Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-05-29

Court Room Was with
Interested Spectators A Resume
of the Evidence.
The conclusion OF the coroner's IN
quest over the remains of Johnson
Hammond, whose body was found
floating in the river near Rockpor., o.,
last Friday, and the preliminary hear
ing OF Charles W. Lutes, who is charg-
ed with his murder, attracted many
people to Moundsville yesterday, and
the Circuit Court room, in which the
hearing was conducted, was packed with
interested spectators, many of them
friends and neighbors of the murdered
mnn and of the man charged with the
crime.
At 10 o'clock Coroner Lacey and
Jurymen William Wilson, L. B. Purdy,
A. ]. Seamon, ]. c. Hendricks, E. H.
Criswell and J. S. MCDOWELL met in
the county court room and completed
the work began last Saturday. A num-
Der of witnesses were examined.
Drs. Steele and Houston, who con-
Quoted the post norton examination On
Saturday, stated thatthey found a gum
shot wound about two and a half inches
back OF the left ear, and that they be-
lieved the course Of the bullet was
downward and to the right, and that
death was probably instantaneous. DIR.
Houston said that the head had been
opened, and the bullet found, but owing
to the badly decomposed condition Of
the brain, it was impossible to tell
where it had lodged. The bullet was in
two pieces. n a very small piece.
John Henratta, ST., was examined.
and said that Johnson Hammond came
to John ~Schumacher's stable about six
o'clock on the morning of Sunday, May
10Th. He asked what time the train
would leave, and where Charley Lutes
lived. He pointed out the house, and
Hammond started away, but the wit
ness did not know whether he went
to Lutes' house or not. About 10
o'clock that day Lutes came to his
house and asked him to get him some
whiskey. This he refused to do.
John Dorsey had known the murder
ed man for eighteen years. Had seen
him on Saturday, in Higgins restau-
rant, and about 4 o'clock had left him
in Burley Clemens place in company
with Lutes and a man named Gibson.
who had a coal deal with Hammond.
John T. Gallagher testified that he
had seen Mr.. Hammond in the Office of
evening. Was trying to option his
coal. He saw Mr.. w. B. Purdy give him
a f~ve-dollar bill. Hammond had exhib-
tied other money, the witness thought.
about $27 in paper and some silver. One
of the bills was a new $40 bill. Later
In the evening he saw him again, and
took him to Kull's hotel, and put him
to bed.
W. B. Purdy stated that he had paid
Mr.. Hammond S. and that he had some
other money, but the witness did not
know the amount.
Mrs. Amelia Snyder was called and
said in substance: 81 know Charley
Lutes, as he lives in our house, and is
a neighbor. He was at home on Sun
day, the 10Th of May. 1 saw him COM
ing from the railroad about Z o'clock
in the morning with what appeared to
be a loaf of bread. Early in the norm
Ing | saw an old gentleman go to Lutes'
house, and go in the front door. About
an hour later l saw him sitting by the
window next to our house. Between 8
Ind 10 o'clock / saw him throw some
water out the back door. He was
rather heavily built, and was bald
headed. / could not say whether or not
he had a m%oustache. | did not see him
leave the house. | heard people talk
ing in the house about II o'clock. Later
Lutes closed all the shutters except the
window next to our house. I was at
home all day. Early Monday morning
Lutes came to the door and gave me a
five-dollar bill for the rent which had
been due since the 9th. He was away
from home on Monday. His family went
away at noon Saturday, and did not re-
turn until Tuesday about noon. The
old gentleman wore dark clothes"
w. w. Selby, who has a garden back
of the Snyder and Lutes houses, had
been there the 9th and noticed that two
palings had been torn off the fence, and
he noticed a trail where some objec.
had been dragged from the direction of
Lutes' house across the grass and
through the opening in the fence,
Where it had been dragged across
plowed ground in places there appeared
to be two marks. The palings had not
been torn loose when he passed the spot
On the Sunday afternoon.