The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-28
BRAM'S NERVE.
He Did Not Finch ON the Cross Ex-
animation.
HELPED the States Attorney on Nautical
Questions and Stuck Closely to His
Original Story.

Questions anu Stuck CloseAy 70 LAS
Original Story.
Boston, December 26.-Mats Thomas
Bran, when he was conducted into the
United States court room this morning,
found his way obstructed by the largest
crowd that has yet been in attendance Oh
this remarkable trial. Many of those
present were women. On resuming the
witness stand the defendant denied that
any angry words had passed between
him and the second mate, IS has been
alleged by the witnesses for the govern
ment. The manner in which the lumber
was stored OIL the deck, and its relation
to the windows of the captains room.
we're described by the defendant sub
stantially as IN his dirsot examination.
He repeated, by direction of the dis
trict attorney, the story he had told on
Thursday regarding the events of the
night of tine murder, Eut, al though the
cross examination was searching ana
direct, he did not vary in the slightest
from mis- prev ious testimony. Neither
was anything new developed. During
the examination, the defendant main
tained the confident and se.f-oontainea
attitude that has characterized his ap
pearance since he took the witness stand
on Wednesday morning. He even dis
played disposition to help the examiner
out on points wbere he was confused by
nautical terms, and showed a disposit-
ion to volunteer testimo ony that would
throw light on vague matters withou
apparent regard to it's Eearing in his
case. Once when it WAS shuwn that the
witness had said on his direct testimony
that a certain memorandum was in his
pocketbook, while in his cross exarnina-
tion, he said it WAS not in his pocketbook.
he replied: aMr. Hoar. am not infalli-
hle.''
'You get mixed up, Mr.. Hoar." he
said on another case, when the district
attorney tired to confuse him by quot
ing language he had used in one Incl
dent and applied it to another, and this
ocurred several times and with the same
results.
"Had you any suspicious Of Mr.. Monks
at the time you and he were watching
the crew with drawn revolversf" asked
the district attorney. The witness hesi
tated for a moment and then replied,
"No, SIR The defendant was asked
what Monks said to him in the cabin,
and the reply was: "ae sa i'd: Don't
leave me.
Mr.. IIoar then asked: "Didn't you
state it differently on direct examina-
tion. f''
The reply was: 81 don't believe I
did,
The same question was repeatedly
asked and the reply was always the
same. The district attorney demanded
a direct yes or no. when the court inter-
rupted with the remark: The answer he
has made is all that you can insist up
on.
"Why didn't you 60 down into that
cabin and search for the mate when You
found he did not appear; you ware in
command of that vessel, the captain be-
ing dead +" was asked.
The answer was: "Mr. Hoar, I sup
pose lacked grit and courage"
Something was said about fear that
some one might be in hiding under the
boat lying upside down on the deck.
"How was man who got into the boat
to get out at yous" was asked by the
district attorney.
"The same way he got in.'" was the
retort, provoking SO much laughter that
the court officials had to call for order.
Mr.. Hoar resumed the examination Of
Bran this afternoon by putting series
of questions in regard to tho log book
and the loose leaves In the book. Bran
related the positions of the bodies and
the marks and scratches in the rooms
He also described where blood was found
and he said he looked the place over all
he could. Bran said he was in the
cabin when the bodies were brout bit up
and followed up each body. He never
asked Monks to tear up the statement
first drawn which obtained the theory of
a trippls murder. The witness said he
believed the statement at the time, but
late. in the afternoon ne began TO think
differently. He said ne ala hos susgeso
to Monks to write that he was SICK ana
he signed it on general principles. Bran
was asked what course he was on the
day after the tragedy. He asked for the
log book and here both sides got IN
discussion over the right to REFER TO IL.
Finally the witness was allowed to tell
the course viii ch was about southeast.
The question of lashing the wheel was
again reviewed. but Bran only repeated
his former testimony. The witness was
again asked if he told Lobac. If we
don't set Brown guilty, we Wall get TWO
years each" Brown emphatically said:
mo" Thus the accused ent through
another days trying ordeal without
fiinching in his testimony. The court
adjourned until 10 O'Clock Monday. sas
A despatch from Madrid to the Lon
don Central News says that Senior Cano-