The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-06-23
KENNEDY BAL! ~ rNGLED,
The Quail Hunter" arcs Badly on the
Witness Stand

The quail Hunter" ar.s Badly ON the
Witness stand
HAETvILLE. Mo-, June 19.-John
Kennedy took the witness stand this
morning. Kennedy was taken out and
given a drink to brace him before he
walked to the witness chair. Kennedy
got down from the chair an hour later
very much disappointed. If his alibi
was not made ridiculous by his
testimony, it was at least shattered,
and with it fell the quail hunters"
hopes. He became S o entangled twice
during his cross-examination that he
asked the judge to stop the attorneys
fire while he explained.
Kennedy began by telling that he
was released from the jackson county
Jail December on n $50, 900 habeas
corpus" He was in Kansas City, he
said, until December IA, and on that
night he left for Houston, Texas.
January 3 he reached Kansas City
again and went that night to Lake
City where he stayed until the morn
my VI JduuaFy u TIC was arrested IN
Kansas City January 10.
We're you ever in Wright ~county?"
asked Colonel Musicl.
NO. SIR" said Kennedy, Except
when l came here on Il special train
he added proudly.
To other questions he answered that
he was not at Macomb the night OF
January 3, and that he never saw
Shepherd, Feglcy, Byrum or Nigh
until he met them in Jail.
"Were you ever arrested BEFORE"
asked Colonel Musick.
\ 'Oh, I've been arrested a dozen
times for train robbery. l was tried
and acquitted, though"
He rehearsed the dates and places
of the "holdups" for which he had
been arrested and said that he had
been released each time. Colonel Mu.
sick turned the witness over to the
state. Then began Kcnnedy's disas
trous sweating.
You live at Missouri avenue and
Walnut, don't your asked w. j.. Orr,
conducting the cross-eXamination.
LES, Sii, SalN hcuueuy.
"Minnic Guycr lived there, didn't
shc?"
Eyes, SIR"
Didn't you tell her on tho night OF
December Ii that you were going
away?'
Kennedy hcsitated. He had said
that he left Kansas City December IA
and he told Minnie Guyer he was 60
ing or that day.
"Well, you wrote q letter to Hugh
Chiles, didn't you?"
"Yes, Sir"
Didn't you write in That letter I
left Kansas City on the M. X. 4 r.,
December II, 9:O5 p. M"
Kennedy looked up sharply. He
saw the trap he had fallen into and
his attorneys did likewise.
81 would like to see that letter."
exclaimed Colonel Musiclz, standing
up.
Kennedy looked appealingly at his
lawyer and the jury leaned forward.
Mr.. Orr refused at first to give the
letter to Colonel Musicl1. but finally
placed it in his trembling hands. In
the meantime he went after Kennedy.
"Ycu don't answer. Didn't you
write that to Chiles?" Mr.. Orr was
standing, too.
"Well, now,"said Kennedy, leaning
forward and thinking hard, IF that
letter is in my hand writing I wrote
it, but l left Kansas City on December
IA"
Kennedy read it carefully, and,
reaching out his hand, said: ''I'l
have to see the letter first"
1t was plain to the court room crowd
that Kennedy had tangled himself Sc
riously. He had forgotten the letter
when he prepared his alibi dates and
the consequences were very disastrous
to his cause.
"Now, tell who saw you in Houston.
Tex"
"Wcll, Fred Keller saw me there; so
did my brother, d. Kennedy; Mamie
Kennedy and Luther Merchant"
Have their dispositions been talk
emp
mot that l know Of"
snow. Mr.. Kennedy" said Mr.. Orr.
speaking deliberately, can you name
a single train robbery in Jackson
county while you were in jail?"
Kennedy angered quickly. "Sup-
pose l can't" snapped he. that don't
signify that l robbed any train, does
it?"
"Your horse fell one night, didn't
it, while you were carrying a shotgun,
u revolver, a mask, some whiskers and
a lantern?"
Now, about this quail hunting
business, that's all a lie got up by the
newspapers. On tho night Of Decem-
Der 90 l got my horss and went to
where l was stopping at Fourteenth
and Penn streets. 1 was carrying q
pistol because I had been receiving
letters to get out Of the country
and I was going down home that
night. Well, l had a shotgun at the
house and l took that along.
When I came to Seventeenth street
the wind was blowing hard and 1 put
down the reius to turn up my coat
collar. The horse ran q little faster
and finally tumbled me into a pile of
blocks where they were fixing the
pavement. l did not know anything
for some time. That's where the Ian
tern came from. l didn't have no
mask, no whiskers, nor nothing.
fTb.f,c oil , I;o