The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-04
THE COLLlGAN TRIAL
ATIR A CTS MUCH ATTENTION IN THE
SUPERIOR COURT.

Large Number of West Havencrs Pres
| ent Yesterday-The Testimony of the
State is Not what 1T Was Expected TO
-Loomts Cross Examtned-WAlf
| Continue To-day.
The trial of Frank Colligan occupied
all the day in the criminal side of the
superior court yesterday ana at
o'clock court was adjourned until lo
| o'clock this morning. Attorney samuel
| E. Hoyt Is assisting State At.orhey
Williams in the trial of Colligan. 1t
is expected that the state will take but
little time longer in presenting thelr
witnesses, and by noon to-day 1t Is
tbouebt that the witnesses for the de-
| Tense will be heard. The second day OF
the trial opened at 10 o'clock yesterday
morning and again Officer french TOOK
| the stand, and the cross-examlnatloli
was resumed where it was left orr wed
nesday afternoon. Throughout the tes-
timony witness and lawyer caviled over
the testimony until 1t was finally adj
mitted by the former that his recollec-
ton at the time of the trial in west
Haven was better on some points than
at present. The examination took up
about half an hour and then oflcer
LOOMS, the man that arrested Colllgan,
was called, and he gave an account or
his doings on the night Of the fires sim
liar in many points to the testimony he
gave at the preliminary trial In West
Haven. His statements did not exact
ly coincide with those of officer French,
who is supposed to have been with
Loomis during the greater part of the
evening.
He was cross-examined by Attorney
Thomas, and he admitted that he form
ed an idea that ColIigan was guilty of
setting the fire in the Hall barn. He
said that he could not remember
whether or not he had asked Colligan
how long he had been in the town hall
when he found Colligan asleep in the
basement after the fire. There were
several little points that witness could
not recall, and at / o'clock the court
was adjourned for an hour.
At 2 o'clock there were many residents
of the borough in the court room, and
all seemed very much interested in the
proceedings,
Thomas Mckinney John Swanson,
Frank A. Sohn, and Fred A. Russell
We're the witnesses in the afternoon ses-
sion. Swanson said that he saw Coli
gan on the night of the fire, and told
of his being In the fire engine house and
of his connection with the department
in the capacity of janitor. His testi-
mony was unimportant, and the next
man Mckinney, who was with Swan
son on the night in question, told of
what he saw and did. He said that he
saw Colligan come from the rear Of the
engine house from the vicinity of the
stalls, and that the accused dropped a
bottle in the passageway between the
CINE house. The cross-examination re-
vealed nothing remarkable.
The next witness, Frank Sohn, said
that he saw oil in the basement of the
engine house and that he smelled oil in
the vicinity of the fire in the Hall barn.
Oil was the point that witness discussed
mostly, but there was nothing to show
that Colligan was in any way connect
ed with the handling of the oil Rus
sell was the next and last witness. He
said that he did not see Colligan on the
night of the fire. He said that he was
with Officers French and LOOMS on
pUpuiyop ND Lo
prints in the sand in Mr.. Halls yard.
and also In the ashes near the hedge
In the yard, He said that the foot
was pointing to the north and told of
his being with the officers when they
picked up the bottles supposed to have
contained kerosene oil. Both of the
bottles were uncorked and both con-
tanned kerosene oil when found. The
black bottle, however, contained much
more than the white one, there being
about three inches of oil in it. Mr..
Russell said that the bottle was found
leaning against something, and at this
point he began to get little shaky at
he sharp questioning of Attorney
Lynch. Witness said that if the bottle |
Vas on it's side the oil would have spill |
ID out.
Attorney Lynch asked if it looked as |
hough someone had stopped down and |
placed the uncorked bottle !
against mound so as not to waste any |
If the contents, and witness could not |
answer on that point. Attorney Lynch |
brought out the fact that it looked
queer that the bottle should have any
Ill in it, and also the fact that it
should be placed in such careful posi-
ion. When the questions on this point |
we're being raised court was adjourned |
Until this morning at 10 o'clock.
1t came out in the cross-examination
yesterday that the defense will claim
hat the tracks on the floor of the lock-
Ip were made by the tramping on of
he clippings from the whitewash on
he walls, and ON the ceiling. 1t will
lso be claimed, it is understood, that
he big five gallon can in the lookup
obtained gasolene and in as much as
he two fires were set with kerosene the
an has no value as evidence against
'olligan.
They will also claim that the smaller
in can had but two or three table
poons full of the oil and that it had
TODD in the town hall Easements for a