Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-15
PAULDAVIS ON TRIAL
MISS TWITCHELL TEsTIFIES AT
LENGTH AGAINST HIM.
ALL The EVIDENCE NOT YET In.
Ex-Magistratc yincenfs Absence
Causes DcIay-A Rule Issued for
HIm-Damaging Letters Introduced
by the Defence.


Twitchel, the H-year-old daughter of
Carlos A. Twitchell, of Highland Springs,
and who was subsequently shot by the
| girls father as he was being taken into
court for trial. was arraigned before
| Judge It. Ashby Wickham yesterday, and
his trial begun. A great deal of the
evidence was gone into, but the case was
not concluded, Notwithstanding that the
court sat until nearly IL o'clock last
night.
The prosecution is being conducted by
| Commonwealth s-Attorney Conway r.
Sands, assisted by Captain George ID.
Wise, and the defence is represented by
Messrs. George Washington Thomas and
w. NJ. Justice. A large crowd gathered
ut the courthouse to hear the testimony,
but. by order of Judge Wickham. none
we're allowed within the room save the
officers of the court, the jury, the law
| yers. and newspaper reporters.
But little trouble was experienced IN
| securing jury, the following twelve be-
ing gotten from the first venire OF six
teen: w. c. Saunders j. 7. Francis, o.
/. Stone. J. $. Gordon, j. j.. Coates,
John Housch, Frank Yahley, r.. w. At
| kinson, John II. Trimmer Il. w. Scott
| G. w. Taylor. and w. II. Keck.
| COURT WOULD NOT COMMIT SUI
eide.
George w. Boschen. one OF the wit
nesses for the Defence being absent
Mr.. Thomas moved a continuance. He
argued as to the Importance of the VIII
ness. and filed an affidavit thereto, but
| the Court overruled the motion. Mr.. JUS
| tis then made the plea that the Couh-
| ty Court had no right to try a case
within the city Of Richmond, but tho
| Court rejected the plea, the Judge
stating humorously that courts might
err. but they never, so far as he knew.
committed suicide and to sustain Mr..
| Justs's plea, would be TO literally XIII
the court. Several other objections
| were raised, but all were overruled, ana
! the case was proceeded with.
THE GIRL TEsTIFIEa
| Miss Cora Twtcher was the first wit
ness called. She entered the courtroom
attired in a neat-ftting lawn dress, and
wearing a natty yachting hat. She -
a rather pretty brunette, and her raven
tresses, which curled naturally over her
| forehead and were plated neatly over
her neck, gave her the appearance OF
an unsophisticated schoolgirl She was
sworn in by Clerk Waddill, Mr.. Justis
obiecting thereto, because of his con-
| tention that the Court hadn't the right
to administer an oath within the city
| of Richmond
The girls face was suffused with
bushes when she confronted the jury,
and Mr. Sands began questioning her.
| She displayed great embarrassment
when the questions became more direct.
| She answered all in a hestating man
ner. and i'm a low voice. but told the
awful story. declaring that an unlawful
| assault had been made upon her on two
| occasions by Paul Davis. and both with
out her consent. Mr.. Sands Piled his
| questions with a view TO sparlng the
girls feelings, and the defence very
magnanimously permitted him to assist
her as far as possible in framing her an
swers in the least Objectionable verbiage.
THE TWO ASSAULTS.
| The first assault, the witness testi-
| fed. occurred in the middle of June, 1896,
| IN the kitchen of her home. and the Sc
cond i'm the field on her fathers farm
while she was minding COWS. She tes-
| titled that she gave birth TO a child on
the 10Th of March, 1897, and being ques-
toned as to her age, said she was 13
years old on the 18th OF April, 1895.
The witness being taken in hand by
Mr.. Justis was rather severely cross
questioned and asserted that when the
first assault was committed her little
sister was present. This child, she said.
iolned her I'm screaming for help, and
after the second offence was committed
told their mother of it. The girl was
AaI
ters to Davis, but the prosecution OBJ
iected to this, and the jury was sent out
while the point was argued. Mr.. Justis
stated after the jury retired that he ex-
pected to show that the girl had written
love letters to Davis, making engage
ments with him. and that by these he
also expected TO prove that she was be-
vond the age of consent when the o1ence
Is alleged to have been committed. The
letters being called for by Mr.. Sands,
were exhibited by Mr.. Thomas. who ex-
tracted them from his pocket. Ihey
,yere written in an uneducated manner
and in an uniformed hand. In several of
them the writer begs the attendance
upon her OF "Mr Davis" to whom they
are addressed, and some OF them are
signed. your Friend" others Cora
and others miss Twitchell."
The Judge ruled that the question asked
by Mr.. Justis was proper one
and the jury being brought PACK INTO
court the interrogatQry was again pro-
nounded to witness. She admitted
having written to Davis. and being
asked to identify one Of the letters, ad-
mitted II as genuine. Another, she said,
was partly written by her, but had been
added to since leaving her hands ana
three Of the epistles, in one or Which'
loan of 80 cents was asked for' ana lh
another an urgent request made lot
Davis 10 come to her, she emphatically
denied having written. None OF the en-
velones. she declared, were sent by her.
THE LETTERS EXCLUDED.
Mr. Justis at this stage of the pro-
ceedings. asked permission TO read the
ietters identified by the witness as hers,
bnt the Court ruled that they could only
be introduced to the jury as testimony
In rebuttal Mr. Justis then began
questioning witness as 10 paragraphs
contained in the letters size identified as
hers but Captain Wise objected and
the question was argued at length. The
Court ruled that Mr.. Justis could con-
tinue his line OF questioning, provided
he kept within bounds, and he asked the
witness II she had written certain things
10 Davis. all OF which were contained
I'm the letters identified but all OF these
things she denied having written.
Being questioned as 20 why she, a
daughter of respectable white parents.
had written to a negro, she said that
when she found herself about TO become
a mother she was so overcome with !
worry and the thoughts OF the impending |!
danger 10 her that she knew not what |
she did nor why. Mr. Justis asked wit
ness If she hadn't made presents OF
iewelry TO Davis. and she Indignantly de- |
MED having done so, asserting that the |
prisoner had taken certain articles OF |
jewelry from her. and had refused. |