Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-05-09
THE TRIAL OF JEFF. PHILLIPS.

winds.
THE TRIAL OF JEFF. PHILLIPS.
The second days proceedings in the
,rioI Of Jefferson Phillips for the murder
ofGeorge 5. Smith were marked by the
same interest that was manifested yes
,srday. The jury was brought into
,be Corporation Court room about 10
o'clock. and later the court officers and
SPECTATORS began to gather. Court was
c.ned 10 order at half-past 10 O'Clock,
ID when the south door was opened y
,i' of humanity surged into the space
n.;,bo,i, the bar and began scrambiing
for the best points of observation, bat
Pnlireman George Crump, whose beat
was in that quarter, soon put stop to
any indecorous proceedings.
'rhc first business i'll order was the
wearing of witnesses, and the names of
,%e following were called Frederick
Sr6vab. Georgianna Holmes, Terrence
VcC;owan, VIM. G.. Miller, Frank War
isId Daniel Henry, Thos. Ballenger,
FZsEiel Cade, Robert Gronau, w. d.
Davis Lambert d. Sullivan, VIM. Kell,
Fora Hill, Mary Coleman, Jas. Penn,
Stenhen Taylor r. NJ. Latham, DR.. NJ;
" OBrien, DR.. T. NJ. Jones, Samuel
0rrison, Peter Laphen, |. NJ. Kell, Her
bert Knight, ]. NJ. Hill, John Weadon,
p II. Weadon, Jos. Chauncev, jr., Louis
Brill. bort Brown, J. 5. Beach, ). III.
Greene and Lugcne Mason.
Or. O'Brien was the first witness
mi on the stand, and his testimony
WAS in substance as given on the first
rial Witness knew Smith; he and DR..
Jones made post morton examination
of his remains described the course OF
the wounds there were six bullet holes;
one shot had penetrated the back at the
eighth dolsal vertebra, near the spinal
column. had traversed the chest up
ward, cut the sub-clavian artery, passed
over the first rib, breaking it and came
out at that point. This wound was the
immediate cause of death. Another
md entered the flesh under he left arm,
ON q line with the arm-pit, and i've or
six inches below, under the chest mus
cIes, had come out above the lett nipple
and buried itself in the left wrist. The
third ball entered the left shoulder,
Yossed in between the second and third
rihs and was found in the chest cavity:
The deceased had died from Internal
hemorrhage. The witness was then
shown the bullets. First bullet was the
one which caused death, the suo-ciavIan
artery having been severed by 1t. Inc
third wound would in all proba-
6ility have caused death, while
the the second was superficial.
Witnesses couldn't say which shot de-
ceased received first. He was cross
questioned by defence in regard to the
course of the bullets, and the doc
tor thought the deceased must have
been in a STOPPING posture when two
of the shots entered his body. de IL,
Illustrated the positions Phillips and
Smith must have been in Mt the time
of the tragedy, and underwent rlgla
cross-eyamination. The bullets which
did the fatal work were produced and
identified by the doctor.
Zoro Hill was next placed on the
stand. His testimony, in substance,
was as last given. He said he met
smith at the northwest corner OF King
and Royal streets between nine and
half.past nine O'Clock on the night OF
the tragedy; that he walked with
smith to Gaines and Kratft's
restaurant where each drank
class of beer; that on leaving
the restaurant Smith and wit
ness walked as far as the south
east corner of Royal and Cameron
streets where they halted, witness
faced the south and deceased the north
east; that shortly after reaching the
corner jeff. Phillips approached them
from the north side of Cameron street;
that Phillips halted, pronounced the
words George Smith, " and drew from
his hip pocket a pistol and fired at
Smith who turned entirely around and
ran in a diagonal course toward the
northwest corner of Cameron and
ROYAL streets; that Phillips ran after
Smith and fired more shots at the re-
treating man; thought the electro
light was burning at the time; witness
then went to the northeast corner OF
the street and as Phillips reached HIM
he asked "Jeff, why did you do that y
Phillips made no reply, and was st that
moment arrested by police officers
Witness then described Smith running
to Mr.. Harlow's door and his subse-
uuent removal to Mr. Schwab's restau-
rant. The defence then subjected the
witness to rigid cross-examinatlon IN
regard to the geography of the points
on King, Royal and Cameron streets
made prominent in connection with
the tragedy, together with the positions
of Smith, Phillips and himself at the
time of the shooting. The testimony
witness gave on the bill of exceptions
at the previous trial was then pro-
duced. but this was objected to on the
part of the prosecution. Mr. Burke,
for the defence. said the objection was
well founded and was about to desist,
but the court overruled the objection.
Much stress was laid by the defence 10
the fact that while Smith was on MS
way to his home on st. Asaph street,
and was on the west side OF hoyai
street when he met witness, that ne
should have crossed to the east SIDE.
Che prosecution attempted to explain
this BY suggesting that Smith often
visited his mother on Fairfax street be-
fore going home at night. Witness
knew trouble had existed between
Smith and Phillips concerninga woman
named Crossman. Smith had never
threatened Phillips in his presence; had
Davar bo.,l Sc S,,,;tb walking oOV