The morning call., 1894-02-14
UNDER ARGUMENT
The Defense i'm the West
Case Closed.
Assistant District Attorney Black
and Ex-Judge Ferral Commence
the Arguments.

There were two distinctly different
groups in Judge Wallace's court yester-
day listening TO the testimony and the
arguments In the trial OF DIR. Eugene
f. West for the murder Of Addie K. Gil
mour. One group was composed OF the
defendant and his wife, alert. attentive
and hopeful. The other was composed oil
the father and sister of the dead girl, Mrs.
Austen and a number of LADY friends.
Every allusiOn to her dead sister brought
tears TO the eyes OF Miss Emma Giimour.
and while Assistant District Attorney
Black sought to condoDe the offense which
brought her TO an untimely grave, the
fathers head was bowed in sorrow.
The defense very Unexpectedly closed
its case as soon as the jury was called.
Scarcely had Judge Wallace assembled the
bench than j. \. +. Wilson arose and said,
"In view of your HOnOr's ruling yester-
day in the case of our witness. DR.. john
son. the defense has concluded TO rest its
case" DIR. johnson was the witness on
whom the defense relied to prove that
Miss GiImour had been operated on prior
TO her visit TO DIR. West.
The prosecution called DR.. Wilcox in re-
buttal, but he did not appear j. A. Hart,
the Deputy Coroner of Alameda County.
delay. His testimony was TO the effect
that the parts of the body found In the
cans In Oakland did not bear any trace of
being operated upon In dssecting-room.
While waiting for the arrival of Mr..
Hart ID. b. PiymiTe was placed on the
stand to identity the letter of SepteD Der 4,
written by Miss Gilmour al DIR. Vests
house. Plymire could not Identify the
letter. but did the envelope in which it
was sealed, as he had addressed 1T at Miss
Gilmour's request.
On cross-exAmination Plymire stated
that Mrs. West had given the deceased the
writing materials and knew that Miss Gil
mnur had intended TO write letter. This
was TO unpivot Mrs. Vests testimony of
the previous day. that the deceased had
not written anything during her stay at
DIR. Vests office.
Miss Emma Gilmour identified both the
letter and envelope as having been re-
ceived from Addie.
After Mrs. West testified to some imma-
terial fact the testimony was closed. By
an arrangement of counsel IL was decided
that Assistant District Attorney Black
should open for the prosecution, to be fol-
lowed by ex-Judge Ferral and j. n. T.
Wilson Tor the defense. District Attorney
Barnes will close.
In his argument Mr.. Black referred TO
the case as one of the most remarks bile
that ever occurred in San Francisco. He
apologiZed for the unfortunate condition
in which Addie r. Gilmour found herself
by saying she loved not wisely but TOO
well. He spoke of her unalterable deter
minatiOn to save her family from the dis
grace impending by determining to have
an operation performed. Mr.. Black re-
viewed the circumstances of her visits,
Vests statements in relation thereto and
the disposition made of her body. Mr.
Black characterized Vests conduct as in
consistent with his declarations of innu-
cence.
The fact that the defense asserted that
Miss GilmOur went to West ten days after
some enc else had performed an operation
was characterized as a physical impossi-
bility: Each one of the incidents con-
nected with the case was analyZed and
characterized as the work of a guilty man.
unconsciously piiing up the evidence
against himself by the very means with
which he sought TO destroy 1t.
Ex-Judge Ferral occupied the whole two
ana half hours of the afternoon session
with his argument for the defense. His
Introduction was sort of apology for the
necessity of criminal operations under
certain conditions. Plymire, the medical
udent, was handled without gloves. His
testimony was characterized as ''bold,
black, Abdominal BILE perjury" Mr.. Ferral
minated that Plymire knew more of the
operation that was performed. as the de-
Tense claimed, prior TO her visit to West.
Mt Ferral very ingeniously argued that
West was unable TO go on the stand be-
cause of the ruling of Judge Wallace in
the matter of DIR. johnson.
The court room was crowded during the
afternoon. not one # the large crowd
leaving during Mr.. Ferrars arguments.
On its conclusion he was congratulated by
MI Barnes and his associates for the
defense.