Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-04-18

- the ActIOn OF tne 0F4nO
Jury-The Testimony Was Very
Interesting.
In the Circuit Court room Of Marshall
county yesterday afternoon, Justice
T. ". Manning held the preliminary
hearing Of Mrs. Della Hicks ana Lind
sey Long, on the charge of forgery. At
ter hearing the evidence OF a number
of witnesses the court decided to hold
them for the grand jury, which will
meet in June. They were committed
to Jail as neither party chose to ask to
be released on bail.
When the hour for trial arrived the
u room was jammsd with curious
spectators. Ministers left the Sunday
school convention. wumen LETT their din
ner dishes unwashed. street car men,
giassworkers, miners, painters, carpen-
tiers, lawyers, farmers, teamsters, mer-
chants and others took a half day off
and attended the trial. Even the Coun-
ty Court and J. T. Roseberry knocked
of and occupied seats in the front row
Ia the reserved section. It was the
largest crowd assembled in the court
room since the trial of Edward Jones,
the colored boy who killed Stanley Ma
Son a few years ago.
The State Was represented by Prose
cutting Attorney Parsons, assisted by
ID. B. Evans, while j. A. Ewing appear
ed for the defendants. Mr.. Ewing
moved to quash the warrant, but his
motion was overruled and the exam
tnatinn ~ uvifnhccac ha~an
W. II. H. Showacre. assistant cashier
of the Farmers and Mechanics bank.
identified the alleged forged check and
stated that he cashed 1t for Mrs. Della
Hicks about noon on the 21st day OF
March.
w. w. Hicks, the husband of the wo-
man on trial. and whose name was
signed to the check was the next wit
ness. When shown the check in ques-
ton, he said he had never written it
or signed his name to it; knew nothing
OF it until several days after 1t had
been cashed, when he looked at his
check book and found a blank stub.
Inquiry at the bank disclosed the fact
that his wife, Della Hicks, had pre-
sented a check and received s345.00. the
amount he had deposited in the bank.
When shown a letter he said it was
written by his wife. The defense OBJ
jected to the letter being offered in
evidence. The prosecution said they
would prove by the letter that Long
and Mrs. Hicks were intimate and were
accomplices. The objection was over-
ruled. He further stated that he never
gave his wife permission to sign his
name and that she had never drawn any
money from ule bank.
During the examination of Mr.. Hicks
a second letter was put in evidence. 1t
was written by Long and dated Wheel
ing, March 21st. 1t was addressed to
Mr.. A. B. Gorby and told him to take
Longs daughter, Winona, and raise her
as his own child. 1t said: IF | make
a success OF this | will send you mon
ey for her support" This was offered
to show That Long expected to come
into possession OF money from Mrs.
Hicks.
Other witnesses told OF seeing the
couple together at various times and
places. One witness said Long had en-
gagged a room at the Henratta Hotel
and Mrs. Hicks had gon to the room.
He did not see them together. but they
usually left the hotel about the same
time in the evening.
NJ. F. Cox, cashier Of the Farmers
| and Mechanics' Bank, was called and
stated that he had cashed check. for
Mrs. Hicks. He said that abouttwo years
ago Mr.. Hicks told him that il his
wife. Della Hicks, wanted any money
to let her have it. He told OF buying
the street railway stock for 1890. Half
OF 1t was Mrs. Hicks, but Vas depos-
! itod in her husbands name. Said that
| Mrs. Hicks had drawn money OF her
own, but was not positive that she
ever drew any OF her husbands money.
The fair defendant was then placed
on the stand and everybody's neck
was stretched another inch. She said
| she had been friendly with Long for
about a year and had met him at va
rious places. Had talked to Long about
the money and he told her IL 1t was
1 Will Hicks money that he had work
ed for, to not take it II she thought 1t
would cause any trouble. On cross-ex-
| animation she said she got the check
| cashed about ten O'Clock on the 21st
| Of March and met Long in Wheeling
| that afternoon, told him she had the
money and they started for Muncie,
Ind. She said she thought the money
was her own and she took IL to pay
the expenses incurred on her trip with
Long. She had given three hundred
dollars to the chief Of police at Mum
Gle. who turned it over to A. F. Evans.
This sum is nov deposited in the Mar
shall County Bank.
Will Hicks was recalled and said
that the money taken was his own,
but that ne had sl95 belonging TO his
wife.
After hearing the arguments, the
Justice decided to hold both parties for
tne grand jury. 1t is probable that
they will be released on bail in a short
time.
This pair that has attracted so much
attention in Marshall county are quite
we'll known. Lindsey Long was a mo-
torman on the VI. B. & w. railway. He
was married and had one child, a
daughter, nine year Of age. Mrs. Della
Hicks was the adopted daughter OF Mr..
and Mrs. Daniel Younken. She was
married about eleven years ago 10 VIII
Hicks and has a son nine years old.
She IS overweight years old and pre-
possessing in appearance while Long Is
upwards OF forty and cannot be called
handsome. They became enamoured
about q year ago and four weeks ago
to-day they left their families behind