The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-09-27

any warning by any body. / met Judge
Gooch going home. He said it was
their orders to shoot. said you came
near shooting me for you fred directly
aS me; ne told me in the presence of
my wife then he was simply obeyinv
orders. He was placed in front near
Campbell street. He's short man and
was standing on the STEPS said YOU
came near shooting me. Why did YOU
shoot powder and bullets? His answer
was we were simply obeying orders
l saw no one trying to dispense the mob.
Plenty OF Us would have went il we had
thought there was any danger Of being
hurt.
The reason thought it was Judge
Gooch who shot at mo was | saw his
gun pointed that way and saw the flash.
said that in q joking way and there ia
no reason to believe he would try to
hurt me. Nearly all that crowd were
boys"
DR. Gray here asked the stenographer
to put this down and lay particular
stress upon it.
u don't think there were over fifty
people in the actual mob and most Of
them were boys. All the crowd l saw
on Campbell street were good natured
people joking. | could see the flashes
but couldn't tell whether the shots were
straight out or diagonally. 1 looked
BACK after the street was cleared. They
were still shooting. 1 saw Mac Morris
but didn't see him do any shooting, but
ne Rugged up against the wall. think
they fired into the good citizens and the
mob stayed whore they WERE"
Question by Juror Williams-"Could
any OF the militia, without getting out
OF the window, shoot into the mobP"
Answer.-"One man might, but saw
three guns shining out and none of them
twisting around. / didn't hear word
to dispense from any living aoul. II Cap.
tain Bird had put his head of the win
dow and spoke could have heard it.
don't think any such orders were
given. There was never a shot from the
crowd on either side. 1 did see shooting
In the crowd after the firing was. we'll
under way. l doubt very much IL any
one on Campbell street was armed
When l was shot was in front of the
mayors door"
L. w. Miller here asked the witness
II be represented an Insurance com.
pany.
II have been representing an insur-
ance company. Understand MIR. Whit
myer was insured. His wife sent word
that he held policy in our company.
Some OF the good citizens that were up
against the jail along by the west win
dows were Jim Jackson. John Wooton,
Frank Welsh, George Marshall and Jake
vest think there we're $500 or 9, 900
In the crowd. l suppose l talked to ten
or fifteen in fifteen minutes. l Judge
from the size OF the crowd that came up
with young Bishop that there were only
fifty or seventy-five in the mob. Every.
body seemed to think the negro ought
to be lynched.
"There were lots OF men who did an.
nounce that they came there with the
intention OF violating the law"
Juror Williams objected strenously 10
any evidence being given on the insur.
ance business. He said it was out of
place here.
DR.. Gray ruled the evidence out.
Question by Juror Wiiliams-"Do you
think that II this man who had been
shot had unnecessarily exposed himself
in any battle Of any kind but before
he finished the question the coroner in
terposed and again ruled out all the
testimony relative to the insurance
business.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Bells testi-
mony the jury adjourned at lis until
o'clock
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon session met at 2:45
o'clock. The first witness placed on the
stand was II. l.. Warner, second SCR
geant OF the Roanoke Light Infantry.
who testified as follows:
81 went to the armory at 6:15 and
went to the Jail with Lieutenant Hatcher.
We got to the Jail at 6:45. 1 was at the
jail until 1880 when l went to my office.
At the time of the firing was at my
office at the telegraph key. I was ap-
pointed sergeant of eight and l took
those eight men and posted them at
eight different points.
"At 7:30 placed the fifth sergeant
on the ground and went to the office.
The instructions we received from Cap
tain Bird when we were in the Jail were,
Now. boys, want to caution you. We
are loaded with ball cartridges. | am
afraid we will have trouble and want to
caution you not to fire without orders
He gave me orders to instruct the men
if the mob run over them to hasten into
tho Jail.
II was instructed that no one was to
pass the picket lines. / left about
twenty five minutes before the firing
Our squad was loaded with ball
cartridges in about five minutes after
we arrived There were five or six
police officers on hand"
Juror Williams at this point asked
that the commonwealth's attorney be
here to instruct the jury. DR.. Gray
said the coroner was in absolute au-
thority, but If Mr.. Williams wanted
Mr.. Hardaway he would be asked to
come, although the coroner has entire
Jurisdiction; that he had already dele
gated certain powers to Judge Brand.
The coroner then asked the officers to
summon the commemorative attorney.
DR.. j. Il. Strlckland-"Mr. McGehee
was the first man 1 saw. lie was shot
with minnie ball. The next one 1 saw