The morning times., 1896-06-12
INQUEST THROWN OPEN
Buxton Case Jury Want No Star
Chamber.
MANY WITNESSES EXAMINED
Several Hundred Citizens Crowded
Neighbors Told What They Knew
of the Tragedy-Dr. EtchtsOn Testt-
fied-Rev. L. L. Lloyd u witness. y,
lFrom a STAIR Correspondent.l


nour the coroner's jury summoned by JUS
tice of the Peace Baughman to inquire into
the circumstances of the death OF little
sadie Buxton decided to throw open the
doors Of the town hall to the public and the
press. -
a crowd of several hundred citizens re--
ceived the news with much satisfaction,
aud there was rush for the double doors
leading upstairs. At one end Of the hall
there is a stage, and it was here that Ash
ley NJ. Goaid, attorne for Sidney Randolph;
| Lawyer Peters. attorney for George Nealc,
| and 81. B. Anderson counsel fer the other
| Neales aud suspects, were seated. Just
| below them sat Justice Baughman, the jury
facing the sta ge in semi circle. The Off.
cials present were states Attorney Kilgour,
| Sheriff Collier, and Deputy Sheriff Horton
| Thompson There were present also De
tectives Sebold and Pohler Of Baltimore.
DIR. ETCHIsoN's TESTIMONY
Dr. EtchisoD was the first witness called.
| He testified that Monday morning he went
to the Buxton home in response to a call.
When he first saw little Sadie she was
| lying upon the left side of the bed. He
found her head fractured and part of the
| skull driven into the tissue of the brain.
| Reproduced drawing OF the fracture which
was shown to the members of the jury.
|
| stated that the morning of the assault he
was called up by Mr.. Joseph Phoebus, who
| said someone had been murdered. He was.
asked to go for the doctor, and While doing
| so saw man run out of the English yard
on the same street and not far from the
| Buxton house. In answer to u question
from Justice Baughman be said he could
nor identity the man but he knew he was
tall and had dark clothes on and black
slouch hat.
| Thomas Phocbus said; Il got to the
| Buxton house about 4 O'Clock that morning.
| went there because l heard Mr.. Buxton
| hollering murder. and calling me-. Mrs.
| Buxton run out of her house into mine. and
| | seated her before l went out. When I
| went into the Buxton house. / went up
| stairs, and found Sadie lying on the igtt
side of the bed. An ak was at the foot
| of tile bed. and it had blood and hair on
| the pole. am satisfied the hair was some
| of Sade's."
| DOOR WAS OPEN.
After 1 came down stairs 1 noticed
| tile sled up against the front of the house
| under the front window, wi bicb was open.
l asked Mr. buxton who did the deed. and
| he said. Some negro who looked like
| 'Clcm Johnson" ~
| Josehp PhUebns, who lives next door to
| the Buxton house, with his brother, Tom
next testified that ii was about O'Clock
when he heard some one hollering murder
| and calling Tom. He went toward Mr..
| Buxton's house. and noticed that the cali
ing had ceased. He foundM Mr. Buxton stand
| ing in the back door with blood streaming
| down his face. He said some one had
| murdered them all, and the man was-ai
negro Who looked like Glen Johnson. He
| sa the AK snd gave it as his opinion that
| the bair on il was that of Sadie. O..
| yxrasl
bloody AK as belonging 10 him, was put on
the stand. He said he had seen the AK found
| at the Buxton house, and that it locked like
| an ax belonging to him. which he had last
used on the Friday evening preceding the
murder and missed the Monday morning the
| crime was committed. Concluding. he posi-
| lively identified the AK as his.
STATEMENT OF DR. LLOYD.
Rev. L. L. Lloyd, who has worked assid-
uously on the case and given it much atten.
ton from the beginning, was 3he next
and one OF the most important witnesses
before the jury. After telling how he re-
sponded to the call just after the assault
he detailed his search for the assailant
1T was not sufficiently light for me 10
see across that narrow piece of woods. So
entering a corner up next to Mr.. Virt's
house cut across the woods diagonaliy and
went back in the same oblique manner so as
TO cover the woods, looking for whoever
might be there. think tina a bout the third
time that crossed the woods came upon
track. which / presumed to be the pUr-
sued or the pursuer. and I followed that
track down through the woods until 1
came to point where 1t was obscured by
another track.
Thcfirsttrack tina Isaw wasimmediately
back and coming out of the school house
yard and going in a southwesterly direc-
toni would say--frOm this point; and the
other track ! saw in the woods at the
point where it was inters ected Then
being sure that l was on the track of the
pursued or pursuer, went on until
came 10 a small patch ofpioughed ground;
the two tracks were now runni ng pra ctically
together. About the center of that patch
of ploughed ground, passing obliquely
across it, l came to a point where one of
the men had sat down and taken off his
shoes.
PUT ON HIS SHOES.
From that point on the bare feet showed
to the end OF the poughed field and there
it disappeared but could see yet where
1T had passed the grass field, but could
not identify the track, simply the con-
tinuity of track.
when got back to the Buxton house
and learned the condition there, 1 asked
Mr.. Buxton one question: Mr.. Buxton,
can you identify your assailant?' He re-
piled: 1t was a tall, heavy set, black negro:
/ do not know whether I could identify
him.. think those are his words, as near
as / can remember.
81 went back to Mr.. Buxton's house and
asked him three questions. When
entered this was the second time-the
doctor was dressing the wounds / said;
Doctor, please stop a moment. nd putting
my hand on the other side of Mr.. Buxton.
and looking over the bed, ] said: Mr..
Buxton. do you know George Neale?' He
said yes; but he said nothing more-tbere
was pause. said: Il have followed
certain tracks to the Neale house; can YOU.
or can you Eot say that Neale was your
assailaut?' He said: 1T was not Neale.
1t resembled'-a and he paused a moment
and said: IT was not Glen johnson. but
he very much resembled Glen Johnson
passed out of the room and saw Mr.
Buxton no more until last Monda evening"
Following DR.. Lloyd, John W.. Garrett
who was one of the young men who cap
tureti Randolph, told what he knew of the
case. He said lie had first received a
telephone dispatch three minutes before 6
O'Clock, telling about the assault on Mr.
Buxton, and later, about O'Clock. re-
ceived another telephone message from a
neigIbor, telling him about a suspicious
negro seen in the vicinity, and asking him
to come down to Mr.. Wards at once When
asked where he stayed the night before
Randolph pointed across the field and said