The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-11-10
FELL RR0N
THE WAGON
The Defense Josiah Marvil
Sets Up in the Willis Case
Prisoners Confession
Related - Evidence
Against the Accus.
ed Murderer.

| Termincr court the Willis murder case was
| gotten under way. Deputy Attorney
General Cooper, laid the facts Of the case
before the jury and said he would PROVE
to. the satisfaction of tho body that r.,e
| prisoner was guilty of first degree p'irde,
| as he was indicted. Tho prosecu' ,on do
fined first degree murder, only AS Inc said
the prisoner was either gully Of that orime
| or innocent of any
John w. Dennlso.l was the first witness
| put under exalpi.iaton. He is a resident
| OF Mill CrecE, Hundred and employed the
| prisoner or May 4, when he was provided
| with 2 team to take his child to o Lew
boarding house he had secured for his
/ Child, as Willis said. He returned about
I 1870 o'clock. Nothing was said of the
child. Mr. Cooper did not question the
=. enlightenment In the Case from him, he
| left tho stand.
Frank Dcnnison is q son of John w.
Dcnnison. The young man knew Of
Willis leaving his fathers farm on the
morning of May 4. Frank did not know
| whore Willis had gone. The most import
ant portion of the witness testimony was
the identification of shovel which was
taken from the Dennison farm few days
before the murder. 1t was tho foundation
of testimony which will prove that with
William Talley, q colorel man corrob-
Grated the testimony regarding tho shovel.
at this point the shovel was offered in
evidence and accepted without objection
OH the part Of the defense. Abram Peter
son, a IL year old colored boy slept with
Willis at tho Dennison home On the
night of the murder Willis was not in bed
when the witness retired, but was there
in the morning. Abram did not know
where Willis was,
Ella Beuah had a conversation with
Willis Oh the evening of May 4, during
which he said he had taken his child to
his cousins home at West Grove. Ella
called him the following morning but he
did not show himself. Mr.. Whiteman in
quired If the witness knew positively that
ii was Willis who answered her. She re-
piled in the negative, but the voice sounded
like that of Willis.
Deputy Attorney General Cooper called
Margaret Shocklcy to tho stand and at tho
same time opened Il basket which contain
ed Il lot of soileu clothing, which the state
proved were on the child tho day Of tho
murder and which were deposited In
pile of rubbish on the Eastburn farm.
Margaret was well acquainted with Willis
and on the morning OF May went to her
house in the Eastburn team where sho
was,
Willis said he wanted to take the child
to his cousins home at West Grove. The
witness dressed tho child and gave ths
father the balance of the little girls
scanty wardrobe. At this point Mr..
Cooper drew from the basket fragments
of child's chothing. First he handed to
she put on the child the morning of May
5. Then the prosecutor handed hor pieces
of dress, and under-clothing which the
woman said were fragments of those she
put on Callie Willis, who, by the way, was
only year and half old,
Then Mr.. Cooper produced another
basket. 1t contained clothing much clean
er than the other offered and was that
given Willis, on the morning he called for
his child. Margaret accompanied Willis
short distance along the road in tho
team The testimony ended here. The
defense submitted no questions
Mrs. Margaret Heuitt, white woman,
met Willis near Thompson's station, on
the morning of May T. She saw colored
child at his side. She knew nothing
further.
Norris Mcsner, a boy, also saw Willis
with the child OF him the prisoner in
quired the road to Milford Cross Roads, |
and being informed the man drove off. |
Norris said the child wore Il white bonnet. |
Nathaniel Richardson, William Campbell |
and H. A. Morlsley also saw Willis Oh the |
road on the morning of May I. !
James Harkins, Jr., found the body in |
pool of water on his fathers farm wrap
ped in n phosphate bag. The trunk was |
armless and hcadless. James left the
stand and going to the basket identified |
the clothing it contained as that which |
was on the child when he found the dead |
body.
The sDot is about 40 yards from the |
road. He found it on the 23rd day of May.
Jn1, had hIny DR. in 1,n nrtt ,IJn
10 feet from where it was found. The de-
fenso submitted one question and it was
regarding the location, then Harkins left
the stand.
Thomas Harkins, brother of the pre-
yious witness, saw the body the night his
brother found it. He examined the bas-
let of clothes and identified the apron as
he one the child had on at the time. A
shawl lay near the hole in the ground.
There was evidence of the body having |
)cen taken from the hole.
Emanuel Williams colorcd, knew Willis
md on tho Sunday following the day the
oody was found, supposed it was that of
Willis and inquired of him what he had
done with his child. The reply was that
le had left it with his (WillisD cousin at
West Grove.
John X. Chambers was foreman of the |
oroncrs jury which held Willis for the !
resent term of court TO the witness
everal days before Willis said he left his
hid with man named William John
on, who he had never seen before or since,
Vhum he met along the road.
State Detective Bernard j. MCVey testi.
ed to cOnversing with Willis and he toll
lg the same story rs told by Willis to
ir. Chambers. Willis fnrthor said that
Q had given the man johnson So for the
iilds support.
WILLIS CONFESSION
IThc detective related tho official duties |
0 performed after learning the story and
OF being able to find tho man johnson
,turned to Willis and asked him If he
nd not committed the crime. Then he
limited tho crime, cxoncrating every
le.
Willis put ttho little crying child into
bag and held it under the water until
,ad. Then he threw the body in some
ashes and went to the spot the following
urning with q shovel, which was evidence
I'd buried the child At this point Mr..
Thiteman took the witness in hand and
to prove that the detective had
,rjure1 himself at the tine the inquest
as held Mr.. Cooper came to the aid of
r. McNey and sustained him in the point .
ho left the stand Without contradiCtng
inself in any point since the crime was
State Detective Walter Witsil presented
different phase of tho confession. Willis
Id him the child was a burden to him
I'd he believed she was better off dead
an alive, us he had no home for her.
lipp 'npt tut, Il IN 1,,p t,I la tnl- l