The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-08-02
HUMPHREYS WIDOW TESTIFIED
IN CASE AGAINST w. y. BROOKS. AU.
CUsED OF MUIR DER.
evidence Was Practic lily the snn g
as that Given at Previous Tria,s
One New Point Brought Out.

Palestine, Texas. August 1.-The hear
ing OF Testimony In the Brooks trial be-
gan today. The first witness on the stand
was Mrs. Jim HUMPHREYS, widow of the
senior deceased HUMPHREYS, and her tes-
timony was in many respects the same as
given at previous trials. She gave a de-
scription of the men who came to her
house on the night of May %, 1899, and
VINO claimed they had been sent by the
sheriff of Henderson county to look for u
man, who was charged with the killing OF
Constable Rhodes in that community. Mrs.
Humphries described the search made by
them and said that after they had fin
ished they requested her husband to go
with them to John and George Humphries'
homes; he left the house with the men
for that purpose and that was the last
she saw of him until he was brought home
a corpse. The witness was put through d
severe oss-examination, which consist
ed principally in trying to establish the
Identify of the men who came to her
house that night. The only new point
brought out in Mrs. HUMPHREYS testimony
today was that she saw a man at the
south door OF her home while the men
We're searching whom she thought to
be Joe Wilkerson. On being ques-
toned searchingly why she did not
state this on previous examination she
answered 1t was because she was not
asked the question and had been told by
the States attorney just to answer ques-
lions that were asked her; also thought
she recognized Walter Wilkerson al one OF
the men left on guard at her house on the
night of the murder. AS previously tesu-
Il 49,
ognized w. A. Johns and Bob Stevens as
being two of the men who entered her
house in the search. Mrs. HUMPHREYS was
on the stand from S:45 until noon.
Mrs George HUMPHREYS was next put
on the stand as soon as court reconvened
after dinner She testified that she was
the widow Of one of the men hung on the
might OF May %, 1899, and that on that
night body OF men came to their house
and woke her husband, claiming they
were searching for man and believed he
was there. After being told that ne was
not there, they searched the house and,
not finding the man looked for. they made
her husband go with them. There were
three men in her house; did not at the
time know any of them, but afterwards
recognized them as being Hall. Mahon aud
Weeks. The next time she saw her nus
band was when he was brought home in
wagon dead. In crosse 0lmination at
torney for defense ratified the witness in
the identification OF Polk Weeks. During
the examining trials. witness, it seems,
identified Ed Cain as one of the parties
who entered her house on the night of the
murder and does not know why she leaves
Cain out now. 1t will be remembered that
lPolk Weeks, who turned States evidence,
testified he was one OF the men who went
to George Humphries' house and counsel
attempted to bring out the fact that she
changed her testimony in this respect 20
suit that of Polk Weeks.
Mrs Humphries' crose -exa r1ination was
concluded at 3:45 and Fred Maddox was
! called. Testimony unimportant. At 4
O'Clock court took a recess.