The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-12-15

pay you we'll"
DR.. Ziegler, of Mingo:-Was called
about O'Clock Sunday morning; drove
at rapid pace to Haines' residences;
found Mr.. Haines' family and Ernest
Austin there; Ernest in kitchen; found
wound in right breast above nipple: a
gun shot wound; small as if made by a
ball; could put my little finger in it;
found wound in back between shoulder
blade and back bone, about three inch
es higher than where it went in in
front; had shirt and pantaloons on;
skin around wound in front congested,
not blacked nor burned; cut seams of
shirt and tore it off; shown shirt: same
he took Off Ernest Austin at Haines'
home. Pantaloons shown him: same
he took off Austin; handed pantaloons
to Mr.. Judy, Mr.. Haines and Mr.. Paint
er. Had conversation with prisoner;
asked him what the trouble was; said
he was shot, and showed where; asked
how it occurred; he said at his bed
room door; | asked who shot him: said
he did not know. Asked him if there
had been any difficulty; he said there
hadn't; said a man came to his bed
room door and threw something at him
and then shot him; said the man who
shot him stood Immediately in front
of him, face to face, on a level with him.
Doctor told him that was an impossi-
bility, to have made such wound: j:
asked him what was thrown at him, if
it was something of a blunt character;
he said it was; asked him if he could
not tell all about it if he wanted to; he
said nothing but winked his eye. After
Ernest was put to bed, went to Austin
home, with John Haines; saw ruins and
removed remains of two individuals.
Got plank and rake; threw iron bed
stead off remains in north part; then
stepped back to get air: pulled remains
out with rake; the head dropped back
body was to left of stone walk; head
nearest driveway; body lay diagonally
1 head of bed towards driveway; iron
bedstead over remains; trunk and arms
not quite to elbow left, not burned up
small fragments of legs; examined re-
mains to ascertain sex; were those Of
a male; left body in yard till removed
the other from the fire, and then moved
them onto the grass; second body was
lying to the right, as he went IN on the
stone walk; body was lying more nortr
and south than east and west: second
body was larger, and that of female
Returned TO home of Mr.. Haines, neal
prisoners; had conversation with him
At time he removed bodies he saw al
ak lying to south of walk leading il
from driveway to west door of house
from four to six feet from wall of house
AK had no handle; handle burned away
line of ashes showed position of the
ak handle had occupied; touched az
with his foot and called attention o
John Haines to it. After returning tt
home of Wesley Haines went to room
where Ernest Austin was; told him
had just returned from his home whicl
was completely destroyed; had remov
ed remains of mother and brother
only the trunks left-from the fire. HI
made no remark. I asked him who oc
cupied iron bed: he said his brothel
Will. I asked where his mother usu
ally slept; he said on lounge in south
west corner of sitting room. AS | wen
!; out he called me back and requested
me to send to North Lewisburg for un
dertaker to take charge of those tw,
old people. I told him would do so.
1 had conversation with Ernest il
bed room, asked him where his mother
was when he went home, Saturda,
night; said she was reading in sitting
room; asked him where his brothel
William was; he said he was in bed
saw him as he went through to go t,
bed himself in his bed in further cor
lner of room. After 1 left Ernest
room at Mr.. Haines' he called me bacl
and asked me to close the door: he thel
asked me if l had found an AK L didn'
answer him; 1 asked if he knew of an,
ak in or about the house; he said ht
didn't except the splitting ak in Woo
house. | asked him to describe the axe
| h hoH Il ha id ply or
"Wm. Austin.'' He said there wer,
five or six axes in work shop at barn.
AK head was here shown witness whit
Recognized it as AK handed to him b,
Wilbur Reams, May 81, at Mr.. Haines
house. Looks like ak he saw on GROUND
at Austin home in morning.
Saw prisoner Monday afternoon; ha(
conversation with him; they talked
about the tragedy; asked him if the a.
had not been used to knock down tn,
wall; he said it was not; [ said it surel,
played some important part; he said i
surely did; he said he made a marrow
escape from the fire.
Sunday afternoon asked prisone
where he was when he was shot; sai(
he was at his bed room door; met mai
who struck at him. | asked him VIII,
shot him; he said it was Denny Dolan
said they had had difficulty about lin,
fence. Examined Ernest Austin's pan
falcons, Sunday afternoon. found six O
eight long gray hairs on them.
} Had further conversation with Ern
est Austin, think it was Sunday morn
: ing; said he was wakened by hearin,
his mother scream and his brother hol
Ter ''Oh! my God!" Started to thei
assistance, when he was met at doc
and shot. l asked him how he got hi
pants on so soon, and he said he jus
jerked them on. At another time whel
| asked him why he took time to pu
| on his pants when he heard his mothe
scream, and he said he had them on.
THURSDAY.
Court met at 9:45. Austin's shirt wa
; handed Dr.Z. to show where it was pow
der burned, and he pointed out tn
place the bullet entered.
On cross examination by Judge Pric
prisoners shoulder and breast wer,
barred to show where bullet entered
right breast and came out at bacl
; higher up and nearer center of body
doctor said slight cause would some
times defect course of bullet. Docto
gave prisoner hypodermic injection t,
increase action of heart and other or
gans, after he reached Haines' house
and afterward gave him a solution t,
stimulate action of heart.
Had conversation with Ernest Will
in the kitchen dressing his wound, ask
ed him if he knew who committed tn
crime, and could tell; ne turned hi
head and winked his eye.
| Talked with Ernest Monday after
| noon; asked him if ak wasn't used il
breaking in door; he said it was not
door wasn't broken in. I said the a.
must have played an important part il
the tragedy; he thought it had. I sai(