Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-06-21
Finch ON THE stand
Says He Had Nothing 10 Do
With the ScaHoId.
EASTMANS THE BOSSES
according to the Testimony of the W.T.
ne's+s They Had Entire Charge or
'he Men and the Work
... on the Building.


eastman Finch damage suit continue,
After calling one witness To TIN. stsn
yesteruay morning counsel for TN
plaimelH rested their case for the. pre-,
ent. according to the language of IN
tsa.y alter which the taking OF ev
Yas,.ra 10 me oerehse was commenced
iesterday's proceedings We're ratne
ury' the peaceful routine of thu. ,.o1lr
pehs seldom interrupted by ..spats.
oet"eeh counsel or anything startl1n,
rom the witness stand. Once there
Vas sl!gnt passage at arms betwee.
attorneys Bickford and Meredith. II
Mnici the one tiatly contradicted tnt
oenef' put IL soon blew over ana tn,
Two lawyers left the COURTROOM n,
AMIGA Die terms "
Inc most important witness placed
III me stand yesterday was MIR F. z
flnch. one of the Defendants in me
case. and lie was subjected ia ), r,g,.,
.ioss- examination by the attorneys for
cue Plaihtiff who warned him severn
.1nes that they intended to contrad,c,
ms statements. Once Mir. Finch retorr-
Ell, saying that would i.e an easy mar
ter with the class of men Won have her.
an witnesses" TO this Mr. Bickford ~.
kiiec: Ihat statement lily becomes
So". ME-. f!nch. since you have been
;'i.'r cur witnesses to testify in your
=. It''ii' would retrart the statement
II We're you"
nesses for the defense will be examined,
eoaaS. as there. are. :: nulnfn.a. of ,na,,
YET 10 be called. and ii is evident tina,
.he case will not he gwen to the iurx
LEI =, me middi" Of the week. for there
VIII he some testimony In rchuttal
+. $. ROBINSON.
court settled down to busii
ness a few minutes after IL o'clock
when Attorney @. V. Meredith. of Rich,
mond arrived, The first witness being
A.torncy T. $ Robinson. Witness
said he was standing at the corner of
i"ehtS-eishth street ana Washington
avenue waiting for an electric car and
saw the sea fielding fan: that he inn
meolatelN went to the scen. of the ac
cicent. ard that he saw Eastman W.
ing on the ground jammcd between
some tiinbers. with his head toward the
shipyard. Witness did not know what
caused the accident |
AIter the examination Of this wifi |
ness counsel for the planting annnunc
ed that they would rest for the pres
Ont.
Mr.. N 3. Clements was the first
witness put on the stand by the de-
fence. lie stated that Walter East
man said he was working for Mr..
Finch, getting $500 a day for doing
nothing; that he supposed the deceas-
ed was the boss of the job; that Ar
rington came by his shop and asked |
MN not TO IlieNttoIi lhe lttNA A1'th' IN |
was in the city as he was supposed to |
be in Phila delphla and did not want TO
be kept in the city to testify In the
case. ..-. .-a
c. W WHITLEY.
G. w. Whitley, 4 hrtcklayer, was next
called. Witness said that ne Workeu
on the Finch building: that Walter
Eastman was the boss: that he had the
plans in his possession and gave di-
rectionS. N.u.#
On cross accumulation witness said
that Mr.. Finch employed him.
r. n. CHANDLER.
Mr.. B. d Chandler. the next witness.
stated that he had an oitlce ulagohai-
ly across the street from the Finch
building; that he saw Eastman anu
others building the scaffold two or
three times; that according to his best
recollection he saw Eastman erecting
a part or the sea folding on the day OF
tbs accident; that he saw the seat
folding fall; that he SAW Eastman and
Crawford fall; that he saw board
strike Eastman on the stomach; that
Eastman was the boss bricklayer. at
least that was witness inference. and
that he saw Eastman cautionins men
about mailing up putlocks.
j. r. MOOORE. .. m
The next witness was J. r. Moore
we'll known character about town. pop
ularly known as Jumbo who stated
that he was a carpenter by trade; that
he saw Walter Eastman and others
building the scaffolding. and that Mr.
Eastman seemed to be experimenting
the work.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon session opened with
Jumbo" Moore on the stand Attor-
ney r. G.. Bickford conducted the
witness stated that he was tenant OF
Mr.. Finch; that he was born in Ches-
terrified county. this State: that he was
a carpenter by trade: that he served IN
the Confederate army and Afterwards
Joined the Federal army, enlisted III
1857; that he was an inmate of the
Soldiers Home but '-.ft there without
permission; that he was in the Confed'
crate army SIX months. enlisting n n
1862. Returning to the scaffold Mr.
Bickford> asked the witness If he hat
heard Mfr. Eastman say or seen MN a.
anything on the scaffoding and wit
ness replied he had not
G. f. CONNELL.
Mr. G. f. Council, architect. wa
called by the defense and stated tina
he had casual supervision over tn
building: that he gave instructions t
Mr.. Walter Eastman. az he locke
upon him as having charge OF tn
brick work. though he had no knowl
edge that Mr.. Eastman was superin
tending the work: that bricklayers go
prices ranging from $3.50 to Sc day
that he could not tell who had genera
supervision Of the building, as it wa
so mixed up. but he (witness) got hi
instructions from Mr.. Finch and h
supposed he (Finch) had charge of tn
work.
GEORGE TT. EVANS.
Mr.. George H. Evans. a contraoto
was sworn and testified that he ha
lived in this city since 1881: that 1t We
the custom Of the general foreman {
leading bricklayer to take number
hands and build the scaffolding;" TIL;
in the absence Of a contract the own
Of building never had ANYTHING to
with the erection of a scaffolding; TIL
he knew nothing about day work,
he was a contractor.
M. J. WILSON (COLOREDl.
NJ J. Wilson. who said II works t
a libbin'" testified that he did not wo
on the Finch building. but he W
a - = <ioo nj