Evening star., 1898-05-16
ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE
Preliminaries in the Case of Dennis ]. Cantv,
Charged With Murder.
Eleven Jurors Secured and the Pro-
row-Array of Counsel.

In a court room thronged with spectators
! Dennis J. Canty, the former stockbroker.
was today placed on trial for his life. under
| an indictment charging that the 18th of
March he murdered George NJ. Rye by shoot
| ing him while near the corner of 14th and F
| streets. The trial is being held in Criminal
Court No. 1 and promises to be one of the
| most interesting in the criminal annals of
| the District of Columbia. BY special ar
| rangement Judge Cole. who for months
| past has been assigned to Circuit Court
| No. 1. is presiding at the Canty trial. TAX
| ing the place of Chief Justice Bingham.
| who. for the time being. vacates his seat
| in Criminal Court No. and occupies that
| of Judge Cole in Circuit Court No. l.
The prosecution is to be personally con-
Quoted by District Attorney Henry E. Davis,
! who has for his risht-hand man Assistant
| District Attorney Jos. Shillington. Mr.
Harvey Given, chief clerk of the district
| attorneys office, will also figure prominent
| ly. though silently. in the proceedings.
The array of legal talent retained to de-
ferd Canty is headed by Mr. A. s Worth
| ington. Associated with him are Judge
Jere Wilson, Mr. John C. Heald. who is
Mr.. Worthingtons law partner, and Messrs.
Thompson and Traley.
When Judge Cole mounted the bench
shortly after 10 o'clock this morning every
| seat in the large room was occupied. and
II any persons. including members of the
bar. were standing. The attorneys. both
| for the defense and prosecution. were in
| their places. Sitting rear Messrs. Worth
| ington and Wilson was the defendant, who
| a. frequent intervals engaged in close con-
| sultatlon wit h his counsel. Directly on his
right was his wife, and a rew feet away
were the mother of the defendant, his
father-in-law and several ether relatives.
| all of whom apparently took a deep inter-
| est in everything said and done. Canty
was faultlessly e:tire6, and seemed none
! the worse for his incarceration Of two
Thompson and Frailey.
District Attorneys Announcement.
| May it please the court" announced
| District Attorney Davis, without prelim-
| inaries, when Crier Carroll had made the
| formal statement that "the court is now
| sitting" 1.-The government is ready in the
| case of the United States against Dennis j.
| Canty.''
The defendant is also ready, if the court
please" added Attorney WorthingtoG, and
asks that the trial proceed
After Clerk Prescott Galley had called
| the long list of witnesses. the impareinS
| of jury was in order. The regular Jurors
| for this month were sy.orn on their voir
| dire and questioned by counsel and the
court. At the end of forty-five minutes the
panel had been exhausted. The defense had
exercised nine of its twenty peremptory
| challenges and the government two of its
| five, and eleven men remained in the box.
| They were Messrs a. S. Howard. J. Ed
Waiu Bates, N. "A. lIOnf. JOHn .. - tC0nOr,
W. Richard Laws, Robert w. Coleman,
Marco Lorenzi, Herman Baumgarten. W. J.
| Davis, William H. Marr,and F. H. Simpson.
Judge Cole at this point continued the
| hearing until 10 o'clock tomorrow morn
| ing, eXcusing the jurors and witnesses
until that time The court directed that
| sixty talesmen pc summoned TO report at
| ;he opening Of court tomorrow. when il is
almost certain a complete jury will be Sc
cured. The introduction of testimony VIII
| then be in order.
Grcets His Friends.
Canty held reception on a small scale
| in the court room when the proceedings
were adjourned. He shook hands with a
number of friends. Bidding en- affectionate
| farewell to his wife and other relatives the
defendant. accompanied by Deputy Mar
shal James springman, entered a carriage
and was driven back to the Jail.
The indictment reported by the grand
| jury against CaEty alleges that the 18th
OF March he wounded George M. Rye in
the left breast with leaden bullet shot
out of a pistol of which wound Rye in
stantiy died. Therefore the grand jurors
charged that Canty, with malice afore-
thought, did kill and murder Rye