The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-02-01
PRAWDi ON The STAND.
Story Of the Memorable Evening from
the Lips Of the Accused.
MRS. PRAWDA ALSO TELLS WHAT
SHE SAW AND HEARD.


Young Mrs. Moxcey Tells of Important
Conversation with the Prisoner-Cool-
ness of Prawda Throughout-His Wife
Does Unexpectedly Well on the Stand.
The seventh day of the trial of Angus
tus Maths Prawda for the murder or
Mrs. Waldburg Meyer opened like all
other sessions of the trial The strain
of the proceedings has not told apprecia-
bly, upon the prisoner. While the trial IS
going on he sits by his counsel apparent
ly.not greatly concerned, but occasion
ally whispering something in the ear OF
one of his counsel. At such times as
the court takes recess to allow the jury
to rest and stretch their legs and the at
torneys 90 into the corridors to smoke,
and Law new traps for their opponents,
the prisoner arises from his seat, takes
in chew of tobacco, plants himself in
a leaning attitude back to the sheriff's
desk, and thus supported,
Complacently Chews the Tobacco.
and runs his eyes unconceredly over the
audience. At such times everyone can
get good view of the prisoner, and all
make use of the opportunity.
The proceedings yesterday forenoon
were taken up at the point where they
were dropped on Tuesday, Mr.. George II.
Pierce being on the stand as an expert
in the use of rifles and shot guns. Pierce
was first questioned as to the two bull
lets, the used and the unused one. He
said they were not twelve-gauge bullets,
as such terms were not used in regard
to bullets. They were sixty-four or sixty
nine calibre bullets, but he could not
testify that the two were identical in
size.
The most important point brought out
in the course of Mr.. Pierce's examina-
tion was the statement of the witness, In
response to a question by Mr.. Seiders,
that person standing thirty-seven and
half feet from the house could not have
shot through the window under the
curtain and pierced through the face OF
woman standing as the blood spots sug-
gest that Mrs. Meyer stood.
AS to the detection of balls, the wit
ness testified that when musket or
rifle ball struck plane at an angle the
course of the ball would be DETECTED in
the direction the plane was inclined.
Attorney General Powers examined
the witness briefly as to the nature of
the detection of bullets under certain
circumstances etc. @+
Dr. Hanson, of Yarmouth, who had al
bo cfa tuI
government, was called by the defence
next. AS he drove up to the house, and
before he had entered, he heard the
sound of voice, which, ssas he afterward
learned, was Mr.. Prawda's The voice
was from Mrs. Meyers bed room, and
was distinct. Witness remem bered a
very few words of what was said. The
witness was not however, allowed to
testify what this conversation was.
The bloody dress waist, which Mrs.
Meyer wore, was at this point presented
to the witness and identified by him.
The time of the WITNESSES departure
from home on the night of the tragedy,
to go to Prawda's was here recalled.
DR.. Hanson said that from further refec-
ton he had recalled that, in his best
Judgment. it must have been about five
minutes past eight when ne started for
Prawda's.
State Detective Albert T. Bassett, of
Norway, a Deputy Sheriff in both Cum
berland and Oxford counties, was called
next and testified that ne had investi
gated in Yarmouth on behalf of the re-
spondent. Witnesses went there first on
the twentieth Of January. He saw Con-
Ssable Blake in his barber shop, and was
shaved by him. Mr.. Blake introduced
the subject of the Meyer shooting affair.
Here Attorney General Powers objected
20 this line of testimony on the ground
that Blake had not been examined as to
any conversation with the witness. But
Judge Bonney decided to admit the line
of inquiry.
So the witness proceeded to detail that
Constable Blake had said that he was
The Officer Who Did the Business
in the Meyer case, that he had the bullets
and had "a piece of the old lady's jaw"
Mr. Blake also said that Constable Buck
nam had another bullet; and that Praw-
da had made statements to him (Blake).
Witness stated GQdG Wnlle coming lH1o
Portland on the team with Blake, the
latter said that Prawda told him (Blake)
Oh the night OF the shooting that he
was in the shed, and then in the privy;
that he ran into the house, etc. When
asked by the witness if they had found
the gun, Blake said that they had found
everything. Later Blake had said pri
vateiy that they had not found the gun
but did not want the witnesses to know
MIR Bassett then testified to seeing
Blake take WEIGH into the room behind
thu barber shop and keep him some time.
Later Blake said to the witness: $. John
WeIoh is an important witness in this
case and I have to keep right after them
all the time Blake had said in rela-
tIon to Prawda that if he was not guilty
Of this crime he was guilty of enough
else, and he should do all he could to
convict him. L.,
The witness also saw and talked with
John WEIGH on the train coming into
Portland. WEIGH said he did not know
much of anything about the matter,
but MIR. Blake was trying to make him
think that he did. Witness later went to
Cum herland Centre with WEIGH, stop
ping at the Prawda house on the way.
While thereWelch said he had seen Praw-