Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-12-07

Special to the Register.
Parsons, w. Va, December Ga
prominent young merchant of this
place was witness for the State in
the Eastman trial.
After his examination, the judge adj
monished him, as he had all the other
witnesses, to remain within reach of
the sheriff, as he might be recalled at
any time. The young man turned
pale; leaning over, ne whispered to
Lawyer Dayton: Il am to marry a
wife at Kingwood tomorrow. Can't
you have me eXcused?" Mr.. Dayton
explained the situation to the court,
all about the invited guests and the
preparations made, but unfeeling coun-
sci for the defense insisted that the
court man conclude his counting in
Tucker before he concluded his court
ing in Preston, and the court SO held.
At last accounts the unhappy young
| witness was still halIing between the
| wooing of love and the terrors of the
law.
The evidence in the Eastman case
| to-day, interspersed as it was, with
| tremely interesting. The most import
ant testimony taken was that Of w.
| K Mock, who occupied the stand from
! one until five o'clock, taking up tn-
! entire afternoon session. He said he
| came to Tucker county from Warren
county, Va, the adjoining county to
that from which Col. Eastman hailed
when he came to Tucker. He became
! NJ fnr
where he remained for five Or six
years. He said Eastman, in frequent
conversations, confided in him his vim
dictlve intentions toward the Thomp-
| sons. He told the witness time and
| time again that he would break up
| Albert and Frank Thompson or kill
| them both.
! On cross-examip alton, after much
| goading by Mr.. Mccormick, witness
! related a startling story. He settled
the question of who blew up the Black
! water dam. He said that Eastman
employed him to do the deed, and
furnished the aynaattee Up 1a ali ne nignPs utt o
pose' onae w, and only succeeded on
the second night; that it was witness
VINO hred from ambush upon those who
came to repair the dam. The shots
that so nearly ended the existence of
one of the workmen. But witness in
sisted that he only fired to frighten;
! that Eastman furnished the winches-
ter rifle and supplied him with smoke
| less powder; that after the imprison-
ment of Eastman, charged with
! ThOmpson's murder, witness went with
H. j. Cooper, who related the same
story on the witness stand last Fri
| day, to Rappahannock, Va. and took
refuge with the brothers Of Eastman
| to avoid appearing against him; that
| he urged upon the brothers of East
| ham to raise a mob and come to tie
| rescue of the prisoner and prevent
| him from being put on trial; that wit
ness was afraid that trial of East-
| ham would bring out the truth about
! the blowing UP Of the Blackwatcr
dam and the subsequent shooting, and
witness would get into trouble. Coop
| er coupled his entreaties to the ad-
vice of the witness as to delivering
Eastman from Jail. Cooper, who was
Eastham's nearest neighbor and best
friend, told all about this same trip to
Virginia last Friday. He is an old
j ex-Confederate soldier and served with
Eastman in the war.
These confessions of contemplated
outlawry on the part of these two
witnesses attracted the greatest in
terest It's the consensus of opinion
here that the defense made a grave
mistake in bringing out these self
confessions. The fact that these men
had such sympathy and friendship for
Eastman that they would go to the
voluntary expense of taking that
lengthy trip to escape being witnesses
against the accused and would counsel
and advise his rescue by mob, only
tended, it is thought, to strengthen
the statements they made against
him.
Several other witnesses were exam
ined to-day, but their testimony, while
more or less damaging to the defend
ant, was not so interesting as that