Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-04-09
.A LITTLE GAME OF DRAW
Which Got a Number of Wetzel County
People Into Trouble,
And Which Was Very Thoroughly
Ventilated in the United States
Court Yesterday, in the Case
Against Blwood Anderson-Other
Court Business.

The principal case occupying the at
tention of the United States Court, yes
terday. was that Of Z. S. Y. Elwood An
derson, Of Hundred, Wetzel county,
who stood charged with mutilating
three cent pieces and passing them, in
Wetzel county, in the fall of 1892. G..
w. Atkinson appeared for defendant.
A. E. Lahugh of Hundred, was the
first witness called. He knew Of the
passing of the mutilated coin. in the
first part of November, 1892. Witness
had received forty three cent pieces
from George W. Seaton, Of Dry Ridge,
Marshall county. and witness, defend
ant and others engaged in game Of
poker. and being short of change he
distributed most of the coins among
the party.
Odd you retain any of them? 4.
No; had quite a lot of bad luck, that
day. and lost all l had
Witness said he got the coins from
Seaton October Goth or November LIST,
1892. in payment for fruit trees. They
were good coins. but some were worn.
Witness said Mr.. Seaton was a store
keeper and could not see well after
night, and he told witness people pass
ed them on him for dimes, and he want
ed them taken out of the country"
This witness agreed to do and did, as
a matter of accommodation. None Of
the coins brought to the poker game
by witness were so mutilated but that
they could be identified as three cent
pieces.
Q-When these three cent pieces
were in use at the poker game. and it
was discovered that they were being
passed as dimes. did YOU not take a
handful out of Your pocket and say you
brought them there? Al see what
you're after; you're trying to get me
to say that l brought mutilated coins
there.
Mr.. Atkinson repeated this question
several times. the witness answered
somewhat fippantly, and Mr.. Atkinson,
with a good deal of earnestness, warn
ed the witness that it was an important
case and he wanted no impudence. The
Court then took the the witness in
hand and succeeded in extracting from
him the statement that some ground
down coins were put in the pot that
night, but they did not come from
him. CAS- a matter Of fact" he said.
"thefrst thing heard of mutilated coins
was in December. after Anderson. the
defendant, had been arrested for drink
ing whisky in a 'church-hOuse' during
services. Witness did not remember
that he drank any whisky the night Of
the poker game, but there was whisky
there Witness acknowledged that he
had been indicted for playing poker.
and named over about a dozen others
who had also been caught i'm the
clutches Of the law for gambling.
Witness denied that he had procured
the arrest or indictment.O of Anderson.
and had never testified against him.
Witness thought the coins he obtained
from Mr.. Seaton would not look like
dimes. and denied that he had said so
in accounting for their possession in
the hands Of Mr. Seaton He had sim
ply said Mr.. Seaton had them passed
on him. after night. for dimes, as he
could not see we'll.
Mr.. Atl1inson-I had one passed or
me the other day.
The Everybody knows that
man who wears specs is blind. laugh
teri
Here a B. & O. train interrupted the
proceedings. and the Court expressed
the earnest hope that the city Of
Wheeling would soon abate that par
ticular nuisance.
Jackson Ullum was next called. He
saw three cent pieces in the poker
game. said defendant told him he had
multilated the coins and had passed
three Of them on Emma HOs.uttle. He
said every three cent piece was worth
seven cents profit to him He did not
know that he had told how many coins
he had mutilated. That admission was
made in a conversation with witness
about the poker game.
Mr.. AtkinsOn-He just blurted that
right out to you? A.-No; we were
talking about the game
O-And he told you all about it? A..
Yes: he said ne had mutilated them
and passed three Of them on Mrs. Hos
futile.
The witness fixed the time of this in
the fall of 1894.
The COurt-What game were you
playing? A.-Oh, just a small game Of
poker.
Witness said he got some three cent
pieces in the game, but they were per
feet. He did not see mutilated coins
the night of the game; they were all
right.
O-When did Anderson tell YOU he
filed the coins on? AT Hundred.
Odd he tell you how he mutilated