The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-25

! the deceased at the time ne was SnOt, ana
though no very definite information was
CLEANED counsel seemed TO be content.
Philip Narilla, the Greek, before whose
store the homicide was committed. told a
story that in essentials, was practically
the same as that of Richards. Varilla' ;
evidence was given with the assistance of
an interpreter. He said that about an
hour before the homicide Read came up
to him and asked him to have a drink,
an invitation which he accepted. He re-
turned TO the store and was sitting in
front Of it, in company with several negro
men when Read returned. He heard the
argument and interchange of incivilities
between Read and william Stewart, but
because of his scanty acquaintance with
| the language. had been able 10 understand
but little OF what wa said. He had seen
Read draw MS revolver and shoot Stew
art. and then had era pped with the for
mer. Stewart had made no effort 10 at
tack Read, and had threatened him in no
way before the shot was fired.
on being crosse xamined by Judge
Twiggs, VariIla denied that he had
told Messrs. Oliver and Colding
that he was in his store when
the shot was fired and had not seen
IT,. With the exception Of this denial, the
/ cross-examina ton developed practically
nothing Judge Twiggs made an effort TO
show that an Interpreter was not needed,
! but Judge F'allgans was satisfied from
Varina's manner of testifying that an in
terpreter was needed. and directed that
the examination should not proceed with
out one.
Tom Willis was the next witness placed
on TIE stand by The solicitor general, His
! testimony was Ike chat of the witnesses
who had testified before him and to the
I effect that Read had come up, in a half
| d unken cond ton, precpitated a difficult
| ~ with William Stewart, applied to him
! almost every term of vile abuse that the
vocabulary of the gutter contains. and,
| when he made a feeble remonstrance, be-
! fore he had made any sign or show of
| resist ance or assault, shot him down in
the street. William Washington testified
to the same general effect.
Tom Williams said that he passed in
front of Varillia's store shortly before the
shooting and that Read was then stand
ing with one hand on the post of the
awning. He ordered Williams to remove
his hat and almost Immediately after
wards became involved in the quarrel with
Stewart that terminated I'm the latter's
death. In other respects the testimony of
Williams was essentially alike that of the
other witnesses.
Walter Stewart the brother of the dead
man. was present when Read approached
his brother and began to curse and abuse
him. The witness told the same story of
the events and cow ersation leading up
to the homicide that had already been
given to the jury. The state rested its
case at 5:45 o clock and the introduction
Of evidence on behalf of the defense was
at once begun.
The defendant was placed on the stand
to make his statement. He said that he
had left the house of his mother shortly
after o'clock. on the evening of June IT,
and had walked down to the store of
Phillip Narilla. He had been drinking he
| ACKNOWLEDGED. and was conscious of not
| being as sober as he might have been.
Seeing young woman in the fruit store,
he placed his hand on one of the awning
posts to steady himself As he was stand
ing in that position, he heard one of the
negroes seated in front of the store, whom
he afterwards knew to be William Stew
art say:
Look at that - fool"
He turned and asked the negro what he
meant and whom he meant and Stewart
retorted You, - you" AS this reply
was made, said the defendant, one of the
negroes, the same man who had cursed
him, kicked him in the groin, and a sec
| ond of the party struck him in the face
He turned and drawing his revolver from
his pocket fired at William Stewart There
was short struggle with Varilla for the
| possession of the revolver, and soon af-
forwards he walked down to Beytahs bar
! and waited until an officer came 10 arrest
| him.
| With his attention drawn by counsel 10
| the fact that he had omitted something of
his story Read RENE INBRED that before
he had shot the yellow fellow" the man
ne shot placed his hand In his pocket as
If for the purpose of drawing a weapon
1t was after this motion had been made
that he fired the shot that caused William
Stewards dea TIL
DR.. M X Corbin festfying on behalf
of the defense, said that he had been call
ed 10 the station house two days after the
homicide for the purpose of examining the
defendant He found that Read had a
oruise on the groin and four bruises, with
marks that looked like scratches proceed
ing from them. on both sides of his face
DIR. Corbn stated with great positive
ness that the bruise on the groin had been
MADE, IN his opinion, with the toe of a
shoe. He produced a diagram of the
bruise. showing its size and shape, and
applied it to the toe of his own shoe for
the purpose of demonstrating to the Jury
how easily a swift kick could have pro
duced it,
The bruises on the side of the face. he
testified, seemed to have been made by a
mans fist.
On being cross-examined by the solicit
tor general, DR.. Corbin lost something of
his positiveness, but not much. He ac-
knowledged that the bruises might have
been produced in some manner other than
with the toe of a shoe and with the fist
but still held to his opinion that this was
the way in which they were produced as
| matter of fact.
Or. j. G. farrell testified to the same
general state of facts as had DR. Corbin
but was by no means so definite and ex-
act in his explanation of the manner in
which the bruises were produced. They
might have been produced in the manner
suggested, said DR.. FARRELL, but he also
acknowledged that they might as well
have been produced in half a dozen WAYS
| beside
Mrs. NJ s. Read, the mother of the de-
| PENDANT, was next placed on the stand
| She testified as to her son leaving the
| house on the evening of the homicide.
shortly before il was committed. She de-
clared that at that time there were no
| bruises, marks or Commissions of anv kind
on his face. If there had been she would
| have been certain to see them.
Mr.. F. NJ. Oliver of counsel for the do
| PENDANT, was placed on the stand to tes
| tify as 10 a conversation had by him with
| Philip Narilla. Mr. Oliver said he had
seen the Greek in his store on Friday af
ternoon and that on that occasion he had
! been told by Narta that no u,ae not -