The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-14
WITH BLANK LOOK
LOUIS vi. AsHBY SAT- THROUGHOUT
FIRST DAY OF HIS TRIAL.
HE LISTENED lMPASSIVELY.
AND APPARENTLY UNCoNCERNED
AS THE WITNESSES TESTIFIED.

ed-WitnesseS Told HOW he ne
loaded His Revolver and Fired In
10 Wife's BOdy-Defense Pleaded
Insanity and Prisoners Former
Associates Told of His Peculiari-
ties-NearIy a Hundred Witnesses
Subpoenaed and Case Being Stub
bornIy FOught-Ashby an Admirer
of kipIinE and "The Vampire"
Made a Deep Impression Upon His
Mind.
With bowed head and apparently I'M
concerned, Louis NJ. Ashby sat in the
Superior Court yesterday while eye
witnesses .vividly described the brutal
murder of his wife Martha j. Ashby.
The crime was committed on Sept. 20,
and as the witnesses for the state pic
tured the bloody work of Ashby the
prisoner sat unmoved.
Not once did he raise his eyes either
to look at judge or jurors, or at his
counsel The witnesses for the state
gave their damaging evidence without
receiving even a glance from the pris-
oner, an his former friends and asso-
ciates told of his peculiarties and &C.
centricities without a sign from the
defendant. Throughout the trial Ash
by sat to the right of his counsel,
Judge H. D. d. Twiggs, and rested his
head upon his left hand. Only once or
twice did he change his position and
then when his arraignment by the
states witnesses was particularly Sc
we're. On these occasions the prisoner
varied the monotony by either twisting
his moustache or playing with his fin
gers.
The court room was thronged with
interested spectators when court con-
vened and they remained on hand
throughout the first day of what pro-
misses to prove an interesting trial.
Ashby has been a resident of Savannah
for quite a number of years, and this,
coupled with the fact that the killing
was a particularly atrocious one,
makes the trial of more than ordinary
interest. Almost a hundred witnesses
were summoned by the state and de-
Tense and if all are used it is probable
that the case will not go to the jury
all of the witnesses are not used it is
likely that Ashby's fate will be in the
hands of the jury by tomorrow after
noon. Every point in the case is being
fought for all that it is worth by the
Solicitor General and counsel for the
prisoner alike, and the arguments will
be extensive. The defense claims that
Ashby was insane when the deed was
nd hH. To
sible. The defense has been construct
ed on those lines and III the event
of the prisoners acquittal on the show
ing being made, it is the purpose of
counsel to have their client adjudged
a lunatic, and committed to an asylum
for the insane.
The work of securing a jury was te-
dious and Ashby remained perfectly
impressive throughout the proceeding.
Carefully the prosecuting attorney and
counsel for the defense scanned the
faces of the jurors as they were called
to the book and both sides exhausted
the number of strikes permitted by
law Only four jurors went off for
cause and jury was FINELY secured
With the exception of Donegal. who is
an aged negro, the jurors are all
young men. They are William G. Har-
rision, ". =. w. Schley. j w. MoreI.
Conrad Winkler. Peter Donegal. color
ed; Lewis W Roberts, Benjamin r..
Armstrong, Gordon L. Grower, Joseph
E. Ruth, Arthur p. Wells. Edward ]
Haslam, and Fred Vessels. Jr.
Coroner John G.. Keller was the first
witness for the state and described
the five wounds in the left side and
in the head. He stated that these
wounds had caused the death of Mrs
Ashby. Willie e. Sims was the second
witness, and told of the shooting and
he laA NJ.
icide occurred in the home of Sims
mother, and the young man swore
that he was in the front room used
as a parlor. when Ashby held his wife
down on trunk and emptied his pis-
tol into her left side. The witness
made a clear statement of the homi-
eide, and Judge Twiggs was unable
to do anything with him on the cross
examination.
Sims had gone home to get his din
ner and entered the house few min
ute sbehind Ashby. He went to the
kitchen and left his mother and Ashbv
and his wife in the parlor. The house
is three rooms deep, the kitchen being
the third room. Sims said that Ashby
went back to the kitchen and offered
him drink, which he refused. Ashby
then took some white powder and a
drink. The witness told of Ashbys ef-
forts to get his wife to go upstairs
with him and of the way in which he
played with her. She refused to have
anything to do with him, and il seemed
TO anger him. He declared that love
turned to anger is a bad thing, all
though few minutes before he had
stated to the witness that it was his
happy day. Sims saw Ashby fire FIVE
shots at his wife and the witness then
ran from the room. He went to the
front of the house and through the win
dow saw the prisoner reload his re-
Volver and fire three more shots into
his wife's head.
Mrs. y. g. Sims also witnessed the
shooting and made the same statement.
She agreed in detail with her son and
Judge Twiggs could not shake her on
the cross-examination. 3 Thomas
Walker, negro, testified to having
driven Ashby - miles from the city
at break neck speed after which his
horse broke down. According TO the
witness the mans conduct Immediately
after the shooting and while he was
making an effort TO escape was not
that OF crazy man. The negro made
a clear statement, and his evidence
was damaging 10 the defense. with his
statement the state rested it's case, al
though over "A score Of witnesses will
be Introduced In rebuttal.
The witnesses for the defense told
OF peculiarities that they had noticed
and several Of them sWOre that the
prisoner had been known - Crazy
Ashby' by his associates. Their testl-
HOuy went 10 show that he was "A man
u moods and iFfsaf lonal "a ffrnaa Ttta.a