Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-09

degree.
Mr.. Meyers address was very able
one and commanded close attention.
Afternoon Session.
When Court assembled at two O'Clock
the attendance was very large, many
would-be spectators being denied ad-
mission to the Court room for lack or
accommodations.
Mr.. Boyce at once began the opening
argument for, the defense, and his re-
view of the evidence was an able one.
The events which led up to the actual
murder were taken up by the speaker,
and he dwelt particularly upon the
fight at the Parker block, and the in
cidents connected Herewith, and Craig
came in for some pretty hard rubs. as
a matter of course, and Mr.. Boyce made
effective use of the attack made by the
McLaughlins and Craig, on Johnson
and Devinney, at that time. He rld1-
culed the idea that Johnson ran after
the Mclaughlin party, or that he made
threat, and said: There has been
one mistake made in the case OF my
friend, the Prosecuting Attorney, and
which | venture to say he will never
make again as long as he is Prosecut-
ing Attorney of this county, On the
evening OF Sept. 10th, when the in
quest was held, and the State put on all
it's star witnesses. and we have the
| record to confound them with At that
inquest the language of the threat was:
III put hole through all three OF
YOU if it takes twenty years. Now on
this trial the language OF this threat
| has been changed. Mr.. Craig's recol-
lection improves with age. Talk about
| impeaching witnesses; Mr.. Craig has
| impeached himself
Frank Mclaughlin testified on that
| occasion he never kicked a man IN his
| life, and Craig did no kicking. what
becomes of the testimony Of Josephine
| Combs, who saw all three men KICK
and beat the PROSTATE form OF john
son? What becomes of the testimony
| of Emma Parker and Annie Riley and
John Blattner to whom Craig said:
| Look at this shoe; the sole is nearly
worn off from kicking Johnson and |
| wonder he has any face left on him. -
The evidence of Dode Marshall and
| Mary Adams was also reviewed and
the attention of the jury was called to
! the fact that no threats were heard
| to come from Johnson. Il want to
| tell you that the PROSTATE, unconscious
and insensible form of Hugh Devinney
gives the lie to William Craig and
| Frank Mclaughlin and ] was going to
say to James Mclaughlin"
| "My friend who will close this case
may say s2ms se 4g ab24gt ANNE Nn BBihHA
| fallen from grace; he may tell you she
| is disSolute woman, but he can never
| tell you She did not tell the truth. She
| was not voluntary witness. She left
| the State to avoid being witness, and
| had to be brought from the confines OF
another State, an unwilling witness,
J but when she went on the stand she
| told the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth
Craig's character and lack of occupa-
| ton was again taken up by Mr.. Boyce,
| and he again received quite scorch-
| ing. 1.-TWO witnesses in this case, who
are unimpeached and unimpeachable,
have shown that William Craig lied
! when he told of the incident at the
| Parker block, when Craig came up to
Annie Riley and asked for Johnson the
| day after the fight. And as she
stepped to her door she saw behind
| this immaculate, innocent young boy
| revolver, and when Johnson came out
and went up to Johnson, and asked for
his hat, he at once went back into
the house. Why? Because Annie Riley
had motioned to him that Craig had
a revolver. Will my friend who closes
this case, say that Annie Riley does
not tell the truth? l challenge him to
say-and l do it boldly and honestly
that Annie Riley led ! bring to her
aid that bright-eyed, sad-faced little
girl, Annie Kane: I don't know what
month this is; | don't know what
month last month was; l don't know
William Craig; l know Annie Riley-I
runs errands for her; | saw man with
a revolver!' and William Craig is
brought in, his overcoat taken off, and
that witness said: That is the man
saw!'"
Il am asked why did Johnson go to
Devinney's house and get gun? Why
did the other party get guns? One got
one gun; the other got guns; that is
the difference; Johnson got a.<gun be-
cause he was assaulted on Wednesday
night, and on Thursday morning Hugh
Devinney and he were almost beaten
to death by Charles and Frank Nc
Laughlin and VIM. Craig-nearly beat
Lueul u uSdtu, anu fdlcI Sllli w Ulldlu
Craig was hunting him with a gun and
used language indicating a purpose to
kill He did just what you would do
and what | would do.
Talk to me about murder in the
first degree, Talk about malice and
generalization! You gentlemen can
never convict Clarence johnson under
the sun of murder in the first degree
or y,,ur1or the cpanOd deprpoev
Mr.. Boyce devoted much time to
these preliminary matters which went
before the shooting, and handled his
case with ability and skill.
Later on Mr.. Boyce took up the other
features of the case relied upon by the
defense and passed on to considera-
ton Of tho actual chaati1,nr