The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-14
MEHAN'S TRIL FOR MURDER
The Prisoner Reads a Sensational
Story Of the killing.

Enan and His Slayer a Drummer-The
Latter in New York When he Re-
ceived Letter From His Wife Say
ing That Mcbride Had Made I'm
proper Proposals to Her-HurryinR
Home the Tragedy Quickly Fol-
lowed.
Atlanta, Ga, Dec. 13.-The examina-
ton of witnesses in the Mehan murder
case was concluded and argument began
this afternoon. Chief interest centered
in the prisoners statement, which he read
from manuscript. Mehan proved a
dramatic elocutionisr His recital of the
insults to his wife, and the incidents of
the killing of Mcbride moved the jury to
tears, and the big crowd of spectators in
the court room was also deeply affected.
Robert Mcbride. the man killed by Me-
hanswas prominent and influential cap
italist of Newman. Mehan was a drum
mer and Mcbride occupied a room at his
house. They were close personal friends.
During the day Mrs Mehan and her
four children sat by the prisoner in the
| court room. A nurse held the youngest,
and infant of few months, in her arms.
| Mrs. Mehan Is very handsome woman,
| a brunette of imposing presence, with
| the appearance of refinement and educa-
| ton.
! The prisoners statement embodied the
| letter written to him by his wife, detail
| ing McBride'S insults to her while he was
in New York, and which was the direct
| cause of the killing. This letter in sub
stance was that Mcbride had made i'm
proper proposals 20 Mrs. Mehan while
| living in the house as her husbands
| trusoed friend.
THE EFFECT OF THE LETTER.
After reading the letter to the jury the
prisoner continued describing its effect
upon him and his homecoming to wreak
vengeance upon Mcbride. THE informa-
| ton conveyed was such as dazed me. l
could not realize such thing was posi-
BILE. l was not only surprised, but was
! shocked beyond the power to describe. |
| wired Col Carmicai, the sheriff of the
comfy, to call on my wife and investi-
gate ands wire me the results, and |
waited an answer in that condition of
mind that it is impossible for me to con-
vey to you in language.
| Col. Carmical replied to my telegram by
| saying, You should come home. l knew
| then that there could be no mistake about
| the matter And then came over me a
| feeling that no man can appreciate who
never had such an experience. II is
possible for man to appreciate it only
when he is the victim of such circum-
stances. You can only obtain a faint con-
| ception of its effect on me by recurring to
| your own feelings and imagination and
your own wife. My wife at that
time was in an extremely
delicate condition, liable to great
nervous disorder as women are when so
near childbirth as she was at that time.
THE ARRIVAL HOME.
| $50 Immediately left for home after
| getting Carmical's telegram. / left New
| York on the first train and reached New
nan at 10 o'clock Saturday night. l
| found my wife in bed suffering from ner-
vous prostration brought on by the in
| famous insult and outrageOusly false ac-
| cusatiOns of Mcbride. Between Sobs she
told me of her wrongs, about the infa-
nous proposition and the lying, BULLDOG
| ing methods he took to coerce her into
| silence, and how that when she
arose to go to her sister he had
seized her and how she broke loose from
him. In other words, gentlemen, he tried
TO rape her, if you will have it. While
had felt so much outraged before this
that have told you it was impossible for
me to convey to you an idea of my feel
ings, now in her presence, with tears
streaming down her cheeks, her body
quivering with nervous spasm, her
heart broken with grief, and she relating,
as best she could between her
occurred, I lost all control of myself
What l felt, for 1 said nothing,
l had passed the point of talking, was a
hundred times multiplied as compared
with my indignation before felt. | love
life, my wife and my children, but no life,
though it should last a hundred years,
could compensate for the agony that |
| fa1f md a Of fan 1
wife, and heard her tell of the indignities
which this man had heaped upon her,
and until this unfortunate matter had
ended in the death of Mcbride, although
it was only few short hours, yet it was
an age when measured by the tortures /
suffered"
THE KILLING.
Describing the killing of Mcbride at
the union depot, where he met him by
accident, he said, passing in from the
sidewalk through the entrance l noticed
a man glaring at me in a strange way. ]
did not know who he was. | turned
around and stepped out on the sidewalk
to see who he was. There was Mcbride
All the indignation he had heaped on my
wife, his infamous propositions, his false
and SlanderouS charges against hel
honor and virtue, her helplessness from
her delicate condition, the agony which
she was suffering when ! reached hel
Saturday, and she was suffering
on Sunday, and even that morning wheI
l left her, rushed in one great shock upoI
me. 1t was more than l could resist
There stood the lecherous libertine who
had abused my confidence and taken ad
, vantage of our family relations, anC
insulted my wife with the foulest propo
; sitions and charged her with the basest
| conduct. knew nothing; it came like
a flash of lightning, an electric SHOCK
could not have been more sudden. 1t wa
impossible for me to stay my hant
or to think or consider, for in an in
slant it was over. The man WHIT
had sought to destroy my peace, homo
and rob me of my wife and of her virtue
5 and, failing in that, had sought to destro,
. ! her honor, name and reputation by tn,
falsest foulest SANDERS, was dead / fee
that l have done no wrong, but have dis
} charged duty owe to my wife and chill
dren, my home and myself"