Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-04-22
MURDER IN FIRST DEGREE
That Was The Verdict Found In the
Case Against James NJ. GOrdy.
THE DECISION QUICKLY REACHED
Wonderful Nerve Displayed by
the Prisoner.

Special correspondenco OF Gazette and Journal
Georgetown, April 10. Mrs. Harvey
Messick was tho first witness yesterday
in the Gordy case. She corroboratei
the testimony of her husband as to the
time OF Gordy's arrival at their house
90 March 10Th and regarding the two
Batcbels which no had with him. She
identified the pantnlooEs shown to
her as those given to her by Gordy on
March 18th. Wher he gave them to
her they were wot to the knees and
had dark. sticky mud on the inside of
the leg, as IL scraped off boat Gordy
told her be got tho mud ON the trousers
on wharf 10 baltimore. She cleaned
the trousers and,hung them on a chair.
back in tho sitting room, whrre they
remained until they were taken away
by the officers. She also swore they
were the same pantalouns worn by
Gordy when he left tho farm in Feb
ruary.
Frank E. Carey, a fisherman, stated
that he was asleep In small schooner
within 80 yards of Vaughan's Landing
on the night Of March 10th and retired
between 8 and 8 o'clock, but was
awakened by sound as il some one
had thrown an oar in boat, Bailey's
boat was not at tho wharf the next
morning, where the Witness himself,
had tied it the night before. A little
before s O'clock he saw the tracks in
the mud, where the boat had been
pushed off. The boat had false stern,
which made it impossible for mau to
Bcull it with one oar. There were two
other beats at thv wharf, but neither
contained oars. He also saw carriage
tracks OF the wharf the next morning.
George w. Hatfield was called and
eaid that on the night OF March 18th
he drove out to the Gordy farm. near
this town. with Attorney General White
and some Others to search the house.
Harvey Messck, the tenant, let them
into the house. Messick gave the ham
mer aud the trousers 10 Mr.. White.
Ihby then vent up stairs to Gordy's
room and found the night dress and
other articles in tho unused beds The
witness identified all the articles, and
stated that they bad been IN bis pos.
session since the finding to the time of
the trial. The State offered the ham
mer in evidence, and then occurred the
first hard fought legal tilt, the defence
most strenrously opposing the adj
mission OF this most damaging piece
of evidence. Mr.. Cullen argued that
the State had not proved the hammer
ever to have been in Gordy's pos
session. Reference to the stenographer's
notes showed that Messick stated that
Gordy brought the hammer in from his
carriage to the house on March 18th
and the hammer had never, until that
time, been on the farm. He identified
the hammer in court as the same one.
Thon counsel for defence urged that it
was incumbent upon the State to show
that the fatal blow had been struck by
that particular BANNER, in the hands
of the prisoner Counsel for the State
rntorted that that would be moral
impossibility. Tho court decided the
hammer was admissible, and the State
had gained a very material point.
DIR. David Hall of Lewes was called
Us an hypothetical witness. The de.
fence objected. but tho witness stated
that ne had been practicing medicine
do years and had attended many cases
OF drowning. The objection OF the de-
fence was overruled. Mr. White asked
the witness whether or not, in his
opiniUn, a body could possibly drown
without the lungs filing with water.
The witness answered that it would be
impossible. On cross examination by
MIR. Richards the witness stated that
he would not consider body drowned
II the lungs contained only half an
ounce of water. He did not consider it
necessary to examine the heart for in
dicatiOns of drowning. He would not
consider that loosely coagulated blood
in the heart indicated drowning. The
witness had had several cases where
the patient died in bed and the heart
was in that condition. lie based his
opinion entilely upon his own expert
ence and not upon authorities on medi-
cal Jurisprudence.
W. i. Blackstone, a druggist OF this
town, testified that he had seen the
glove, hammer and other articles at the
home OF George W. Hatfield, a previous
witness, on Match 18th. He had ex-
amined the hammer closely and found
upon the end hair, which he gave
TO Dr. William r. Messick. who placed
it in a bottle.
DIR. Messick was called and corrobo-
rated the above, and identifying the
bottle containing the hair. He stated
that the hair was light brown, very
much the same color as that OF the
woman whose body was found. as he
had compared the two. He could not
say that the hair in tho hottie was a
human hair, as he had not examined it
microscopically. The hair was offered
in evidence by the State, but the de.
fence objected, Mr.. Cullen saying that
the State had not so much as proved
the hair TO have come from the head OF
human being. The court sustained
the objection, and ruled the hair out.
Walter Witsil, State detective, was
the next witness. He testified that he
went to Milton on March 18th in re-
Spouse TO a telegram from the attorney
general. He met Mr.. White and Coroner
johnson there on that date, and they
at once began TO investigate the matter.
They found tracks on the bank of the
river near where the body was found,
loading out towards the sailors path.
lie measured them very carefully and
found other tracks near Black shin
yard anu also near the public road, that
correapondod exactly. according to
measurement. with those on the river
BANK. The facts and evidence picked
UP by them led them to suspicion
Gordy as having committed the murder
and he immediately began search for
him. Cove S. Lynch assisted him in
the search. They drove out to Goroy's
farm on Friday night, but Messick told
them that Gordy was not Jhare, that
he had left about sun down, going
towards Georgetown. They then drove
to Bridgeville and stopped the mid.
night trains. but did not find tho
man. On Saturday morning they drove