Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-27

comb Doyle said that he has served three
| terms In the penitentiary for housebreak-
ing. is now under indictment and has
been several times in Jail. He was brought
| up from the Jail to the district attorneys
| office to be Intercepted as to what he
| knew about this case.
| Objectins to Williams.
Billy Williams, who "squealed." was next
| called to the stand a witness Will
liams is smooth-faced man OF about
| forty years of age, and rather well dress
| ed.
Before Williams was sworn Mr.. Lips
comb objected to his being called as a wit
ness at all. He asked Lieut.. Smith wheth-
| er he knew Williams ard the Alexandra
| policeman said that Williams was the
| man who was sent to the penitentiary for
| five years for murder in the second de-
| gree for the killing of Policeman Ar
| mold.
Mr.. Lipscomb raised the point that the
oath of a man who mad been convicted of
| Infamous crime could not be-taken.
| Judge Cole overruled the objection, but
| said that if a conviction should result he
| would consider it more fully in an appli-
| cation for a new trial
| Williams testified that he lived on \
street southeast; knew Auffort all his life,
| and met Desmond at Jackson City last
| fall and Dempsey at the same time. He
| met them at the Eureka Athletic Club
| House. about twenty feet from the place
| where Williams was writing policy at the
| time
| He afterwards got them a room in Jack
| son City, in place which afterwards
burned down. He did not see Auffort With
| them during the couple of weeks that they
| stayed at this little shanty. Afterwards
| they went TO Gamblers.
| About New Year, just after the Rosslyn
safe burglary, he introduced Auffort to
| Dempsey, in front OF Gamblers saloon.
| Buck Auffort and Desmond became ac-
| quainted about the day after that Witness
| stated that he frequently saw the three
| young men about the haunts of Jackson
| City. Gambler had another place near his
| big place. which coiored people patronized.
| He also had scow and canal boat on
| the river.
He Went Along.
! Williams said that he remembered the
occasion of the robbery. 1t was a Sunday
night. He met Auffort at Jackson City
| that afternoon. Buck said to him:
BILLY, We are going over to the ferry
house again tonight; won't you Gomez"
| Williams said that he had no desire to
| join them in the game but it ended Up in
| his meeting Buck that night at 4la and X
streets southwest. Buck told him that he
was going to get into the ferry house that
| night or kill the kid referring to the col
| ored Waterman.
Finally Williams went across the bridge
| to Jackson City, where they found Des-
mond and Dempsey all ready and waiting
| for them. They took a couple OF oars from
| the canal boat. They crossed the bridge
together and on the Washington side of
| the flats they all entered rowboat and
| roWed down to the end of the ferry wharf
! All along, the witness said, he had obiect ted
| to entering the game because he was sure
| he would be pinched,'' and IL would be all
| up with him. Witness said that he stayed
| in the boat and the other three climbed
| onto the wharf
! They were gone some little time-it
| M h
| finally he heard an explosion, and they all
| came out from the ferry house, and. enter
! i1g the boat again. they rowed across The
| river. On the way over they threw into
| the river a couple of tin boxes, containing
| some papers.
Auffort Interrupts.
| At this point there was a curious ex-
change of pleasantries between Will inns
and one of the men against whom he was
| testifying. Auffort was watching Williams
| face closely, with rather sarcastic look
| on his own.
81 am telling the truth, Buck, and you
| know it,
Yes. you are" said Auffort, with a
| sneer.
Continuing. Williams described how they
| divided the money after they got across
! the river. Williams said that Auffort first
| told him about the plans to break into the
| ferry house. He thought Of ''peaching' on
| the others before the thing was done, and
|
| ed up by telling about something else.
| Il thought" said Williams. .if l went
| back on the boys what turning down
would get from the sporting people across
the river and my heart failed NE"
! The First Attempt.
Williams then went on to tell of the first
attempt that was made to enter the ferry
| house. 1t was in the second week of
| March and the witness took no part it,
| He learned about it from Buck Auffort
who the rirsleader, as he was The
only ore. who was familiar with. the inside
| of the ferry house. All four Carried re-
volvers at the time, Eddie Desmond hav-
| ing "A Smith & Wesson.
| The witness testified as to the recovery
| of the tin cases from the river yesterday,
when he directed the drivers where 10 go
| for them.
Mr.. Lipscomb then took the witness in
hand for cross-examinaton, to show some
| thing of the mans character.
Witness said that he was thirtyseven
years of age. Asked how many of these
years he had spent behind the bars he
said he really could not recollect. He said
| that the first time he was arrested was
| for shooting at Sergeant Amiss.
Weren't you arrested for till-tapping
| when you were a boy?"
| well, maybe l was. You see, I was
| right mischievous as a boy
Williams admitted that he had spent
eighteen years altogether in the peniten-
| tiary.
And how about the jail?'
well, 1 did serve one term in jail"
| what for?'
| 81 don't believe l can remember just
what for"
| when you left the penitentiary at Rich
mond did you not express determination
| to reform?"
| Il did and tried to lead a new life"
| what did you do for iving?"
| "Well-well-I took 10 writing policy"
| Mr.. Lipscomb, armed with number of
| clippings from The Evening Star, asked the
| witness number of questions as to his
| various and sundry CONFESSIONS and was
! still engaged with the subject of the wit
| ness character when The Stars report
| closed.
| Gel. Livingston Returns.
| Congressman Livingston of Georgia, au-
! thor of the resolution which passed the last
| Congress, directing the President to urge
Great Britain to arbitrate the British