The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-02
DEFENSE HITS MISS DARRELL.
INSINUATIONs MADE THAT SHE
WROTE THE LETTERS.

Witnesses Testify That the Tracks
Found at the Gate Where the Let
tcrs Were Left COrrespOnded with
Those of Miss DarreIl-The Insinu-
alton Also Made That She Abduct-
ed Herself and Made Up Her Sem
satiOnnI story Out of Her own
Mind.
Jacksonville, Fla, Feb. 1.-The develop
ments In the trial of Hillery Smith, Dune
Smith, Ollie Sweat and Dan Wilson for
oonspiring to mail an obscene, lewd and
lascvious letter to Grace Darrell through
the Center IIhl postofiice, were of a de-
cidedly sensational character to-day, two
witnesses testifying that the only tracks
found near the Armstrong residence on
the occasion of the finding Of the OBJ
noxious letters upon the gate were those
of Grace Darrell
Luke Merritt, who had often spent the
night at the house during the absence of
Mr.. Armstrong, testified that one morn
ing Mrs Armstrong called his attention
to a package on the front gate. He went
and got il, and examined outside of tho
fence and found no fresh tracks. He
then examined inside the yard and found
tracks leading from the house to the
gate and back again. and that these were
the tracks Of Grace Darrell. They were
made, he said. after dew had fallen.
Justice of the Peace Venable said he
examined the tracks leading from the
Armstrong yard on the morning after the.
alleged abduction and POUNDS the tracks
of a woman's SHOE unaccompamed by
the tracks of any other human being.
Along with the tracks were those of
dog haltered by block Of wood. such
a dog he said, Mr.. Armstrong kept. After
Grace Darrell was found tied to tree,
and when on her way home he measured
her track after she had passed through a
piece of new ground, and swore that the
size was Identical with that of the tracks
leading out of the yard and Into the
woods.
one of the employees of MIR. Armstrong;
testified that he had been employed one
night TO watch the premises. He had
armed himself with a gun, and did so
hoping to detect the persons who hung
tine nasty letters on the gate. He heard
no noise during the night, nor had the dog
barked, but the next morning he was in
formed that Grace had another letter, and
that she had found 1t In the yard on her
way from the house to an outhouse.
| The defense endeavored to Introduce evil
| dence to show that the girl was subject to
halucinations, that she imagined herself
| a heroine in dangerous incidents when no
| such incidents had occurred; In other
words that she was monomaniac, but
| this line OF questioning was oyerruled.
William Henderson (colored), was put
| upon the stand, testifying that he was
| one of those on trial at SumterVille, charg-
| ed with the abduction of Grace Darrell,
and had later been summoned to appear
before the United States grand jury, in
the case against the present defendants.
II said on that last occasion he saw Mr..
Armstrong in the postoffice, and that he
had told him that If he testified against
the Smith boys In the letter writing case,
he would give him job In Jacksonville
at 81 so per day and that he would help
him out of trouble he was in at Center
Hill, where threats of lynching had been
made.
Alex Everett (colored) testified that
while In Jacksonville last summer Mr..
Armstrong came to him on Bay street.
and told him that he had not told the
truth TO the grand jury, and that IL he
did tell the truth he had a job here for
him, and purse of $4O0 or $500. Mr.. Arm
strong he said did not indicate who he
should testify against
DR.. ]. Dabney Palmer had son at
Center Hill. He recalled a conversation
he had had with James Armstrong dur
ing the session of the circuit court at
Sumterville last fall. Mr. Armstrong had
said: "You must get your son, Dabney,
to swear that the Smiths wrote these let
ters, and / will get him out OF his scrape."
The witness protested that his son, Dab
ney did not know anything about the let
ters Mr.. Armstrong replied: "Oh yes,
ne does he knows something"