The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-25
ACCUSED ON THE STAND.
u,cLANABAy TELLS ABOUT THE
KILLING or Young INGE.
N. say. lie Shot without Aim or Inten-
lion SO Kili-Grsnd-Master stansbury
Visits Petersburg Odd Fellows.

prTERSBURG. VA. March 24.-Spe-
,.l-Inicrest in the Mechanism murder
trial does not wane. as is evidenced by
oil. fact that. although this was the
.Mr5 day in which the hustings court
f.. leen engaged with the case, the
,.r. room was literally packed few
,.m.uts after the doors were opened
OLD. crowd was about equally divided
l.tuceu whites and blacks. The first
.fnsss introduced by the defense this
,.rriug was Jen McCral (cOioredD, who
testified that on the night OF the shoot
..r about 10 o'clock. he met Susie Wal
t.- uhis Is the witness who testified
N.lrc the coroners jury that she was
GILL old street at the time OF the shoot
i.e and gave such damaging testimony
se4inst the accused) on Boliingbrook
street, While witness and the woman
we're talking two boys passed them,
and one Of them remarked that a cOlored
man had shot a white man on Old street;
that Susie Walker then said: Il am
mighty sorry that they are cutting and
shooting On Old street. as / have got
% go mp there" In answer to n ques-
fi0n by Juror j. II. Bailey witness said
flf hc did not know whether or not
Susie Walker had been up on Old street
prior 10 that time.
Robert Mechanism. the accused. was
next Tut on the stand He testified that
De- WAS from Abingdon. Va. and was
twenty-three years old. lie had been
living in Abingdon all his life. with the
exception OF the time he had spent wait
INK in a hotel in Philadelphia. In ref
erencc 10 the shooting on the night OF
fhe nth Of September. the prisoner stated
That he and Robert Matthews were pass
inc down old street. when they met two
white men. Witness got on the curbing
fo lei the men pass, when one Of them.
who was dressed in n light suit of clothes.
slapped him I'm the face and knocked
o0 lis hat. He stopped to pick up his
htt and got a. As he stopped to get his
hat the man advanced upon him. Wit
ness waved his cane in front Of him
and told the man TO keep Off. The
cane struck against a fence and fell
from witness hand. The man then ad-
sanced on witness and said with an oath,
II will kill You" Witness took pistol
from his overcoat pocket and waved II
in front OF him so that the man could
see II. Witness subsequently fired the
pistol I'm the air, thinking Il would
Brighten the man. AS the man continued
~ advance upon the witness the latter
turned and started to run, and fired be
hind him as he did so. without taking
any aim lie had no desire 20 hurt any
one. and did not know that he had shot
any one until he was arrested on the
night OF the shooting by a police Of
ncer Of this city. at the Virginia Normal
and Collegiate Institute, when he was
Informed bv the officer that he had shot
Iucius Inge. In answer TO question
bv one of the counsel. Mechanism stated
that ne weighed 100 pounds and was
= feet inches In height.
In replv 10 a question by Mr.. Mclll-
waine. Of counsel for the defense. the
prisoner stated that Robert Matthews
who was with him at the time OF the
shooting had nothing whatever to do
with the difficulty AS previously stated
.n this correspondence. Matthews has
been indicted by the grand jury as an
accessory 10 the alleged murder for which
McClanahan is being tried.
The examination of witnesses FOR the
defense was concluded about 12:3O O'Clock
this afternoon. when several witnesses
for the Commonwealth were examined
In rebuttal At / o'clock the court ad-
fourned 10 4 o'clock this afternoon TO
give counsel an opportunity 10 prepare
their instructions. After the ADJOURN
ment Of the court the jury and prisoner
were taken to the place where the shool-
Ing occurred. -.
Judge D. NJ Bernard was engaged from
4 O'Clock this afternoon until 1880 to-night
hearing argument on the instructions 10
he given 10 the jury tomorrow morning
The argument took place in Judge Bern
ards private office Such was the inter
est felt IN the case that while the arsh-
meut was I'm progress an immense crown
fingered about in the courthouse square
until after dark, anxious 10 learn all they
could I'm regard TO the case. The general
oninion appears to be that there VIII be
a hung jury.
Wavetly Smith, who was arrested some
DAYS AGO on the charge Of having muir
derel Walter James. in Prince George
county. near Petersburg, and who was
afterwards adiudged insane by COM
mission of magistrates of this city, was
taken 10 the asylum at Williamsburg thls
afternoon.
The civil service examiners at the post
Office IN this city have been advised by
the authorities at Washington that the ex-
animation in the postofhce here viii not
take place under three weeks.
Mr ID. r. Stansbury. grand master or
odd Fellows OF Virginia. arrived here to-
day to pay an official visit % AppomattoX
Lodge No. Is, and Monroe Lodge, No. 3.
MIR. Stansbury told me that he had had
a succes sful visitation TO nearly all the
lodges throughout Virginia. He reports
the order IN frst-class condition. About
eight lodges have been instituted during
his term, and there has been gain or
about six hundred members. There has
been a gain in the whole order, according
20 the latest reports for the past year Of
5000. This Is the largest gain made in
any one year Of the orders history. The
present membership OF the indepeaden
order to- day is more than 100000, which IL
much larger than any other fraternal or
ganization The grand master will make
his annual report TO the grand ,odge,
which will meet in Norfolk on April 18th.
Many important measures will be acted
upon at this meeting. and strong effort
will be made 10 form a plan for the build
ing OF an Odd Fellows temple In Rich
mond
PROFESSOR MINOR VERY I'LL.