New-York tribune., 1901-07-19
FOSBURGH TRIAL OPENS.
JURY SECURED AND PROSECUTIONS
CASE OUTLINED.

FATAL BULLET AND BLOODSTAINED
NIGHTRoBB OF THE VICTIM OFFERED
IN EvIDENcE-GREAT INTEREST
IN PITTsFIELDS MYsrE-
RIoUs TRAGEDY.
Pittsfeld, Mass. July 1S-The prosecutors
case against Robert s. Fosburgh the young man
charged with shooting and killing his sister,
May L Fosburgh, August 20 19oo. may De
said TO be fairly started at the close of to-day
session of court here. The jury was fmpan-
elled and taken to the scene Of the tragedy, the
testimony of one witness was finished and that
OF another was well under way, and the fatal
bullet and the bloodstained nightrobe OF the VIC
tim were offered evidence
The evidence TO which most attention was
given was of a purely technical character
and confined exclusively TO descriptions OF the
Fosburgh house and It's contents, references to
plans OF the house and its surroundings by 'he
city engineer, Arthur A. Fobes, the government
first witness and testimony by the medical ex-
arniner of this district. The cross-examination
OF the former by the defendants counsel
brought nothing of particular Importance
The last witness of the day, DR.. Frank rad
4nctr moved q little more interesting, prin-
cipaliy because a result of his testimony the
various articles mentioned were examined by
the iurymen. Dr. Paddock. who is sufferer
faintness yet he refused TO accept chair Of
fered by the court, and showed remarkable SELL
control and courage. These attacks OF Illness
had some effect on his testimony, causing MIN
10 forget several things which the government
had hoped to bring out. AS his testimony was
not finished at the adjournment or the SESSION.
an effort will be made TO refresh his memory
tomorrow It is expected that his cross-eSaih-
ination will be extremely rigid
The most Interesting portion Of the session TO-
6av was the description OF the bullet and the
hroody nightrobe. The comb box from the bureau
IN the spare room In the Fosourgh mouse on 'he
,,eh, of the tragedy and which was found on
she following day to have been pierced Dg
bulye+ was also exhibited by the government
and there the State rested its case for the DAY
PROSECUTION CALLS YOUNG Fosfoo f'''h'
ro,nas r A Fosburgh subp9naeo TINS
.~+srnoon to testify for the prosecution Beat
dee Fosburgh was summoned yesterday Inc
hoy saws he does not know on what lines tiieS
EXPECT him to testify. In addition lhe piose
zion has summoned DR.. Frank A Draper nheui-
%, axoroiner Of Suffolk County and Colonei
Y,inond Mayor of Lowell, both OF whon gave
expert testimony regarding bullets ana puie'
wounds at the recent Eastman trial IN Jain
bridge. The summoning of Beatrice ana 'ai'e
1,osbnreb has created a great sensation here
bring ont all the facts possible regarding family
,rouhlae which are believed to have existed IN
addition the fact of their bringing INTO Siie 90
such experts the question OF gun iI1s nss ar,S
bullet marks as DR. Draper and Colonel Dlliloiia
shows that the prosecution will have plenty OF OF
expert testimony, and also that the triai WI WI
consume more time than was at hIsl AZ eNt
IT is estimated now that 1T VIII last ali hsN
week.
MYSTERIOUS FEATURES OF THE CASE
Few trials In New-England have attracted
euch great interest as this. The fact that the
defendant is charged with manslaughter ana
not with murder, seems to have been lost sien1
of by the multitude whose attention Tor months
has been fixed on the tragedy, because OF 'le
mystery surrounding 1t; because the State OIL
GERS from the first apparently have not penevea
the story which the family TOLD OF the kllliils
of Miss Fos burgh and, since last January ce-
cause of the arrest Of the brother, charged Win
the crime which nearly everybody seemed 10
have attributed TO an unknown burglar
This arrest, which caused a wave or excite
n1ent all over New-England, at least, proushe
into bold contrast the conflicting evidence In the
case The members of the Fosburgh laffliiy'
even down to the young daughter Beatrice
saw the burglars had agreed in the story that
robbers who entered the house and attacked
Mr.. Fosburgh, in attempting TO shooL Kopert'
who came IN to his fathers rescue, killed May
The State officers met this with the declaration
that the affair the result OF sudden
family quarrel, in which young Fosburgh using
his own revolver shot his sister, although in
tending the bullet for another person Al
though detective skill. assisted by the influence
Of rewards offered both by the city and by the
Fosburgh family, had failed to bring 70 light
clew to the burglars accused OF killing Miss
Fosburgh, upon the arrest Of Robert the quest
was renewed. At one time there a pros
pect of happy result for the family. -Four
men were caught in Rhode Island after the al
legged wholesale theft of copper wire in Massa-
chusetts and Rhode Island. One Of the men
confessed that all were near Pittsfieli when
Miss Fosburgh was killed. One of the thieves.
al Oa1io
Rhode Island After many interviews with the
four prisoners, the members Of the Fosburgh
family became convinced that Quinn shot the
young woman. On the other hand, the prosecu-
tion alleged that they had traced every move
unent of the gang, and had proved that rome Of
them could have been connected with the Fos-
burgh crime