Evening journal., 1897-04-13
A SENSATIONAL TRIAL.
Life of Gordy, the Sussex Muir
derer, in the Balance.
INTENSE INTEREST IN THE CASE
THE FIRST WITNESSES WERETHE
DEAD WOMAN'S RELATIVES
AND THE PREACHER WHO MAR
RIED HER TO GORDY.
Special Correspondence Evening Journal
Georgetown, April 49,

| Special Correspondence Evening Journal.
Georgetown, April 13.
Long before the hour when court
convened crowds filled the hallway and
besieged the doors Of the old Court
House. In order to prevent a crush,
Chief Justice Lore ordered the sherin
to deputlze a posse Of men TO clear the
building Of all persons except members
Of the bar and The press. When the
crowd had been pressed back to the
street the names Of the witnesses for
the state and the defence we're called
and these were admitted to the room.
Soon after this the crowd forced the
lower door of the Court House and en-
tered pell-mell. Among the struggling
mass were many women, who, being
caught in the rush, screamed. and this
added to the din. All business was sus-
pended for half an hourand stoutrope
we're procured by which the crowd was
fenced off from the jury and the wit
ncsses.
GORDY'S CLOSED EYES.
Attorney General White asked that
Gordy be brought into court. Gordy
entered the room between Deputies Ro-
land Joseph and Robert Short, each OF
whom was armed with stave One
Of the slaves was painted red and the
ether black, as the symbols Of blood
and death. Every eye was turned on
The prisoner. but he gave no evidence
Of being conscious Of t.. His appear
ance had changed but little. except that
ne locked less careworn than on his
last appearance in court The extreme
( nervousness which he showed when ar
raigned a few days ago had disappear
cd. He kept his eyes closed through
out the day.
SELECTING A JURY.
The work Of selecting jury was fin
ished in less than two hours. The fol-
owing are the jurymen:
81 William S. O'Day, George H. Titus,
! John $. Cooper, william II. ONeal
emory r. Phillips, George James.
James b. Conoway Waltman w. Bryan,
Luther Hearn. l.. h. y. Joseph, Severn
. A. Brown and Robert W. Bennett
The jury Is composed Of nine farm
ers, one carpenter, one marblemakeI
and one manufacturer
While calling the names OF the tales
men Il was found that two men named
D Groensbury Short had been summoned
7. Chief Justice Lore asked the sheriff tC
- point out the man who was intended
90 be summoned Mr.. Short. CT Days
ooro hundred, was then picked out,
= THE LINE OF PROSECUTION.
AZ Attorney General White made tn
opening address to the jury. In part h
ia SAID:
e This comes only under the head O
e murder in the first degree The mur
D. der. as will be detailed to you by thi
l. witnesses we have summoned. will tel
y sad story. We will show that OF
Ia March IL the body of an unknown wo
man was found floating in the water
Of the BrOadkiln river, near the Quie
town Of Milton. The body was respect
g ully attired. lt was taken from tn
,i water and removed to an undertaken
~ establishment, where thousands viewe
IN it. but no one at first knew who the un
Z fortunate was.
n From clues we found we sought twi
N women from New York. When the.
t. gazed in the face of the dead woman
AZ one recognized her as a sister, Will
"A the second one said she was a cousin.
al I'VE will show you that James N
M Gordy married his victim February q
r. and on March packed their goods an
To left their home, in New York. Tn
,s next seen of them was at Wilmington
Del. We will follow them down tn
railroad until we reach Milford station
where we find the woman at the dep,
II and Gordy hiring'a team to take her
,o the country. He left the depot an
re next turned up at the house Of Harve
~ Messick at midnight alone"
80 The Encouragement proceeded {
~ tell the jury ofGordy's movements ju.
-. before his arrest and closed by saying
= 'The only question for you to consid'
Is this Is the prisoner guilty or not
INSANITY NOT THE ONLY DI
p FENCE.
ne John c. Hazard. surveyor, exhibitC
a plot Of the river and gave testimon
of distances. When crOss-eXamined
Mr.. Cullen for the prisoner it becan
b, evident that the defence would not d
or pend upon insanity alone as a defenc
et The close questions as to the locatiC
sw Of other houses along the route wni'
t. the state outlined as having been ira
-er eled by Gordy on the night of the mu
le- der led the listeners to believe that u
prisoners counsel intended to base q
defence chiefly on the lines of want
ic- time for Gordy to have driven the di
ire tance alleged and have committed q
murder
CLERGYMAN WHO MARRIED THE
All eyes were on the witness b.
ne when the order called for Rev. w
ny lam w. Moir Mr. MOir said: IL a
the assistant rector Of the Church
the Holy Communion, Sixth avenl
OF New York city. February 20 wOma
accompanied by man, called on n
The woman said her name was Este
I. Mary Lewis. and the man said his na1
ar was James NJ. Gordy."
the A photograph Ct Mrs. Gordy W
nj shown TO Mr.. Moir. who continued:
D. identify the picture as that Of the "
'ws man who said she was Mrs. Lewis. T
the prisoner here is the man whom ms
ra- ried TO Mrs. Lewis.
Objection was made by the coun.
for the defence, who said it had I
rs. been shown that Mr.. Moir was auth'
our lied to perform a marriage ceremol
lie. This was overruled. Mr. Moir 81
ur- Gordy remarked that he came FRI
Delaware.
A dupiicate certificate of maria