The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-31

rushed at once,to the house, met his wife
and they questioned one another as TO
the sounds. Then led by groans, they
went I'D stairs and found Mrs. Meyer In
the condition already described: After
a short consultation with his wife as to
what was best to do, he started for Mr..
Geroux's to get someone to so after the
doctor. As he went out of his own door
he fell over water pail. Getting up he
stared on a run for neighbor Geroux's. On
the way in the darkness, he stepped oil
the end of culvert in the road, falling
into the mud. Getting up from this,
he arose again, and going on arrived at
Geroux's. Having gotten Mr.. Geroux to
start for the doctor, Mr.. Prawda started
home to assist his wife.
He was Excited,
and went up and down the stairs ana
out of doors frequently. 1t was whlle
in the yard at this time that he saw ana
taxed to WEIGH, the driver of the 1ar-
mouth express team. Again he went IN
to the house. His wife thought her
mother dying, and in response to her anx-
ious urging he saddled his horse and
started for more help, going to the
Carriers He found them as already de-
scr1bed, and returned with them to his
own house.
These acts were not the acts of a guilty
man, but rather of an innocent man,
anxious to do what he could to assist in
the grave emergency which had arisen
in his household
AS to the evidence which had been in
PRODUCED by the government to show
that the shot alleged to have been tired
had been aimed by man standing With
in thirty feet of the house the de-
Tense would claim that it would nave
been impossible for man standing with
in that distance to have struck Mrs
Meyer 1t would be shown that what
hit her must have come from distance
of a hundred feet or hundred and hfty
feet.
1.-The prisoner at the bar stood in the
beginning OF this trial with thesspresump-
ton of innocence about him. The long
array of witnesses for the State might,
by skilfuI manipulation have been MADE
to appear to tarnish somewhat that shin
ing drapery of innocence; but they had
not torn it off, The respondent had not
been shown to be guilty; he still stood
with the presumption of his innocence
about him.
The first witness for the defense was
Mr.. Harold E. Harmon, assistant engineer
in the Office of M. E. Jordan Mr.. Har
mon, who had made the plans heretofore
presented, explained them to the jury,
giving distances between houses and OBJ
jects in the Prawda neighborhood.
In the cross examination of this wit
ness,
Attorney General Powers Took Hand
in the case for the. first time. Mr..
Powers asked but few questions OF this
witness, but his act indicated that he
would be heard from more in the later
stages when the defence's important
witnesses should be on the stand.
In the afternoon Calvin l.. Linnell, one
of Prawda's neighbors, who has already
testified for the government, was called
by the defence to testify to having seen a
bullet in Prawda's ammunition box be-
| fore the shooting.
Eugene E. Freeman, another OF Var
| mouths good looking colored men, was
next called by the defence. This witness
testified that about three years ago he
bought of Prawda breech-loading shot
| gun, twelve gauge. With the gun he
bought also twelve gauge shells That
gun witness has possessed ever since, and
possessed on the 2Sth of last November,
when he had it in an open chamber OF
| his house.
The government did not cross-question
| this witness.
| Manley, section foreman of the Grand
| Trunk at Yarmouth, and having charge
| of the crew in which Prawda worked.
Prawda worked as usual during the 2sth
| of last November. His actions were as
usual. At about half past four O'Clock
in the afternoon Prawda, with the resi-
of the crew, left off WORK.
On Thanksgiving day witness went &c
Prawda's house to see him. but did not
have much conversation with him.
Civil Engineer f. G. Jordan, of this
city, was called as an expert civil engl
neer, and also as an expert IN the use OF
arms. For five years. he was an en-
| territories. Those were trou blesomt
times, Indians and desperadoes being
numerous and trou blesome. The survey
was carried on under the protection OF
| troops. and also the engineers were
armed. Mr.. Jordan said that in
The Indian Fights.
and skirmishes of thosesdays he had /
wide experience in the use of firearms
| and observed the results of their use
| especially as regards the DETECTION o
| bullets Witness also said that he hat
read much about the DETECTION of bullet
in the reports of the. United States engl
| neers.
| Mr. Jordan testified that he had VISITED
the Prawda house, and seen the room il
which Mrs. Meyer was shot. He had alst
seen the blood on the floor, near tn
mantel and around on the other side o
the bed The partition through which
the bullet was supposed to have passed
also came under the notice of the wit
ness. 1t was made of old, well worl
spruce boards. The bullet passe'
through place where two boards cam
together, jamming it's way through with
out any rupture of the fibre of the boart
itself. The wood was old and not1of full
strength.
Having passed through this side OF tn
partition the bullet struck an old boar
which was inclined to be rotten ana wa
spintered somewhat The track OF tn
bullet was upward, and having passe
through, somewhat DETECTED and at an an
gle upward, struck the ceiling and mad
!, a dent Pieces of wood from these pal
titions were at this point exhibited to tn
jurors. =,
Mr.. Jordan then produced plan OF tn
passage of the bullet through the Prawd
, house. He showed how it had been de
!, fiected about seven inches in goln
through the board partition betwee
Mrs. Meyers bed room and kitchen
Carrying the line through the window
allowing for the height of Mrs. Meye
(53 1-2 inches) as she would have stoo
at the point of the largest blood stalI