The times., 1898-05-26

iceman Riley in front of Drews drug
store"
Saw the Knife.
Francis NJ c. Saffie. telegraph opera
tor, who was standing in the Western
Union Office on the day of the shooting,
testified: 81 heard three reports. ] did
not go out till after the fourth shot was
fired. When j got out Rye was about
three feet from the curb on the Wyatt
Building pavement; he was staggering;
his back was toward Canty; he was fac
ing east ] saw Rye fall in the street.
When / got there three others were pres
ent When he was falling he had his
hands behind his head, as If to hold him.
self up. When he fell he fell on his right
hand. ! did not notice his left hand. l
heard some one say he had dropped some
thing, and / afterward saw a young man
with a knife The witness identified the
knife in evidence as very similar to the
one he had seen.
''I examined the knife while II was in the
boys hand. ] touched ii and asked that
be allowed TO give it to the policeman.
On cross-examination Saffie said that
he left Washington on the 4th OF Nav
for Jacksonville, Fla II was in front in
the office looking out toward Fourteenth
Street. When i heard the first shot /
went further back into the Office. After
the shooting when j came out Canty was
standing in front of the building next
west of the Wyatt Building. He was out
in the carriageway. When / got to the
front door Rye was staggering on the
pavement He went out into the street,
about three yards, and fell. / was the
fourth person there. did not touch him.
A colored man had him by the head.
stood by him till he was carried of. He
was taken to Drew's drugstore. They
had carried him to within two yards of
the Ebbitt House curb before l heard
somebody say. he has dropped some
thing / did not see anyone pick the
knife UP. l then heard some one say.
here comes the fellow that's got the
knife He came from northeast direc-
ton. It was a colored man who was as
sisting with the body that remarked. hes
dropped something The boy that
brought the knife did not say anything;
he merely held II in his hand / said TO
him: Give me the knife He did not, but
went and gave il TO the policeman, pass
ing il over his shoulder. | then saw Can
ty. There were two policemen with him.
Canty was between them. Both had hold
of him. When Rye was staggering back
into the street he had both hands up
along the sides of his head; they were
open and he had nothing in either of
them. Before he fell he made a turn and
notice that he had hat on"
Also Saw the Weapon.
Mr.. Leonard L. Nicholson, jr., of Balti-
more, was in Washington on March Is
last He testified that on the day of the
shooting he was on the east side of
Fourteenth Street, going south, on a
wheel. When near Street he heard
shot, and then three more. II located a
man shooting" said the witness, "and
saw a man In a silk hat falling. / was
then near the car track When they NOV
ed Rye's body j saw a knife ! started TO
pick it up, but some one was ahead of me-
and picked il up. The man who picked
up the knife looked like a workingman"
The witness identified Battenfield as the
person who picked up the weapon Mr..
Nicholson then said: II saw Rye just as
the shooting stopped; he was about six
or eight feet from the curb on the con-
crete; ! was in the curve of the car
tracks when the last shot was fired and
was across when Rye fell; / dismounted
and went 10 the Wyatt corner and put
up my wheel; when / got back Rye was
lying IN the street; 1 was within four
or five feet of him when they started
to raise him up; my attention was at
tracted by hearing a 'jingling;' ! looked
and saw knife on the concrete; / saw
il as it hit the ground it was open"
On being cross-eXamined by Mr.. Davis,
Mr. Nicholson said: II was at the coro-
ner's inquest; / saw Mr.. Waggaman
then, and had a conversation with him
about the affair.
4 did not recognize the man who was
firing. When / got to Rye a white man
was holding up his head. / noticed Rye's
hat and coat but did not notice his hands.
His head was being raised from the
ground There was ring of spectators
about the body. / was in the front row.
/ started to pick up the knife but young
man got to il ahead OF me. Some one said
10 him: Let me have ii, I'll take care
of it -
When the cross-examination was con-
Guided Mr.. Richard Lows questioned the
witness closely as to the position of the
body when the knife was picked up.
w. NJ Butler, employe at the Bu-
reau of Ethnology. testified: 81 do know
Canty and did not know Rye 1 was
near the Adams Building. No. 1885
Street; I heard three shots; 1 saw the
man who was shot fall; when they had
moved the body three or four steps saw
a knife fall; / could not say where IL
came from: some one picked it up"
The witness when shown the knife in
evidence said il looked much like the one
he saw fall
Mr.. Worthington recalled all the wit
nesses who have testified 10 the finding
the knife and asked them If either OF
them had anything to do with placing it
there.
Afternoon Session.
After the recess hour Mr.. Charles ].
Bell, president American Security and
Trust Company, was called. He testified:
DO not know CaHty or Rye; at the time
of the shooting I was on z Straat north
east corner; was talking to a friend;
heard a shot followed by two more; did
not see who did the shooting but saw a
man backing away from the corner at the
Wyatt building he backed seven or eight
steps, sank slowly to his knees and then
fell; Rye was within three or four feet
from the curb when / first saw him: he
backed southeast about ten or twelve
feet; as he fell he raised one hand, don't
know which,"
Mr.. Bell was not cross-examined.
Mr.. Nicholson was then recalled by Mr..
Davis and stated that he made a state
ment to a Star reporter about half an
hour after the shooting. A CODY of
IL printed in the Star was shown
him and he said that it was about what
he stated, but il is not exactly right
The statement in the Star credits Mr.
Nicholson with stating that he saw a
man standing on the Wyatt building cor
ner with a pistol firing When on the
stand in the morning he said that he did
not see the man who was doing the
shooting. The Star also credits the wit
ness with stating that he saw the man
who was shot retreating. This morning
he said the man was standing still.
On cross-eXa mination by Mr. Worthing-
ton, Mr.. Nicholson stated when he made
the statement in the Star office he did not
lyF1 fhn+ +.