The Portland daily press., 1894-02-02

SpVar1l WlbuCpoCb, MIS-. SCCOub dAu
Mrs. Moxcey, testify that
Gunshots We're Heard
frequently about that neighborhood; so
frequently as to cause little comment.
And that shot, asM Mrs. Strout testifies,
sounded rather as in the field between
the railroad and Prawda's than at the
prawda house. The Gerows, who live
nearer Prawdas thai do the Strouts, dld
not hear this shot.
Every single moment and hour of Mr..
Prawda's time from the time of the acci-
dent until he went tD work again is ac-
counted for. Iqueston if a mans time
conld be accounted for better than in
this case. Yet the most diligent search
failed utterly to reveal the weapon with
which the act is alleged to have been
committed.
The dog chapter wis ludicrous chap
ter. The state, after making much of
the dog, had been able to show that it
barked but once. 1t was significant
fact that Mr.. Carey could testify nothing
as to the dog, and the defence and state
both agree that the Dig barked at other
dogs. but not at otherpersons.
Take the circumstance of the man
named Kinds. DR.. 1erow, who must
have started about S.3! p. m. to go from
Prawda's after DR.. Burbank, about
$40 or 8.45 passed a nan with bundle
and gun. nearly running over him. But
this man Kinds, who il supposed to have
been the man with the bundle and gun,
testifies that be didnot leave the Var
mouth drill hall until o'clock that eve
ming, and did not arrive home until
about $780, He did lot have bundle,
and though pressed BY the state on the
point could not say hat he was nearly
run over.
Coming to the matter of wads, it had
been shown that the vads found in the
yard were pasteboard, entirely different
from anything that lrawda owned or
used. Here is another defective link IN
the chain. 1t is absolutely conclusive
that Mr.. Prawda didn' tire that shot be-
cause he never had any pasteboard wads;;
We do not deny that Mr.: Prawda had
twelve gauge wads. I'll does not deny
it. He knew that he hid them, and al
though he was suspected he did not dis
pose of those twelve gauge wads, al
though it was not until Thursday that
Deputy Sheriff Bucknan took the box.
The Jury we'll knows how he happened to
have those wads. He formerly owned
two twelve gauge guns, which he sold.
Proceeding next to th discussion OF
The DETECTION ofthe Bullet,
Mr. Seiders dwelt at length upon the
uncertainty of the action of musket
ball, when striking a hard substance.
He argued that from thu data at hand no
man under the heavens could tell the
exact point where that woman stood in
that room. 1t had beer made to appear
that she stood over place marked by
certain blood spots; buithis was for the
purpose of drawing whoever fired the
shot nearer the house. But the person
who fired that shot, had he been so near
as 81 feet must have aimed through
crack hardly more than from quarter to
an inch and three quarters in width.
But as we draw farther away from the
window. down into the field. this open
ing would afford a wider view of the in
terror.
Mr.. Soldiers then took up the piece of
lead alleged to have been fired at Mrs.
Meyer. He showed 8the mark on the
lead which Constable Blake had sworn,
when confronted withsthe mark, that he
put it,on himself. But in reality Mr..
Bassett put that mark on, unbeknown to
Blake. and when the latter saw it, in Or
der to account for it, he swore that he
marked it. The state Gained that this
piece of lead was the mate to the one
found in Prawda's box; but the apothe-
cary's scales had showed tilirty-three
grains difference between the two bullets.
Mr.. Pierce had testified that The could not
tell whether the two bullets were origin
Ill ;Io,45aa1 IN 5z firm at, he
state claimed JUST this. And this was
one of the links in the chain on which
the state relied. Furthermore, was it
reasonable that any man, bent on muir
der, would have gone to bis ammunition
box. taken one of two similar bullets,
loaded his gun with it, and left in the
box another bullet exactly similar to be-
tray him? As to the shells, there was
not single thing relating to them which
incriminated Mr.. Prawda.
As to the bloody lamp, was the fact
that he asked to have it washed to be
used as circumstance against him? Had
he considered it an evidence of guilt,
would he not have washed it secretly
HIMSELF But instead he asked several
persons to wash it.
The testimony of Express Driver WEIGH
was next reviewed. He had been referred
to in the opening as one of the state S
most important witnesses. But his ex-
animation had revealed too many incon-
sistencies to allow his testimony to have
weight. He had been put forward to
show that Mr.. and Mrs. Prawda had
never been near
The Poor Old Woman
to alleviate her sufferings; but the truth
i, Al > IL.