Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-12-05

Parsons, W. Va, December AIRS.
Eastman appeared for the first time in
court to-day and. with a sister of the
prisoner, from Rappahannoc, Va,
took seats Immediately behind East
ham and his counsel.
Their appearance was the signal for
lively row between the opposing
/ counsel. Mr.. Dayton, for the State, in
A sisted that if Mrs. Eastman was to be
| used as witness, which was under
/, stood, she should De excluded as
| other witnesses, while Mr. Mccormick,
foE the defense, c1nterded that if
Albert Thompson, father Of the de-
| cease1d, was allowed 10 remain, Mrs
Easthsam's presence should be permit
ted ALSO.
JudgeS Holt ruled that she might
| The examination or the States wit
| nesses has, been so far conducted in
| chief by Davis, Dayton and Howard
alternately, while Lawyers Daily, Nc
| Cormick, Mo,ffat, Reynolds and Ar
nett have each taken a turn at the
| cross examination.
| The cross-examSnation indicates that
the defense will met depend solely on
the plea Of justifiable homicide, but
will take advantage OF, every defense
| possible.
! They will try to show that Thomp-
| sons wounds were not NECESSARILY
| fatal, but that his death was due>to his
| rough ride from here to the Cumber-,
land hospital and the operation per-
! formed on him there They will also
probably raise the jurisdictional ques-
/ tion Thompson having died in Mary
I and and his body having never been
returned to this State.
! The state is still on the subject of
threats. Howard Shaffer Martin D.
t Miller, John w. Ramsay, E. Gum, Mar
| tin Houston. George Kocheval and
/ Martin Griffith each testified in turn
/ to-day of vindictive threats made by
| the prisoner against Thompson. Some
| of them were terrifying.
| The most interesting testimony to-
! day, if not the most startling, was that
Of Miss Ella Wilson.
| Miss Ella is bright-faced little miss
who halls from between Martinsburg
| and Winchester, is just sweet sixteen,
and might be said to be really pretty.
! She testified that during the past sum-
|
Harper, at the Jail in Parsons. East
ham was theoretically confined there,
| but actually had the freedom of the
residence part of the Jail. Miss Will
son often talked with him, and one
! day, won no doubt by the comeliness
| of the little miss, he talked more than
was good for him. She asked him if he
| did not feel awfully sorry for having
| u; 10
| he could not say that he was sorry; it
was just this way: he was getting old,
and they could not cheat him out of
very many years, whether they kept
him in Jail or sent him to the pen, or
hanged him. and as he had always
! intended to kill Frank Thompson some
| day anyhow, he was not sorry it was
| over
The effect of this evidence was SINH
lar to that of Landstreet and Daily, on
Yesterday. Counsel for the prisoner
were visibly agitated, while as for East
ham himself, he plainly manifested his
nervousness at this recital. Col. Arnett
took the witness under the most rigid
cross-examination, but all the bland
ness, ingenuity and coaxing of the Col
onel failed to shake one word Of hers
| testimony, and she left the stand leav-
| ing upon the jury and all in the court
room the impression that she had mod
estly and reluctantly told the truth.
The States attorneys are said to have
surprises in store for Monday, and it
| is limited that the most direful threats
and admissions of the accused are yet
| to be told.
The crowd of spectators was larger
than ever to-day. and the audience
abounded with ladies.
VIM G.. Conley, the sterling young
| States Attorney, who. while courteously
! deferring to his more experienced CO.
| counsel in this case has yet manifested
| both activity and ability in its prepara-
| ton. was called to Preston Thursday by
| the sad intelligence that his mother was
| dead He returned to-day.
There was quite a sensation just before
the adjournment of court this afternoon
! when Martin Griffin came on the stand
and testified 10 a threat Eastman made
| just before entering the car.
| Mr. Mccormick attacked the witness
! savagely, and in one of his hottest
| speeches assailed the methods Of counsel
| for the State.
| Howard responded and characterized
| McCormic,5's speech as Old Virginia fire.
| works, and gave him a little display of
| West Virginia pyrotechnics- 1t was the
| hottest fight VET but Howard carried bis