The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-27
ON TRIAL At ROCKVILLE
Eight Defendants in the German
tosyn hurder Case.
A Jury Secured and the Hearing of
Testimony for the State Begun
Entertainment Which Resulted
In the Death of Howard Hall.


groes were put on trial in the Circuit
Court of Montgomery County today. for
murder. They are indicted for the mUr-
| der of Howard Hall, colored, at Old Ger
mantown, which is about one mile west OF
Germantown Station, this county, on the
| night of October &C. 1900, and their names
are Perry Dimes, Joshua Duffin, John Duff
| fin. Columbus Bowen. William Hebron,
! James Key. alias William Johnson, James
Doy, and John Hebron. There are ninety
one witnesses summoned, twenty-eight for
the State and sixty-three for the defence.
From $50 to 400 persons were present
when court opened.
The State is represented by States At
torney Henry Maurice Talbot and Charles
w. Prettyman, and the defence by Edward
c. Peter, Robert b. Peter, and Bowie F..
Waters, the latter of whom appears only
for Columbus Bowen. In the Indictment
there were three counts. to the first two
OF which the defence demurred. after hav-
ing withdrawn the plea of not guilty. The
court sustained the first demurrer and
overruled the second
Almost the entire morning was taken
up in getting a jury. The entire panel
was exhausted, only seven of the twenty
four being accepted. The State chal-
lenged five and the defence fourteen Of
the twenty allowed them, three were ex-
cused because they had conscientious
scruples on the subject of capital punish
ment. and one because he had formed an
opinion in the matter. Finally the jury
was made up as follows: Hugh c. Town
send. foreman; Benjamin T. Poole. Ed
ward ". Jones, Richard w. Allnutt. John
G.. England, Frank P. CLANCY, William H.
McCeney, Joshua E. Broadhurst, William
Fl. Mannakee, Thomas W. Stonestreet,
Frederick W. Page. and Charles Veirs.
The reading of the indictment to the
jury followed. States Attorney Talbot
made the opening statement for the State.
He told the jury that he would show to
them a case of deliberate malicious, and
premeditated murder on the part of the
prisoners. He told how on the night Of
October rs last Howard Hall was muir
dered at Old Germantown, Md, by
crowd OF negroes, who composed the
Boyd's co1ored band, which had been en-
gagged to furnish music at the house of
Mary Humphrey, where festival was be-
ing held. This he stated he expected to
prove in such manner to warrant a con-
viction OF the prisoners in the highest de-
gree of murder. Edward C. Peter made
the opening statement for the defence.
He first called attention to the law as
laid down in the code in reference to muir
der, manstaughter. and assault. He
claimed accidental shooting as a defence
among other things.
The State opened its case by calling
Alexander; Vowel, a photographer, to
identify and explain some photographs
which he had made of the scenes of the
murder and the vicinity Of the house in
which the trouble is said to have origin
ated. The photo graphs were then offered
in evidence.
The first important witness called by
the State was Florence Holly. She was
present at the house of Mary Humphrey
at the festival on the night of the murder
She arriYed- at the house about $50 o'clock
p. IN. One hour after the Boyd's band
came. The Germantown crowd came about
IL p. IN. Some time between 10 and IL
o'clock that night she happened to be at
one of the back windows. and recognized
the voice of Perry Dimes talking to an
other man. He said: I'VE will get the
Germantown - tonight" and I'VE will
put it on them like it was put on Will
Hawkins
The witness was upstairs when the first
shot was fired. She saw Perry Dimes run
ming down a bank near the house. She
did not know who fired the first two shots.
She saw Perry Dimes and John Dufiin fol-
lowing Howard Hall around the corner
of the house after the two shots had been
fired, over the bank above referred to,
and up the road. They were running very
close after Hall and shooting. They ran
UP to Warfield's gate. Hall was running
while the crowd, composed OF Joshua
Dufiin, James Key. William Hebron. John
Hebron, James boy, and Columbus Bowen,
was following after him shooting and cry
ing, SHOOT the -" Six or eight shots
were fired then. The witness saw Hall
fall near the gate beside the road, after
stumbling against buggy. Witness had
a straight moonlight view of the gate.
Ten or fifteen minutes later she saw
the dead man, lying ten feet from the
road. AS Hall was running from the crowd
witness heard him say, open the gate"
The discrimination developed nothing
material
Alonzo Hall. the brother Of the MUIR
dered man, was next called. This witness
arrived at the place of the trouble about
II o'clock He had been to a political
meeting. He said the first trouble started
five minutes after he arrived, in the back
lot. He heard some one say. Don't talk
about what you are going to do. but knock
and shoot him down" Some one knocked
Frank Corn down with brass knuckles and
then struck him Witness said the rush
started then. He said Perry Dimes shot at
him. but missed. he falling up against the
fence. Dimes shot again and struck his
father in-law, Mace boy. Howard Hall
ran down the road. John Duffin and Perry
Dimes followed him into the road. Key.
boy. and others followed after Hall and
cried. xiii the -"
The witness saw John Dufin. Dimes. and
Joshua Dufiin shooting as they went UP
the road Witness saw every one of the