The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-01-27
SAYS PIERCES
KILLED EYRE.
Mary COwan of This City
Says "Jim" Told Her
\ During the Night. Al

little Office in the basement of the
Law Building, on Fifth street, ap-
| plying for admission when the case
of James and Amos Pierce, charged
on the oath of Chief Of Police Berry
with killing George B. Eyre, was
called for a hearing at o'clock
! this afternoon. A few minutes after
that hour the office doors were
opened and wild rush was made
for the little room.
The prisoners were brought over
from the City Hall just around the
corner. by Sergeant of Police Leary
and Officer Lewis Meeth and es-
corted to the chairs directly in front
of the railing behind which Alder
man Smith sat. They were accom-
panied by their aged father, mother,
Miss Annie Pierce, sister; John
Newton, brother-in-law of James
Pierce, and the latter's wife.
From the time the prisoners en-
tered the Alderman's office from 2
! o'clock this afternoon until nearly 7
o'clock this evening, "Plnney'
Pierce scarcely once lifted his head.
"Jim," his brother, assumed
braggadocio air until the clinching
evidence was produced at the wind
up when he bowed his head and
tears came in his eyes. About
twenty witnesses were examined in
all.
The piece of resistance, viewing
the situation from the Common
wealth's standpoint came when the
Wilmington woman, Mary Cowan.
in a dramatic fashion, but in way
convincing every one that she was
telling the truth exclaimed:
slim Pierce told me he killed
George Eyre. He woke up on the
night of Friday, December p, ex-
claiming i did it, l did it, and
when asked him what he meant
he said he had killed George Eyre. "
The youthful looking Prosecutor
Of Gloucester county, N. j., Louis
Starr, sat near District Attorney
Josiah Smith. of this county, during
the hearing. Nearby we're seated
Lawyers Broomall and Hinkson,
counsel for the prisoners, who, it
was show at the very outset, will
make vigorous fight in behalf of
the prisoners. DR.. William B. Ul-
rich, the family physician of the
Eyres, was among the interested
spectators.
John Karney, Jr., who said he
lived on Raccoon Island, was the
first witness called by District At
torney Smith. He told of the find
ing of George Eyre's body, the cir
cumstances attending which were
fully related in last Mondays RE-
PUBLICAN.
DR.. George c. Laws of Pauis-
boro, N. j., was the next witness.
He stated the result of his autopsy
made on the body. He said it was
a gunshot wound that killed the
murdered man and that the assas-
sin in his Judgment was not more
than three feet away. He found
shot in the wound as we'll as two
shattered gun wads. He said that
the shot killed him instantly and
that the young man was dead be-
fore his body had been cast into the
river.
Walter Buckley who was the first
citizen of Chester to be appriscd of
the recovery of Eyre's body, and
John n. Mowry, president of the
Alpha Boat Club, OF which George
B. Eyre was captain, testified to
the Identification of the body at
Bridgeport, last Sunday.
William H. Williams, Chester
policeman, on duty at the p, w. &
b. Railroad Station on the morning
of December 2l last, swore to having
seen Eyre alight from the 7.45 train
from Philadelphia.
Charles H. Johnson, coiored, told
of meeting Eyre at Miller's Com
mission House at Second and Edge
mont avenue about 9 o'clock the
same morning. He was looking for
"Jim" Pierce, who was to have
taken him out duck shooting the
same morning.
Mrs. Rebecca Lytle, neatly
dressed and intelligent colored wo-
man, said she lived at Second and
Webb streets, near the Alpha Boat
Club house. She knew George Eyre
we'll. She had seen the Pierce boys
but could not distinguish between
them. On the morning of December
2l she saw Eyre going down to the
boat house accompanied by man
whose description tailed with that
of " Jim" Pierce.
Her daughtertold her that man
was "Pinncy" Pierce. Each car
ried a gun case. This was between
ten and eleven o'clock. Atthis stage
of the examination OF the witness a
controversy arose as regards the
matter of identity when Mrs. Lytle
exclaimed. "l'll swear no mans
life away
District Attorney Smith brought
his hand down upon tho table with
the reply: "Only tell the truth. God
forbid that you should swear any
mans life away
Sophronia, the 17-year old daugh-
ter of the previous witness, said
she saw Mr.. Eyre while on his way
to the boat house. The man with
him she always supposed to be
"pinney" Pierce.
A chilling blast swept through
the little court room and "Pinney"
Pierce, who is apparently a victim
Of consumption, began tdashiver.
District Attorney Smith was the
first to notice this. 'Jim" doffed
his overcoat and wrapped it around
,Pinney's" feet. Then Alderman
Il L :. l.. L