The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-28


Him Away.
There was a shadow of regret passed
over the dark face of Mrs. Wilson last
evening when her husband followed
Clerk Charles Adams from Judge Hat
toms court to the prison below.
She gathered up her babe and left the
room for home while her husband went
IL prison in default of $500 bond to ans
wer the charge Of firing the house that
sheltered his wife and child from the
storms Of last winter.
Charles Wilson was arrested for set
ling fire To the home of Robert Slater
on North Lawrence last Sunday night,
and he was given a preliminary hear
ing before Judge Hatton yesterday
The court room was well filled with
coiord people and they were the better
class Of colcred people. too. Most of
the witnesses were coIored people who
attended services at the colored church
on Meade avenue last Sunday night
1t was developed during the pre-
]iminary hearing that Charles Wilson
and his wife have not lived together
for some time. Wilson blamed the
Skaters for causing the trouble be
tween himself and wife and he had
JIicON threats 10 gel even WIN L'leffl ana
this theat caused his arrest when
Skaters home was set on fire.
During the hearing Wilson's wife sat
III the camp Of his enemies, though he
swore on the witness stand that he
still loved her and that they had lived
happily together until they went 10 the
Slater'S.
Wilson is a small colored man with
hair cropped close to his head, and
he was about aS well dressed as the
average business man. His answers
10 questions and his conduct on the
stand showed him 10 be bright and
he told an apparently Stra light story,
which in substance was as follows:
Il was at home all day last Sunday
until about Z o'clock in the evening
when | went ovr to q neighbours house
and staid a little while. I came back
home and went 10 church about quar-
ter to eight O'Clock. When / came to
the church / looked in and came down
Made avenue 10 Douglas and went TO
Thompson's drug store to get "A cigar.
J think that must have been about
o'clock. though | cannot tell exactly
as | have no watch When | got my
cigar / crossed over to Saur's drug
store and went from there back to the
church and stood there until church
was out.
Il heard at the church that Slater's
house had been burned and ] went over
there and they accused me of burning
the house.
i live at 81 North Meade avenue.
do not live with my wife. She lives at
Skaters. ! went to see her three times
in february but was not there since
that time until last Sunday night after
the fire.
The last time I went there in Feb
iuary | went to see my baby and to
try and make up with them. We had
n srat and my wife had me arrested.
] never said my wife and Mrs Slater
We're prostitutes. | still love my wife
and want to live with her and do not
believe we would have any trouble if
it were not for the Skaters.
Wilson was defended by ]. II. II.
King and he tried hard to prevent his
client being bound over To court but
County Attorney Davis tried just as
hard 10 have him and succeeded.
There was Il great many witnesses
examined and it was shown that VIII
son was at the church but staid most
If the time outside of the church.
Witnesses testified to having seen
Wilson at the corner of Meade and
Douglas ten minutes before s O'Clock,
end ths, house was discovered on fire on
Mort Lawrence fifteen minutes past
o'clocll4
There was not a witness on the
stand who testified to seeing Wilson
nearer the Slater residence than the
corner of Douglas and Fourth avenues
before the fire. Slater's house is 10
North Lawrence.
The hardest witnesses against Will
son We're the Skaters They said that
their feather bed had been ripped open
and the feathers scattered about the
house. and that when Wilson came
there after the fire there We're feathers
adhriug to his oVercnat