The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-06
THE MCCULLOUGH CASE.
Defendant Goes on the stand-Ver-
diet Expected To-day.

diet Expected To-day.
Jonesboro, Ca. Oct 5.-John MeCul-
Tough. the alleged wife murderer, on trial
here, made his statementto the jury to-
day. verdict is expected tomorrow, The
defense having introduced no evidence but
the prisoners statement.
When Mccullough took the stand his
eyes We're wet with tears, wrung from
him by the exhibit of the blood-stained
clothing of his dead wife. He faced the
jury and drew out his handkerchief, which
he used almost continuously during the
interesting recital upon which the whole
fabric of the defense is rested.
He told of his wife setting out on the
fatal morning 60 pick blackberries. Later
on he followed her making his way TO
ravine, he said. where he knew that ber-
ries grew abundantly and where his wife
had frequently gone 10 pick them. Not
finding her there, he searched in other d-
reetions and then returned to the house.
He related that he wandered through the
field and garden. frequently calling the
name of his absent wife; then others came
upon the scene, among them VIII Dorsey
and man named Daniel.
Me and VIII Dorsey and Daniel went on
down into the patch" continued the prs-
oner, his voice rising above its former
monotonous depth. After going some
little distance viii Dorsey called me, and
says Here she is / hallowed and asked
him what she was doing and his answer
was that she was lying down.
LAS for what done, or what I said when
I got there, 1 don't know; but, gentlemen
there is one thing l do know, I know that
if my wife could have been spared to have
talked to me and others when she was
found, that this awful crime would never
have been alleged to me.
4 hope no man will ever have to suffer
what l have, not only the loss of a good
true wife, but taken from my children, put
in jail and accused of it myself. l am
nearly 80 years old, gentlemen, and / have
never laid the weight of my hands on any
man in anger, much less a woman. my
bosom companion and mother of these At
tie children. 1 have not seen the day
since we were married, but what l would
have given my own life for her. There
never was a family trouble in my home
There never was two people, l don't care
who they are or where they came FROM
that lived more devotedly than my wife
and / did; and / ask you, gentlemen, as a
man with clean hands and a clear con
science, to give me my liberty and chill
dren. And if you don't do 1t, / will have
still have to suffer for what some one else
has done"
The testimony was devoid of new feat
ures, the prosecution following out the
line of substantial proof taken up yester-
day. They attempted to establish McCul-
lough's love for his sister-in-law, Miss
Jones, as a motive for the murder of his
wife, and 30 prove that an Illicit relation
existed between the defendant and his
wife's sister Testimony was also intro
duced to show that the marital relations
of the McCuuoughs were not pleasant;
that the husband had been heard to re-
mark that If it were not for his wife he
could get along all right with his moth
er.
Mrs. Della Hutchinson, nee Jones, cous-
in of Judson Jones, testified that she had
seen her cousin sitting in McCullough's
lap. Direct questions brought out the
statement that she had seen the girl take
medicine, but did not know that 1t was in
tended TO prevent a certain physical con-
diton DIR. Dodd swore that three weeks
before Mrs. Mccullough was killed her
husband came to him and asked him for
medicine to produce criminal operation.
Several ladies', who assisted in dressing
the body of the murdered woman, We're
put on the stand to establish the fact that
there were no evidences of crime for the
purpose of assault, one of the points made
by the defense in cross examination, and
that the medicine bought by the defendant
was not intended for his wife.
The blood stained garments of the muir
dered wife were brought into court, and
al the sight of them Mccullough broke
down and wept.
The line of argument pursued by the
defense is that the state has failed to
make out its case. The evidence is at
tackled on the ground that neither the
motive nor the crime is established. The
idea that the murder may have been COM
mtted by some unknown person, to hide
assault was argued The trial has been
held behind closed doors, no one being al
lowed in the court room except those di-
rectly interested in the case. This rule
was adopted by Judge Gambler, principally
because of the testimony being unfit for
the ears of women who might be drawn
through curiosity to attend the trial
Much that was shocking was brought out
in the examination of witnesses to-day,
and the several ladies who were forced to
testify must have suffered acutely from
the embarrassing ordeal