Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-05-13

III Vic IOliCo NOuIG GAIS LuOIuiuS. I
large crowd had assembled for the pur
pose of listening to the testimony, which
it had been surmised was to be highl.
sensational. The Kirbys were repre-
sented by Mr.. S. G.. Brent and Steer
by Mr.. j. F. Flanigen. The charges
being simply those of assault and O
carrying concealed weapons: no decid
ed attempt vas made on the part O
the lawyers to probe the origin of the
trouble to the bottom; hence the audi
ence were rather disappointed at the
meagre details. The substance of the
evidence was to the effect that the at
tack on Steers by Mrs. Kirby and heI
husband was melted by certain sour
rilous remarks said to have emanated
from Steers; that he had known Mrs.
Kirby for the past five months; that he
had visited her house twice, once with
out an invitation and last Monday at
the instance of her husband, on which
occasion, it seems, he made statements
to Mr.. Kirby damaging TO his
wife's character. 1t further appears
that Kirby made inquiries concerning
the institution of civil suit against his
wife's alleged traducer; that he and his
wife (the latter with a rawhide) met
Steers at the intersection of King and
Pitt streets yesterday and assaulted
him.
Officer Knight was the first witness
put on the stand. He testified that his
attention was called to the %fracas, and
be described his arrival on the scene
and how he separated Kirby and
Steers. He took the latter in charge
and Deputy Sergeant Smith ar
rested Kirby. On the way to the sta
ton house the officer asked the prison.
er what caused the trouble, when Steers
signified it was Mrs. Kirby, using u
most obniXious name to designate her.
Witness said the pistol was cooked
when Mr.. J. NJ. White handed it to
him.
Mr.. White followed. He at first saw
both Kirby and his wife advancing on
Steers. The mi was using the
rawhide, and he saw q pistol in Steers
hand. He caught his arm and said
Don't do that" when Steers handed
witness the pistol. Witness said he did
not cock the pistol, and it must have
been in that condition when handed TO
him. Steers, from witnesses observa-
ton, was ~endeavoring to defend him
self.
Deputy Sergeant Smith testified to
seeing Steers in the act OF cooking
the pistol. His hat was of and he had
the weapon across his breast and was
using both hands in his efforts to cock
it. After the pistol had been turned
over to Mr.. White the two men engaged
in a fisticufI encounter until Officer
Knight and himself put the parties un-
der arrest.
Mr.. ]. n. Evans was called to the
stand. but his testimony, in the main,
merely corroborated that ofthe proceed
ing witnesses.
Messrs. j. Stanley Neale and W. F.
Carne testified in substance as the
others, the latter %averring that he saw
Steers in the act of cooking the pistol.
Robert Adkins and 7. E. Dulany,
both colored, were called to the stand,
but their testimony brought out no addi-
tional facts. They said that when the
two men clinched the woman followed
up the attack. None of the witnesses
saw Steers strike Mrs. Kirby.
Steers then took the stand. He &c
scribed the meeting with Mr.. and Mrs.
Kirby at the intersection of King and
| Pitt streets and how he %endeavored to
avoid them. He told about the wo
a producing the rawhide and his
attempts to avoid the blows; how her
husband ran up presumably to obtain
possession of the rawhide for the pur-
pose of using it on him (Steers). He
then told of producing the pistol and of
turning it " to Mr.. White. He
thought he struck Kirby twice.
He did not remember cooking the
pistol. Upon being cross. question
cd he was 10th to tell what originated
the trouble, but finally said Kirby had
made threats against him for uttering
certain remarks concerning Mrs. Kirby.
| Steers acknowledged making the dam
aging statement to Kirby in regard to
| mis- wife. Kirby had made threats
Monday and had warned Steers never
to cross his threshold again. He cor
roborated Officer Knights statement
concerning the epithet he applied to
Mrs. Kirby when he was placed under
arrest. Upon being further questioned
he stated that he had been acquainted
with Mrs. Kirby about five months and
had gone to her house twice-once
without invitation.
Counsel for the parties then made
arguments, Mr.. Brent urging that the
assault was provoked and that his
clients should be discharged, and Mr..
Flanigen took the ground that Steers
was the injured party, as he had been
assaulted.
Mayor Thompson finally summed up
the case and fined Mr.. and Mrs. Kirby
So each for assault and q breach of the
peace, and Steers 500 for carrying q
pistol. There are said to be many in.
teresting features which could be
brought out in a civil suit, but which
would have been unnecessary in the
Police Courts
THE ALEXANDRIA GYMNASIUM was
filled last night with an a%ppreciative