and put
questions very rapidly to the witness
and succeeded in getting him to admit
about all he knew about the case had
been told him.
A number OF photographs were then
offered in evidence, aud also the bullets
dug outof the bargCs by Captain Cooper,
and the commonwealth rested, and W.
j. Bremen said the attorneys for the
defense desired to go into consultation
This was agreed to and allof the defend
ants counsel retired, and after being in
consultation they returned, and George
w. Argo, Esq, OF Sioux City, opened
for the defense and said in part:
1--WE say this was an invasion by a
foreign armed force; an assault on the
commonwealth an assault on the
county; an assault OH the soil, and an
assault on you and all the people OF
this county and state.' This armed
body OF men who Invaded this state
were not employed as laborers; they
were men who could not have been
made deputy sherids; they were ennis
saries for what purpose? When they
reached Homestead they made an at
tack on the people Of this county and
and state. So lar as has been shown
they were not there to protect
property; no evidence to show what
they were doing there. They were met
by the good citizens OF Homestead and
when they attempted to land they were
met with resistance. We say all per-
sons on the banks OF the river when
this armed body attempted to land had
right there; that each had right to
defend himself and all others present,
that all had right to use deadly wea-
pons when attacked by such weapons as
these people on shore wore; they were
attacked and had d right to defend
themselves and each other; that Critch-
low had.nothing 10 dowith the death
of Connor. We expect to prove by a
witness that the shot which killed Con-
nor came from the Braddock side" y
Mr. Erwin then addressed the Jury.
He said in part:
"The theory OF the prosecution is that
there was riot. This is a doubly damn
cd fiction. II there was q riot, Critch-
low on one side is guilty and those on
the other eide equally guilty. This is a
fictitious attempt to shut the truth
from the jury. They wish to hide the
cowardly, tyrranical and unscrupulous
conduct OF Carnegie and Frick, and they
expect this court to iact as
Pontius Pilate, Never since
the days of Herod has there
been such a hard-hearted, cold-blooded
man as this man Frick. 1t is the most
disgraceful thing to note that while
this woman, this skilled worker, is here
on trial for murder, this man Frick,
who caused all trouble, is hobnobbing
with the heads OF this government.
This man Frick, this brutal tyrant,
dared to commit treason by bringing
into the borders OF this state an armed
body OF men for his own private pur-
poses"
The defense devoted the entire after
noon session to proving that Critchlow
was not at the mill on the day of the
riot Samuel RothrauR said he saw the
defendant on the Braddock side of the
river ut 10 o'clock in the morning. He
was on a street car going 10 Braddock
Later they were together in Homestead
and separated about 2 o'clock. They
were not near the mill yard Critch-
low carried a gun nearly all tho time,
but finally lett it in a hardware store.
The witness was subjected to search.
ing cross-examination but he could not
be made to deviate from the main story.
His answers were prompt and given
without hesitation. Six other wit
nesses, including one woman, all swore
positively that they met the defendant
in the town of Homestead in the after
noon. -Four said that they saw him
between 8 and S:l5 o'clock between
Twelfth and Fourteenth street going to
his home.
Coort then adjourned until Up. m.
Seven witnesses were examined at
tho night session and without exception
they swore that they had seon Critch-
low in the town OF Homestead between
l2 and o'clock p. IN, The prosecution
proved that Connor had been shot after
i2 o'clock and before o'clock.
Mr.. Taylor, tho last witness, said that
he was on the railroad bridge when the
barges arrived, and from the flash it
looked to him as II the first shot had
been fred from the barges. The de-
fense will probably close tomorrow
morning, and the case may 60 to the
Jury in the evening.
1t is the opinion OF attorneys who
heard the evidence that Critchlow has
proven good alibi, and that convic-
ton is not probable.