The San Francisco call., 1899-06-04
FOUN TAIN FEARED
ASSASSINATION
SUSPECTED Men Who Are
Now on Trial.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

HILLSBORO, n. NJ, June 3-The State
in the Fountain murder trial this morning
bolstered up the corpus deficit, which was
somewhat crippled by the failure to es-
tablish the fact that it was human blood
found near Colonel Fountains blackboard
through Professor Crosson yesterday, by
the evidence of Captain Thomas Branni-
gan. an old scout. He first told that there
were evidences of the party having carried
a heavy object on a horse and deposited
ii on a blanket at night. This was given
foundation yesteday by evidence of the
trail of a bloody blanket. Tracks of a
child's shoe were light, only of one foot,
and two to four feet apart, as if 1t had
been made with the shoe on a hand.
Il measured the tracks of three men
about the bloody camp and at the other
camps, along the trail of seven horses
from this point SAID the witness, and
the next day found tracks on Lees dirt
roof exactly like one, having the heel run
over, 1 had found in the camps 1 pre-
served the measurements. When McNew,
was originally charged with completely,
came to Las Cruces short time later. 1
waited for a chance and measured his
tracks These gave the same measure
mentS as one of those about the camps
The tracks of Lees horses also cor
responded with those of the largest horse
on the trail from the bloody camp"
On the cross-eXamlnation of Captain
Brannigan a fruitless attempt was made
to show that Major Llewellyn and others
were prosecuting Lee and Gilliland. The
witness could not be shaken, and after a
two-hours' fire of questions, was released
Brannigan, while on the stand, said he
would tell something that would make
been a bitter political enemy of Major
L.ewellyn of the Rough Riders, who is
yet to come, he having led the searching
party and directed the investigation of
the murder of Colonel Fountain and SON
Major Llewellyn was. called this after
noon but counsel decided they could not
finish with him and he will go on Mon
day.
Others were called to testify as to the
suspicious actions of Lee and Gilliland,
and the attorneys got into a warm dis
cussion as to the competency of the evil
dence of conversation between McNew
mony was to the effect that McNew de-
clared enmity for Colonel Fountain near
the place where the trailing party were
bafled by a herd of Lees cattle being
driven over the trail Of the party going
implicated in the murder, but was dis
apprehended. Colonel Fountain disap-
peared while returning from their prose-
cution for stealing cattle.
Humphrey Hill testified that Colonel
Fountain feared assassination on ac-
count of the enmity of parties indicted for
cattle stealing The court ordered teSti-
mony as to the cause of this fear stricken
out.
Lusk. who is a Deputy Sheriff. then told
Of conversation with McNew, quoting
him as follows: Fountain had told some
parties he had no hope of convicting us.
but he was going to break us up. 1t looks
bad to be chased around that way when
he has no hope of convicting u.s."
Witnesses for the defense are arriving
on every stage. Tie town is crowded to-
night and there are varied prognostica-
tions as to the result of Major Llewellyn's
cross-examination by his political enemy,
Attorney Fall; also as to the probable
outcome if the factions come together
after the close of the trial. So far they
have been kept well apart. Lee. who is
known as a cattle king. and is very
wealthy, is sparing no expense to secure
the acquittal of himself and his friend.