Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-06
WILLIAM MITCHELL
FACES AWFUL Charges.
THE CoLoRED MAN ACCUSED OF
RAPE on TRIAL IN GRIM
maj. COURT.
HIS VICTIM TELLS THE STORY
OF the Fourteenth of Last June
Many other witnesses Examined.
The Entire Day Consumed. hut
VIII Probably He Completed To-
Day-A Summary of the Tcsti-
moay.

/ criminal assault on the person OF Mrs
| Frederick Schuman. OF North Main
/ street. on June 18Th last, was placed on
| trial. The opening Of the case con-
sumed the entire day and the
attorney for the plaintiff contested
the case at every step. The jury
that will decide the question Of
| MteheA's innocence or guilt is COM
| posed of Thomas W. Rail, ]. NJ. Faris,
Frank Higgs, w. E. Cress, r. NJ. Max
| well, L. Zarnltz. J. Y. Earlywein,
| Walter Miller, J. c. Turner. James Nc
| Clure and Plato,f Zane,
Mitchell was accompanied by his aged
| mother.
Mrs. Frederick Schuman. the victim,
| took the stand and her evidence, which
| differed but little from her statement in
| the Register of June 14th. occupied the
| entire morning. She said that pre-
viously TO the 18th, Mitchell had been
| doing work about the house fer her,
whitewashing, c.eaning carpets, anS etc
| On the -sth, the morning of the as
sault, he came back and asked for some
more work He also asked for some
| change, but she told him TO come back
on the following morning.
Witness testified that she was at
occurred Mitchell seized her and drew
| her into the cellar when the assault oc-
| Cured, Mitchell seized her and drew
| her into the cellar. where he choked
| her into nsensibility She recovered
| about twenty minutes later and found
| she had been assaulted.
She then went on to tell that after
her return to consciousness she saw
" IN
told how Mrs. Healy had run and called
| policeman.
How long was 1t after Mitchell
| grasped you was 1t you saw Mrs.
| Healy?"
"Oh, cannot say. | simply saw her
| at the door and screamed, he choked
me again. | simply cried out because
| thought she was leaving me-
| The witness then went on to say
when Mrs. Ideally returned she was still
| on the floor of the cellar. She could
not tell how long she had been in the
cellar
The prosecuting attorney then ques-
toned her as to the injuries she had
received. and her replies showed that
| Mitchell had caught her in the yard.
| and forced her into the cellar. She also
| told OF identifying the prisoner after
arrest.
| Did some one say to you that you
had better change the charge from at
| tempted rape to rape, as the latter
meant DEATH
! mo, sir, only several people told me
what they would do II they were me-
why did you not tell the public
what happened ?"s
| Because | am decent. respectable
woman and did not want 1t published.
| Court then adjourned until one
| O'Clock.
Mrs. HeaIy Testihes.
| Mrs. Peter Healy, who lives in the
| same house, was the first witness in
| the afternoon She said she had not
| seen the colored man until she saw HIM
| in the celar with Mrs. Schumann.
| When she discovered Mrs. Schumann
| was gone. and thought she heard a
noise in the cellar as though some one
choking and trying to cry out, she
went down stairs. She pushed open
the cellar door and saw Mitchell with
his hands on Mrs. Schumann's throat.
Mitchell then pushed the door shut.
Did you see her face?'
Eyes. sir: | did
Were her eyes closed?
ct was dark and | could not tell
definitely"
A dinner bucket was here introduced
by the court and Mrs. Healy Identified
it as the one that had been found in
the yard and given by hers to an off,
Ger.
NeighbOr Testihes.
Mrs. Adelia Egerter, neighbor, was
| called. She identified the prisoner as
| the man she saw running from the
rear of the Schumann house. She said
| on cross-examnation that she first
| saw the prisoner about six feet from
| the Schumann door He was goingst to-
ward the river and thought the man
| had dropped the bucket as he jumped
| the fence. She also described the con-
dition of the prosecuting witness when
| she saw her.
Mrs. Louis Schwalb was the next
witness called. She described the ex-
element and incidents attending the
assault. Her evidence differed little
| from the others.
Mrs. Mary MacGruder was next
placed upon the stand. She testified
that the prisoner boarded with her
She identified the bucket and dishes
as those carried by Mitchell, and stated
that he had sent his wife away on the
day previous to the assault. The State
here tried to show that the assault
was premeditated, but was not per-
mitted to submit a conversation tend
ing to prove this.
Attorney Norris, of the defense, then
took the witness.
Are you white or colored?"
'sWhat do look like?"
white"
"And you keep a boarding house for
colored people?"
"Yes. If they pay their board"
Are you married."
Yes, sir"
as your husband white or black?"
"He is colored-but you could not
tell it,
Mrs MacGruder was about to leave
the stand, when Prosecuting Attorney
Nesbitt asked If. William Mitchell was
married. She replied in the affirma-
tive.
'Is his wife coIored or white?"
white"
This brought forth a laugh, which
was cut short by Judge Hugus.
Thomas Taste, colored man, testified
that he had known Mitchell since the
L IL