Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1896-09-04
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
OF William Mcmillan, Charged With
Criminal Assault.

The case OF the State VS.. William Nc.
MILAN was called Saturday before j Judge
Race on preliminary examination. Geo,
ii. Stanton appeared for the defense.
The prisoner appeared calm and un,
moved, His wife, a neat and good look.
ing young woman, had a ecat ncar her
husband and held their little boy in her
lap. She had an anxious and worried
appearance in her eyes, but otherwise
seemed to be cool and self possessed
The court rOO was crowded with spec
t~ators, drawn there by morbid curiosity
to hear the details Of the awful crime
and look on the man accused of being
such a iiend.
The first witness for the state was the
little girl, who told her story practically
as heretofore printed in The TRIBUNE,
going, however, into all the details of
the horrible story with a minutcness
that went far toward convincing hearers
that she was telling the truth. A skill
full and persistent Cross examination of
the story told by the child failed to
break it's force or get the girl to contra
dict herself in any particular. In fact
the cross examination only served the
purpose of strengthening the Ease of the
state by bringing out little facts con
firmatory Of the main story.
Nye Corners, the hired man. who was
sleeping in another room in the house
when the alleged assault was made, de-
scribed the premises. He did not hear
any noise during the night, but was
deaf. he got up in the morning and had
his breakfast before Mrs. Mcmillan and
little Mary Augustine got up. They got
up just as he wac finishing breakfast.
tie did not notice the child at that time.
When he came back to the house for
dinner the child was crying and Mrs.
Mcmillan said that she had been crying
like that all the forenoon.
DR.. Grain testified that tho child had
been outraged within 3G hours OF the
time when he first SAW her and described
her injuries.
The defense put on the prisoner and
his wife and the story told by both was
Just about the same in every particular.
They confirmed the story of the child up
to the point where they all retired Sunday
night. The child's story was to the eff
feet that she was put to bed in a cot
outside Of Mrs. McMillan's room
and that during the night McMil-
Ian came from his wife's room
and assaulted her, and that some time
after the assault, Mrs. Mcmillan re.
moved the cot to her room, where the
child slept the remainder Of the night.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Mcmillan contradict
the story at this point and swore that
the child was put to bed in a cot in their
room at tho foot of their bed and re-
manned there all night. They both
claim to have heard nothing about an
outrage having been committed till after
the arrest was made. Mrs. Mcmillan
admits removing this child's clothing
utter breakfast Monday morning and
washing it, but says this was because it
was dirty and denies that there we're any
blood stains on it.
The testimony OF a little boy named
Walter Splaine WAS to the effect that he
was on the other side OF the river with
Mary's twin brother when che waded
across the river about noon. She had
on a skirt belonging to Mrs. Mcmillan,
who told them to throw it into the
river, which they did. Tho little girl
said nothing to thcn about her trouble.
She staid in the house alone most OF the
time till her mother and father came
homo. A quantity of bloody clothing
was submitted in evidence. The court
continued the case till Monday to give
him time to look up tho law on evidence, |
such as that in tho present case.