Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-15
CASE GIVEN TO THE JURY
The Trial of Matthew Chairs,
Charged With Murder.
1T WAS CONCLUDED TUESDAY
The Jury Likely to Return a
Sealed Verdict.
Chairs wife, who Also is Indicted for
Murder, VIII DO Tried Today-solomon
Roberts. who Resided Near Centrevtlle,
Maryland, Was Their Victim.

Centrerille, Nd. NOV. ID. --Ine case
of the State vs. Matthew Chairs, col
ored, on trial for the murder of Solo
mon Roberts, was concluded this even
ing and given to the jury.
The arguments before the jury lasted
six hours, Col Edwin II. Brown clos.
ing for the State IN a speech Of great
brilliance. The courtroom was packed
with persons who came 10 listen to the
speeches.
Mary Chairs, tho wife OF Matthew,
who is indicted with him for the muir.
der of Roberts, will be tried tomorrow.
| 1t is not anticipated that her trial will
| TAKE MS much time as that of her hus
| band.
Ali during the sessions last night and
| this morning Chairs and his wife re.
manned indifferent to the proceedings.
| When Robert Butler went on the wit
ness stand Chairs never looked at him.
Butler is tho man whom Chairs had
accused Of committing the murder.
| Nellie Dorsey testified last night that
she was employed at the Hermitage as
chambermaid. She said: 81 saw Solo,
nun on the night he was murdered.
He left little after 8 o'clock. He was
whistlng, ard it sounded like he was
gong in the direction Of his house.
Never saw him awe afterward.
| Gus Simpson testified: 9 | resided at
the Hermitage in tenant house at the
time of the murder. Matthew Chairs
lived in the tenant house adjoining ne.
| never saw Cnairs on the Friday night
of the murder. L talked with him on
the Sunday after it. He said to me:
If anything oumes against me will you
swear that William Hynson stayed up
| ~, lIx ata in, NV
h4uss at night. Chairs volunteered to
say the above. / told him that could
not do anything OF the kind. William
Hynson is boy ON the farm and stayed
in my house. at nights before the muir
der occurred, Do rot know where Hyn-
son stayed On the night of the murder.
Chairs and Solomon always appeared
to be the best OF friends. heard the
NOISE of someone going up stairs in my
house where HynsJu slept on the Fri
day night. -
| William Hynson testified: ~ was at
Chairs house until between 8 and 8 no
the night of the murder. Nobody was
there except Chairs and his wife. l
went home after left there. =
Constable Robert Coursey testified !:
81 went down to the Hermitage on the
day Roberts was buried TUESDAY /;
went back on Wednesday and Thurs
day. From information we received on
Thursday we knew that Chairs was
looking for evidence. / had talk
with Hyuson and with Chairs. On
Friday | had information that Chairs
, had left for Corsica Neck. When |
overlook him he was running across a
started to go, and pulled my revolver
anil .,rIaral hi I'M In of HI ahavad
D When he came back he asked me to
take lin to Corsica Neck to his " life
and he would tell me all about the
affair. On our WY there Chaiis mar
rated the STORY to me, duplicating
Robert Butler, and saying that he was
only an accessory to it. When we
> reached Corsica Neck he called to his
I wife. | tried to keep him from talk.
ing. ] made him no promises Of any
t kind in order to get him to make the
8 statement, and made no threats" Mr..
: Coursey narrated the tull confession, as
3 also told by Seward.
Deputy Sheriff Frank Seward testi
F. fed: II was at the Jail ON the day
r Chairs made the confession to Mr..
Robert Coursey and to the others pres
{ ent-the States Attorney, u detective
q and the sheriff. Mat stated that day
: 1.-THE Tuesday after the murderl tina
q the Sunday evening before the murder
! he went to Queenstown to seq the sol
/. diers. When he came home he callec
O his wife, Mary, and right at that tim,
a he saw Solomon Roberts going out o
q the back door. He said he didn't ge
h cross about it, and nothing further WA
. said about 1t until Tuesday night III,
II said his wife tod him that Solomon
r endeavored to take liberties with her
n He said he didn think much about it
It He stated that the woman made ar
Ia rangements to entrap Roberts and con
Il vince her husband. That night Char
q went to the wcodpile and got stick
ia a club. He was at the stlawstack onl,
" for few minutes when his wife ar
10 rived, and then Solomon came according
g to the arrangement made with Mary
,, Chairs told what occurred at III
i. strawstack between his wife an
i Roberts and then said he struc
u Roberts a blow over the head with tn
e club. Mary ran off. He threw dow
d the stick and struck Roberts with hi
fists. He said he struck him pcssibl
d where he first struck him to the poin
! where the body was found. He he'll
N Solomon and called Mary back. II
10 said to him: Solomon, why was
ID that you went to my house ito try
al gain the weak side Of my wife wbe
70 you knew l was away?' He struc
him again with stick. Solomon said
Don't break my glasses IN my eyes.
He stopped and took his glasses o
and handed them to him, together wit
his wal oh, and laid them on the GROUND
a. He then got the stick and knocke
ia Roberts down in the straw and struc
an him number Of times while he wa
lying there. He then called Mary. Sh
IN did not come right up. He went |
No meet her and told her to help him |
n. put Solomon in the straw. / aske
m him right there how did he know b
a. was dead. He said he was not breath
v. ing Mary helped him to put Solomo
IN in the straw and cover him up, Aftt
O. he covered him up he took the watci
chain, hat eyeglasses and stick an
went to the house.
He said the shirt he wore was blood
5S when he burned it, He also said /
lis had wiongfully accused Butler
,k pair of pants was exhibited which WI
r. won by Chairs. They containe
no blood.
d. Mr.. Seward also gave the confessic
yn made by Chairs on the afternoon
he was arrested in which he accuse
h. Robert Butler of being the man WI
ad committed the murder.
lie. George T. Hobby took down the col
ng fession of Chairs at the time Butt,
no was released and exhibited it in cou
ad signed by Chairs IL was almost idel
Dr., tical with the statement made J