The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-12-22

| there" This mode OF looking for the lyncheri
! caused much merriment among the spectators
| charges had been preferred against him. | saw
him about three or four days before the charge,
thought he might have something interesting t
say, for / told him that IL the people of the
county were satisfied, the people of the STATE
were not. He told me that he did not know
about the people of the state, but the people o
the county We're satisfied He also SAID that
person had told him IL a resistance was made
the mob had fifty pounds of dynamite TO blow
up the jail.
Mr.. Geer crossexamned the witness on the
interview, and he admitted that he had left out
several things. Sheriff Jacobs had told him. bu1
had asked him TO keep out.
Alfred G9lbraith of the Flint News, testified
that he was in Corunna at the time of the lynch
ing. He said the affair was all orderly anc
quiet and quickly done; that the Sherf told
him the next morning that the people were his
friends and they would make him no trouble.
Paul NJ. Roth, testified that the talk was gen
eral among his acquantances that IL sullivan
was arrested he would be lynched. He said he
went TO Sheriff Jacobs on the afternoon before
Sullivan was hung and asked him IL he wanted
the services OF the company; He asked me II
thought there would be trouble and told him
yes. He said he did not know about 1t, but that
he had sent for his deputies and expected ten
or twelve. / told him that IL there was to be
any trouble q company was the best thing to
think about it and let me know in an hour or
two. Hewanted me to have the company ready.
We had a meeting that night and remained at
the armory until about $3.50 O'Clock. We did not
hear from Jacobs
On cross-examination Mr.. Geer tried to get
the witness to say that he saw no indication of
trouble, but the witness chung to his former
statement that there was general talk about
lynching. The company was all ready to go to
Corunna, and witness expected that they would
Richard Derrick, Deputy Sheriff, of Ionia
county, was the first witness called Thurs
day morning. Said he was in Corunna
xtV.fx H. tAtI
Sheriff had made some preparations to de-
fend jail in case of an attack; did not think
there would be any trouble until ten minutes
before IL occurred said he should have armed
deputies and II necessary would have called out
Militia but until a short time before hanging
did not think this necessary. Saw the mob ap-
proach Jail, took two or three minutes to break
open jail door, said crowd was inside cell about
eight minutes: saw them drag Sullivan out and
hang him. To a Free Press reporter, Mr.. Der
and went right in the door with the mob None
of them wore masks, and one of the men worked
In his shirt sleeves. He was short thick
man, with short heavy neck ana ne looked as
sledge and after few minutes second one
was asked for, and II was passed In. 1 did not
see muca o. tho Snepn 'aGOos as ne was IN tne
know OF his having hard fight What would
have done is hard to say, but / guess there
would have been some shooting"
Richard Rice, of Durand saw Sullivan shortly
after he was taken to the jail. He noticed
man with rope standing in front of the jail
after he came out. Rice also saw the hanging,
and went home Immediately after When asked
what he was doing In Corunna, Rice said that he
went there to see the sights. On cross examin-
alton he said the Shhein searched him before
he was allowed to go to the cell. Witness knew
He admittedthat he heard that the crowd was
going to hang Sullivan. The attorney general
asked Rice number Of questions as to how he
knew that Sullivan worked for Leetch when the
murder happened. Rice stated that he saw the
two together and told the officers that Sullivan
was the man they wanted. He had heard that
Sullivan went by the name Of Burns. He had
worked with him in Flint some four or Ave years
ago, but knew him only as Sullivan. Witness
never saw Sullivan at the Leetch farm, and he
Ellis showed that he would urge there was no
to show that Sullivan committed the
murder, and that IL he had been given trial an
alibi would easily have been proven.
A. L. Beard, who sat on the coroner's jury at
the sullivan inquest, was the next witness. He
saw the mob drugging the body around the
streets, but did not see the hanging. After the
body had been taken back to the Jail he went
there and saw It, -Four men carried the body,
but ne did not see the Sheriff with them. Wit
ness saw pool of blood on the floor in the cell,
but could find none under the bed, in the
hall, or outside of the building. Witness said
the evidence showed that Sullivan was found
under the cot In the cell. He thought that fact
peculiar, and has been unable to satisfy himself
on that point On crossexamination he testi-
fed that he was of the opinion that Sullivan had
cut his own throat, and has had no reason to
change that opinion. Mr.. Ellis asked whether
II would have been possible for some one to
have poured blood on that spot. Witness said
It was possible, but he did not think reasonable.
Mr.. Ellis pushed this line of questioning, but
on the subject. He stated that the matter was
not clear to him, and he still thought 1t funny
that no blood was found outside of the cell.
q few preliminary questions Mr. Ellis offered
the files Of the inquest in evidence. The de-
tense objected and held that the commissioner
had right to rule them out Mr. Ellis with
1rew his of1er and substituted the evidence of
Sheriff Jacobs given at the inquest. This was
objected to on the ground that any one part of
The testimony could not be offered Mr.. Ellis
agreed to offer the whole and it was accepted
subject to the general exception taken by the
iefense The testimony Of Sheriff Jacobs was
Sparasehy ga and Tend In II the
hight. When cross examined by Mr. Geer the
coroner said that he inspected the cell in com
,any with the jury; He saw the blood on the
ioor, some of which was under the bed. There
vas also blood on the bedclothes. Mr.. Geer
isked him l. he thought there was going to be a
ynching. The witness answered that there
vas large crowd and good deal OF excite |
nent. you would have said something II you
bought soY' NO, sir; not In that crowd" In
answer to the attorney general he said. "My
dea of the thing was that there was going to be
ome fun and / stayed. The longer / STAYED |
he more thought So"
DR.. Joseph Marshal, of Durand, testified that |
10
le saw him again he objected to answering |
claiming the privilege under the statute that IL |
night tend to criminate himself The question !
IS to whether he was IN Corunna when Sullivan |
vas hung also went unanswered for the same |
eason. The witness refused to answer any
question In regard to the hanging or as to his |
before and after. He was asked |
he had heard of the hanging, and he said he |
bought he read IL In q De roit paper. He had |
% talk with the Sheriff about the hanging and |
he latter never asked him II he had anything to
a with IL. The witness remembered reading In
Detroit paper that two Durand doctors had
TO do with it,
Mr.. Ellis then read the letter sent by the
herif to Gov. Rich II was at first objected to
nd Mr.. Geer suggested that the attorney-gen-
raj put the Sheriff on the stand but Mr.. Ellis
Iould not be tempted He tried to prove the
andwriting, but no one seemed to know Sheriff
acobs chirography. The defense finally with
rev their objection and the letter was read.
/ was simply the Sherin's version of the hang
1g, In which he said that he and his deputies
ought desperately until overpowered by the
hob.