Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-12-04

The murder trial opened yesterday
morning with Frank Mclaughlin,
brother of the dead man, on the stand
for further examination. The attend
Rnce OF spectators was not as large as
Upon previous days.
Capt. Dovener conducted the exam
lnation, which was extended over about
three hours.
At the opening the clothes worn by
Charles Mclaughlin at the time of his
death were put in evidence, and handed
to the jury for inspection. There were
blood stains on the garments, and Mr..
Howard called the attention of the jury
to the holes in the clothes. Witness
also produced the knife he had taken
from Johnson in the Thursday morning
fight at the Parker block. and the
knife was placed in evidence.
Mr.. Howard asked witness a number
OF questions. and finally enquired as
to the Parker block fight, and witness
described it, saying Craig, James Nc
LaughHn and himself met the defend
ants there. Johnson threw witness
hat away. The witness hit him two
or three times, possibly more, and
threw him against the fence. Johnson
threw his arm around the witness
waist and hit him in the face several
times. johnson drew the knife and
Craig warned the witness of the fact
Craig and the witness and James Nc
Laughlin then threw Johnson down on
the pavement. Craig stepped with his
heel on JChnsons hand forcing him to
let go of the knife. Johnson cried:
'I'll kill you if it takes twenty years. ]"
After that the witness got his hat and
ran down Chapline street. He said he
didn't know Johnson and Devinney
were in the building, but they were
looking for the defendants when they
went down there. 1t must have been
near 3 O'Clock in the morning. At that
time the witness had known for six
hours that Charles had been beaten by
the defendants He had met Charles
on Thirty-first street between $50 and
10 o'clock that night. and Charles
showed the witness the bruises he had
received at the hands of the defendants
The witness said he had never asso-
ciated with the defendants or had any
dealings with them.
Capt. Dovener then began the long
cross-examination, witness at the out
set describing his usual routes in go
ing up and down town. On Wednesday
npight when he went/to work he had
~ tners was Anything wrong be-
kn his brother and defendants. On
the way home, about a. M. when he
met his brother, the latter said: Look
what Johnson and Devinney did to
me-" The witness answered: Never
mind, we'll tend to them" John
Bachman was with his brother Wit
ness learned of the fight from man
named Schumacher, who thought it was
James that had been beaten. The wit
ness didn't know just how James
learned Of the fight. James had been
working at the Crystal that night. The
witness hadn't told James.
"How did James know it was Charles
II Steinacker had thought it was
James?"
II don't know. l wasn't there"
Continuing, the witness said: "My
brother said, L saw Claude Devinney
down street. Let's go after him.
Yes, wanted to lick Devinney.
Wouldn't anybody want to lick them
If they, two big men like Johnson and
Devinney, had beaten up my brother,
who weighed ITO to 120 pounds? Ger
tainly we wanted to lick them. Any
body would have done the same thing"
The fight at the Parker house, on
Thursday morning at o'clock, was
then gone over, very fully, and was
followed by some unimportant matters.