Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-11
THE METCALF TRIAL.
THE THIRD DAYS PROCEEDINGS
IN THE CASE.
Conflicting Tcsfimony--A Conversn-
ton with the Prisoncr-Thc Mother
of the Accused Upon the Witness
sfnnd-Her Testimony.

CONVICTION, VA, January lo.-tspe-
cial. )-Considerabl progress was made
to-day I'm the trial Of the case OF Metcalf'
charged with arson. at Clifton Forge
Harris was recalled to the stand by the
defence, and questioned regarding ms
statement at the preliminary hearing
i'm reference TO seeing Metcalf enter the
front door of the Moody & Carpenter
building on the morning of November
Cd. \ stenographic report of that state
msnt. which the attorney for the defence
had before him, confiicted with Harris :
testimony yesterday. Witness stated
that he was not correctly reported at the
preliminary hearing. and adhered to his
statement made yesterday. that he saw
Metcalf enter the front door.
A CONVERSATION.
Sergeant Gleason, of the Clifton Forge
police. testified to making the arrest or
Metcalf. and related conversation with
the accused at the time Of the arrest, IN
which Metcalf enquired If II was for the
fire Of the night before he was arrested,
and when answered in the affirmative,
wished to know who had sworn out tne
warrant. Being told Harris had, Metcalf
enqured: "Where the HI was he?' VIII
ness stated that Metcalf asked II 1t was
for the fire that he was arrested before
he (Gleason) had said anything
Policeman Corcoran was recalled. ana
told of the peculiar odor Of burning
dope" which pervaded the room in which
the fire was discovered. Here the Com
monwealth rested
FOR THE DEFENCE.
All witnesses. Guiding the mother and
son of the defendant. were excluded from
the courtroom. and the defence opened
endured: Where the HI was hey WIZ
ness said he was friend of Metcalf. an
engineer on the Chesapeake and Ohio
railroad and had boarded with the Met
calf family the past four years. He came
I'm froia his run on the morning of No
vember 81 at 115. and repaired TO tne
Netcalf home about 4. NJ, and while
eating heard the alarm Of FIRE. He went
out into the hall. and saw there the de-
PENDANTS mother, who was the iirst mem
Der Of the family TO reach the iire She
told him the fire was In the middle room
across the hall Netcalf came out in MS
night clothes, with water n a ice-cream
freezer. He examined the gum coat worn
by Metcalf Oh that night. and found no
grease-spOts Witness had experience III
handling dope" in his capacity as an
engineer. and did not think is possible
for Aetcalf to have had dope about
the coat without some signs Of grease
being left.
THE MOTHER TESTlFIES.
Mrs. Metcalf, mother Of the defendant
was next called. and her evidence contra
dicted in toto the testimony Of Cochran
and Davis. two Of the strongest witnesses
for the State
She stated that her son entered the
building by the rear way on the morning
I'm question She had retired. but was
awake. and saw him pass through the
han into his room. lie had retired when
she heard the alarm Of fire. witness
arose and went out into the hall ana
discovered a small fire in the middle
room she started back to awaken her
family. when she met her son coming
with water in an ice-cream freezer. Her
son had cxtineuished the blaze wnen
Cochran and Davis came no. This con-
tradicts the statement of these two VII
nesses. who testified that Cochran put
out the fire before Mrs. Metcalf or her
son arrived.
Several ministers and number OF
other witnesses testified TO the unques-
toned reputation Of Mrs. Metcalf for
yeracity. after which court adjourned
until tomorrow