The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-04-13
0ORDY'S TRIAL BEGUN.
His Counsel viii Not Attempt to Prove
Insanity.

Chief Justice Lore, with Associate
Judges Cullen and Marvel presided Long
before the hour when court convened
crowds filled the hallway and besieged the
doors of the old courthouse.
In order to prevent O crush Chief
Justice Lore ordered the Sheriff to depu.
tize 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 defense
were called and these were admitted to
the room.
Soon after this the crowd forced the
lower door of the courthouse and entered
peli-mcll Among the struggling mass
were many women, who being caught in
the rush, screamed, and this added to tho
dln; An business was suspended for
malt an hour and stout ropes we're pro-
cured by which the crowd was fenced off
from the jury and witnesses.
Attorney.General White asked that
Gordy be brought into court. Gordy en-
Tered the room between Deputies Roland
Joseph and Robert Short. each of whom
was armed with a stave. One Of the
slaves was painted red and the other
Dlack, as the symbols of blood and death.
Every eye was turned on the prisoner, but
he gave no evidence of being conscious of
~ AAio hPpOuluuCb Ildu CDbuRtu
except that he looked less careworn
than on his last appearance in court. The
extreme nervousness which he showed
when arraigned few days ago had disap-
peared. He kept his eyes closed through
out day.
SELECTING A JURY.
The work of securing a Jury started
about IL. Op. M, and in less than two
hours the necessary twelve had been
secured. The following are the jury.
men:
William S. O'Day, George H. Titus,
John S. Cooper, William H. O'Neal,
Emory r. Phillips, George James, James
b. Conoway, Waitman w. Bryan, Luther
Hearn, Il. r. n. Joseph, Severn A. Brown
and Robert w. Bennett.
The jury Is composed of nine farmers
one carpenter, ono marblemaker and vne
manufacturer
While calling the names Of the talcsmen
10 was found that two men named Greens.
bury Short had been summoned. Chief
Justice Lore asked the sheriff to point out
the man who was intended to be sum.
moned. MIR. Short, of Dagsboro hundred,
was chen pointed out.
Attorney General White made the open
ing address to the jury. In part he said:
ms comes only under the head of
murder in the first degree. The murder
as VIII be detailed to you by the wit
nesses we have summoned, will tell a sad
story. We will show that on March II
the body of an unknown woman was
found hoatinG in The waters OF the Broad
XIII riytr near the quiet town of Milton.
lne poay was respectfully attired. 1t was
taken from the water and removed TO an
undertaker's establishment, where thou.
sands viewed it, but no one at first knew
who the unfortunate was.
From clues We found we sought two
women from New York. When they
gazed IN the face of the dead woman, one
recognized her a. sister while the second
one said she was II cousin.
we VIII show you that Jas NJ Gordy
married his victim February "A and on
March packed their goods and left their
home, in New York. The next seen of
them was at Wilmington, Del. We will
follow them down the railroad until we
reach Milford Station, where we find tho
woman at tho depot and Gordy hiring a
team to take her to tho country. Ee left
the depot and next turned up ut the house
OF Harvey MessiCk at midnight alone"
Tho attorney general proceeded to tell
the jury Of Gordys movements just be.
lorc bis arrest and closed by saying: Tho
only question for you to consider is this:
Is the prisoner guilty or noiy
INSANITY NOT THE ONLY DEFENSE.
John C. Hazard, surveyor, exhibited
plan OF the river and gave testimony Of
distances. When cross examined by Mr.
Cullen for the prisoner 1t became evide mt
nat the defense would not depend upon
alone as defense
ne close questions as to the location Of
other houses along the route which tho
State outlined AS having been Travelled by
Gordy on the night of the murder led the
listeners to believe that the prisoners
counsel intended to base the defense
chiefly on the lines Of want of time for
doruy to have driven he distance alleged
and have committed the murder
THE CLERGYMAN WHO MARRIED THEM
All eyes were on the witness box when
the order called for Rcv. VIM W. Moir.
MIR. Moir said: II am tho assistant rector
Of the Church of the Holy Communion,
sixth avenue, New York city. February
!5 woman, accompanied by a man called
~ me The woman said her name was
Estelle Mary lewis, and the man said his
name was James NJ. Gordy.
A duplicate certificate Of marriage was
handed to the Clergyman, but the defense
.rgued that it was iEadmissable, NOT be.
Ing the original, The court decided the
point well taken.
Gordy, DR., Moir testified, said he was
Jhirty-flve years old had been married be.
ore and had one child. Mrs. Lewis gave
ler age as thirty years, but looked older.
She said she also had been married before,
md gave her birthplace as Milwaukee
The defense on cross examination asked
Mr.. Moir If it was possible for him to rec.
,gnlze Gordy, only having seen him once,
lhe reply came; Il am as positive as | |
'ould be that he Is the same man.
Mrs. Blanche Goeltz, sister of the mur-
lereu woman, and who Is also known as |
Madame Grunert having conducted
establishment under the lat
er name, was the next witness.
81 live at 652 Herkimer street, Brook /
yn. Mary Lewis was my sister, She /
lved at 3Ob West One Hundred and Thirty. |
ninth street, New York. l last saw her
live January |, and | next saw her dead |
,ody at Milton. Del"
Here Mrs. GoelZ's eyes were suffused |
With tears. She continued:
My sister was thirty.five years old. On |
larch > had u letter from her which
tated that she had been married and was
,oing to Delaware to live.
She had furniture, gold watch and
wo diamond rings, one larger than the !,
ther. l don't know about her money.
saw her furniture at the depot In George.
own after the murder and / positively
Identified it,"
Attorney General White then began to
nwrap the dead woman's clothes. As
@ placed the various pieces ON the trial
ablo and held them up to view Mrs.
i0eltz broke down, buried her face in her
andkerchief and wept aloud When she
ad calmed herself she continued to iden.
ify the clothing.
Attorney-Genoral White held up silver
at.pin, and Mrs. Goeltz said in a broken
oice: Il gave that to sister" Deputy
lttorney General Cooper told the court
hat tho articles were offered in evidence.
Mr.. Cullen conducted the cross examin-
tion under difficulties, as Mrs. Goeltz
eclined to answer several questions, and
: one time said, "lf it will help to convict
i'm will answer" The cross examina.
on brought out the fact that Mrs. Goeltz
'as married, that Mrs Gordy had visited
er home, that ono of the diamond rings
'as present from Mrs Lewis' first hus.
and and that he died last November
he was positive that the clothing shown
'as that of her sister.
Miss Elsie DERRICK, cousin of the dead
oman, c0rroborated the testimony of
lrs Goeltz When cross.exunined the
Iurt had to order Miss Dcbrlck to answer
lr. Cullen's questions, as she frequently
lid II won't answer"
John Robinson told the story OF finding
le body. He identified the blade of this
roken oar which he found as one that had |
cen left in certain boat.
Court then adjourned to meet at 10 a. |