Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-04-07
U.S.MAL
THE SERIOUS CHARGE ALLEGED AGAINST TWO
BENwOOD BOYS
The Hearing of the Case Occupies the Entire Day
in the United States COurt-Substancs
Of the Testimony.

In the United States Court yesterday
the cases against Victor Thomas and
Will Leach, the two Benwood boys
charged with obstructing the mails, &C.
cupied the entire day, and Court ad-
journed before all the evidence had
been heard. The cases will be finished,
and given to the jury this morning.
District Attorney Sturgiss conducted
the prosecution and Hon. G. Wesley
Atkinson and c. P. Flick appeared for
the defendants.
John Shellhase was the first witness
to be placed upon the stand. He testi-
fed as to the contract between the
United States government and the Citi-
zens Railway Company for carrying
| mall between certain points. August
Geisler, street car conductor, posi-
lively identified the two boys as having
at different times placed distractions
upon the track in Benwood, in the
shape Of bricks and stones, and said
also that they drove spikes along the
track. August Weigand, motor-man,
corroborated the witness who preceded
him and identified the defendants as
the boys who had done the mis-
chief. The testimony Of w. B.
Myers and Mr.. Grabell, employees
of the Street Railway Company, did not
differ materially from that of the other
witnesses. Mail Carrier Groves testi-
fed that the mail was delayed at times,
and occasionally had to be brought to
the Office in this city by other routes,
owing to the distractions placed upon
the tracks Of the Street Car Company.
The defense tried TO prove an alibi.
The first witness examined was w. b.
Leach, father of one OF the boys. He
remembered that on the Gath Of March,
at the time mentioned by witnesses for
the prosecution, his son was not in
the vicinity of the street car
track. John Leach, an uncle
of defendant, testified that Willie
was an obedient, well-behaved boy. His
recollection was not clear as TO his
whereabouts on the oath of March and
other days mentioned, but he told Of his
customary presence at the store OF
Leach Bros. and his attendance at
school. Both Of the Leach's admitted
that they sympathized with the strikers
because they thought their cause was
lust. Both had warned the boy about
placing distractions upon the track.
Isaac Thomas and son William, faith
er and brother respectively Of Victor
Thomas, testified that defendant was at
home working in the garden when
the disturbances took place on
the cath. Miss Annie Pelley is
Willie Leach's school teacher. She al
ways regarded him as an obedient boy.
Both boys attended the Sabbath School
of which she was formerly superinten-
dent. She saw a car stopped once, but
neither of the defendants were in the
crowd which assembled. Josephine
Launde, another school teacher, testified
to the uniformly good department OF
the defendants. Victor Thomas was one
of her pupils. He was present at
school on the afternoon of the oath, and
had not single tardy mark recorded
against him. DR.. Leonard Eskey
and Miss Jones were examined,
but their evidence was unimportant
The defense had but one more wit
ness to examine when the Court ad-
journed. The boys are charged with a
violation of the United States Mail Re-
vised Statute 1895. The penalty upon
conviction is fine not to exceed 500
and costs.