Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-11
had always been courteous TO all lauies'
aud demanding S;apiess author'
ALI, 4 FABRICATION.

-
had always been courteous to all lauies'
aud demanding s;apiess author
ALI. 4 FABRICATION.
The second letter Is written on tne
n,rcr Of the McCurdy House, Chitoh
Forge. and dated September l6, lsn' III
,bis which Is In reply 10 a second one
I'm Staplcs. the Conductor says:
.'Thc whole story told YOU by these peo.
nie Mr.. and Miss Phelps, is a d lie. ana
n Il was not for the loss OF my ufne
from duty | would have both OF them ar
rested. put IN jail, and prosecuted ior
malicious slsnder. II IS very serious
matter II wish to push 1t In the courts.
The whole matter IL nothing out he
from the start. and az l said 10 you be
fore In my letter. ! have never seen any
thing In the conduct OF your wite: pu,
that Of a perfect lady. ! DO not N"V"
Why these people should start snon I'c
as that. except for the injury OF your
wlfc's character. and l think the soo"er
YOU cut loose from such people VIII oe
tho br,ter for YOU. That Miss Phelps
yas on my train some days Deiore
cot your first letter. ! was going to put
her OF the train at Iron Gate, but my
brakeman said he would pay her rare 70
Sal,petrc. which he did. / think that Is
what she got mad with me apou'' a'u
that was the first time / ever heard her
name mentioned"
The letter concludes with this seh''no.
"If YOU shoulf hear any more suon,
please let me know. and | VIII evI . oi.
and come 10 Springwood. and we WIZ se'
the facts in the matter. and l VIII nave
the whole party arrested.
STAPLES'S STORY.
c,,r,os told his story entirely by an
svering questions. He made no s'a.e
mont Several legal tilts marhen ue
on.,ing Of his testimony. He sald ne
bad heon married ten or twelve years
and had four children-two boys ana TWO
girls His trouble with GOODMAN wa'
about something told him. Ills ohIy p.i-
So,sl interview with the prisoner was on
the iatter's train. where ne Wen' Ds ia
clal invitation. Then the Conductor v%oiu %
Witness that all the things Una. haa
hlen told him were false. lie diu nov,
,hc witness said, tell what Things ne
air,5,1 10. but SIMPLY that they were NOT
true c...,o.. ,r any letter
,,,,,..t.d bv Goodman for Mrs Stapies
had fa.lcd 10 be delivered. mat u ~, ~.
,to ,old me" he was answering WIZ ie,
VI Crump made an Objectioh' ""'0'
was sustained. -, oexed Mr..
.Ts amy such letter mere! "'N'N
Parrish with a sarcastic ar .,,.. so-
~ Was never delivered, quickly
piled Mr. Craig ,,, - oi,ber"
NO sir. and II never VIII pe ''''
roiojncd the prisoners lawyer a,a
Staplcs. continuing his tesuihony, o'|n ''n
his hols,. In which he has llNeo so'is
* wears, is only about ten iecl ,,d
,,-a ,r.,ck 9o0 wards from the depot anu
has "A front porch. HIS Wie ~ - ,,,,,a,,'s
80. hic attention the matter OF Goodi''ai'
~ tnnroper advances 10 her. anu
,t,, ,hout them several times, p.'
,a dl1 NOT know just how many, nc
,,,o,cb, Of bringing suit against 'roo',
liant was afraid 10 fool win sucn
Tiers Goodman's conversation W."
...t,,oss,s wife occurred while she Wds
riding on his train to Visit ms oi ~
r't,,f,,as AZ Slpetre Cave, Nest-E"'
or LOWm0or.
AFRAID OF INJURY
,r,o ,,or,an retired at this point, ana
,,'rs Alion and Craig went out Tor
.,,f,roccn Of some length The eXamiha-
zion ~ Staoles continued long ana Wea''-
IL, and he indirectly said that ne was
ia of injury if he brought legal aclloh
,',,,ip.t Goodman. The cross-eXamlhatioh
~, IN. witness was more entertalhinS.
ne vcire lie said. could read NUE. p"t
ia r,. v~itr much. Mrs. Phelps ana
49,. l,uobtar were his sister and niece
IIc did not know when they lett Salipruc
Cave though ne saw them once aiter-
wards in clifton Forge. when ne went W
talk with them about SUING Hoou'lan'
and he did not know where they NOW -
sided not having seen them ior !e"i VI
more until this morning. ,
s.I
tvvo letters received by the conductor
hearing the signature Of Staples's wlte'
witness said "Mr. Goodman gave me
some notes that he said were from my
wife. but | did not look at the name sign
cl To them. | stuffed the package down
I'm nv pocket. and don't know what be-
came Of them. ! told my wife 10 write
10 Mr.. Goodman. and she got somebody
10 write. told her 10 get the letter witt
ten and what 70 put in it. l think the
handwriting was that OF Kate Phelps
HE WAS NEAR CRAZY.
Mr. Parrish undertook to secure ad-
,,tssion from witness that when he saw
Goodman he told him that he was per
f.ctlv satisfied that the Conductor had
not done wrong, ana volunteered the as
eortIon that the PhelpseS were at lhe
h,ttom of the whole thing. and were try
ing TO break up the relations between
witness and his wife. This was one Oh l"e
points at which Staples memory ana not
stand by him. He did not know. ne said'
whether he made such statement OF
not He WAS in SO much trouble and 80
wrought up that he did not really take
,,nch notice" of what occurred between
Goodman and himself Indeed he was 80
near crazy that ne hardly knew whether
train WALKING,
and sometimes the section hands hdd u
take him out OF the way OF trains 10
keen him from being run over.
Staples admitted cutting loose WIN
tbe phelps people, as advised in Good
mans letter. but said it was To keep
down difficult es" and not TO prevent trou-
HE between himself and wife. lie dla
not remember whether Captain GaDpei'
advised him TO get rid of the PheIpses
or not. When witness saw Goodman OH
Monday. June or July 18th. this year.
ba did not know which. although re-
minded that the killing occurred june
2qth. the Conductor told him about some
body having written a malicious iel'ei
against him.
HIS BAD MEMORY.
When witness visited the Phelps family
IN Clifton Forge he was thinking oi
A. .s..
sulng Goodman. compromising WIN hiiii'
,r settling il some way SO as 10 sailsiV
his own satisfaction" His testimony
throughout was along this indefinite lihe'
and his lack Of memory was remakapie'
IL admitted that the Phelps women
mother and daughter-gave him the III
formation about Goodman proposNloI'
to his wife He wrote the two letters ~
Goodman himself. but told his wlie 10
havc hers written, because ne was a
,,oor scholar. and had to think and study
:, hard TO get up letter He only tod
bie wife a few words 10 start, ana di1
NOT remember what his letters cohlaliieu
lie did not know whether the arrest oil
Tho pbelps woman would lead 10 an IN
vestigatlon that would have cleared VI
matters about his wife, like the proposed
suit Satisfaction, not money, though
WAS what he was after. lie ana ms WIZ
,,ot ON a train together once To see ''oou'
man hut he was not on. lie lolu h'S
wife not TO ride on Goodman u"''
apain but did not recollect mat noou
man directed him 10 do this.
Mr. Timothy Halloran, OF the "es'ci y
I.ulon office at Clifton Forge, was pun
an the stand TO get the telegram sent 10y
Goodman 10 MIR. Crump directly after the the
shooting IN evidence. but Judge Mooi.
rul.d If, out. as II was the beginning Vi
NEGOTIATIONS with counsel
MRS. STAPLES'S STORY.