The times., 1898-06-03
She SURPRISED THE COURT
Miss Roberta S0mmeryiIle Gives
Sensational Testimony.
WENT. TO SEE THE FIGHT
She Tells How She Saw the Knife
Ina Rye's Hand and illustrates His
Manner of WELDING It-Many 9th
Witnesses Testify That They
Saw No Knife.

lie HibSl SeiSdLiOLds LcSliliiOilS given
in the Canty trial since it began. near
ly three weeks ago. was submitted yes
terday by a witness called by the de-
fense. The witness was Miss Roberta
Sommervile and to say that her recital
of the circumstances was surprise would
give but a vague idea of the impression
made Her story was remarkably clear
and the revelations she made startling
According to her statement she was not
a spectator by accident. but went to the
scene of the tragedy knowing that
violent quarrel was taking place between
two men.
Before going on the witness stand the
witness, some time before the court con-
vened stated that she visited the scene
of the shooting TO refresh her memory.
Notwithstanding this, however, her story
differed materially from that Of all the
witnesses who have preceded her. in that
she placed the principal actors about
| fifteen feet further west on the L Street
! pavement than other witnesses who have
/ testified The witness also told of seeing
! Rye standing in front of Canty with Il
/ knife in his hand. near his hip. The
/ knife, she said was plainly visible, and
! she took the knife in evidence in her hand
1 TO illustrate the manner in which Rye
/ held it in his hand.
A long and searching cross-eXamination
/ by District Attorney Davis failed TO
shake the testimony of the witness in
any material statement Aside from the
testimony OF this witness there was
| nothing new developed during the days
proceedings.
The attendance at the trial yesterday
/
/ day. when it was expected that there
: would be some startling developments.
Mrs Canty, the mother Of the defen-
/ dant who was absent from the proceed
ings yesterday. was present this morning
and appeared much refreshed by the rest
taken.
AS soon as the court convened Mr..
| Worthngton stated that only yesterday
| he learned of a new witness who was
present at the shooting and asked that he
| be allowed to introduce her at this time.
| There was no objection offered by Mr.
! Davis and the witness was called.
Miss Roberta SommerYille, Of Sterling.
| Va. was then sworn and said: i do not
! know the defendant. l did not know
| Rye On the day of the shooting / left
1 Ninth and L Streets at l1:59 and went
toward the Treasury. l walked moder-
ately fast. When l got to Fourteenth
! Street I saw a crowd. / noticed a small
man and q large man on the corner of
| Fourteenth and f Streets. The small
man had on long coat and had large
! open knife in his right hand near his nip
and was shaking his left hand at the zig
man. ! passed on and soon heard a shot.
| then looked and saw the small man fall
in the street
The witness was then handed the knife
in evidence and demonstrated how Rye
| held il in his hand just before the shoot
ing.
On cross-examination Miss sommervilie
said:
ION the morning of the shooting at 8
o'clock l went TO see a friend. Miss Clara
Mills. at the corner of Virginia Avenue
/ ana Thirteenth Street; she was not at
| home and l went to the Bradley school
TO see her: when / left the Bradley school
went down Maryland Avenue 10 Seventh
| Street. took a car and rode TO Pennsyl-
| vania Avenue. / got a transfer and went
| as far as Ninth Street there l paid anoth-
er fare on the Metropolitan Road and
rode as far as f Street; l got transfer
! but did not ride up F Street; / was GO
] ing to have lunch at Jarvis's on Ninth
/ Street. but abandoned this idea; l also
intended to go shopping al the Boston
House. but passed on as | did not want
to be inconvenienced with bundles at
| lunch.'
Miss Sommerville was then asked TO re-
peat the language she heard Rye using
but declined 10 do so and she was allow
ed to write it down on a piece of paper
| II was then shown to counsel and the iu-
| ry and court. The words written were
- liar and son ---.
Continuing, Miss Sommerville said:
Il was attracted by the crowd when l
was at the corner of F and Thirteenth
| Streets, but / did not hear anything that
| was said until l got nearly half way to
| Fourteenth Street There We're several
| persons standing near the two men who
| Were quarreling. AS ! went toward Four
| teenth Street the crowd increased. I
| walked right on toward the crowd, where
the man was using the vilest language.