Evening star., 1902-08-02
HELD FOR GRAND JURY
HATTIE BRANNIsoN, ALIAS
MOORE, ACCUSED OF MURDER.
Alleged That Mary Handy, a Child,
Died of Injuries inflicted
by the Woman.
Special Correspondence of The Evening star.

ent at the preliminary hearing before JUS
tice Norris of the case against Hattie Bran
nison, alias Mrs Mary Moore, who is
charged with ''cruelly treating and beating
little Mary Handy, colored, aged six years,
thereby inflicting painful wounds and IN
juries such as to cause DEATH between
July and July %, the date of the child s
death at the woman's home near Clarks-
burg. The crowd was orderly and was at
tracted more through couriosity than other
wise.
At the conclusion of the testimony a plea
was entered for the release of the prisoner,
but this was denied by Justice Norris. The
woman was held for the action Of the grand
jury. Bond was fixed at $500. AS 1t was
not given the woman was remanded TO
Jail. Her father, it is said, will make an
effort to obtain a surety. The prisoner was
taken to Rockville by Deputy Sherlff
White.
The court opened at 1890 o'clock today,
Justice Norris in charge State Attorney
Talbot was unable to be present and the
states interests were looked after by JUS
tice Norris. The defense was represented
by Robert Peter of Rockville The court
sat in the wheelwright shop of which Jus
tice Norris is proprietor. There was
large crowd lined up at the station When
Deputy Sheriff White brought the prisoner
from the Jail at Rockville, where she was
little signs of nervousness and during the
trial while the evidence was being heard
aFainst her she only once or twice showed
tIS she realized the unpleasant position
Her common law husband John Moore,
fumed and fretted and disputed with the
magistrate. however, and was finally threat
ened with fine for contempt of court
The Testimony Submitted.
John Green was the first witness to testi-
fy. He said that at picnic, July Il, Hattie
Brannison threatened to kill the girl, Mary
Handy. because she had lost an umbrella,
and had abused her brutally in the presence
of numbers of witnesses. Belle Jackson cor
roborated this statement. as did Harrison
Jackson and Dorsey Carroll. Henry jack
son stated that he had seen the child will
fully and maliCiously abused number or
times He informed his wife Of the circum-
stances and was told to acquaint John
Handy. the father of the dead girl, with
the facts.
Carrie Fox. white girl who is employed
at the home of Mr.. Nathan White, near
here, stated that she had occasion a week
or so in advance of the death of the girl
to go to the house, and she saw the woman
hit the child with boot. She was told by
Hattie Brannison, she said, that she had
kicked the child down stairs. She could
hear the hard licks the boot struck her
after she had gone upstairs. DR.. Jas. E.
Deets Of Clarksburg, who was one of the
physicians that performed the autopsy at
the cOrOners inquest, stated that the child
had received more than one blow, and that
it was not likely that she was injured in
the manner stated by Hattie BrannisOn. He
said upon his arrival about o'clock the
evening after the death of the child, he
found the body propped up in bed with pill
lows behind it, and nothing but a skirt to
cover It. Upon examination he found a
large tumOr on the left side of the head,
some abrasions about the nose, some cuts
1il-t he llr nI6 p11 nd
cheek, and when he opened the scalp, found
whole left side of head confused with blood
clots under covering of the brain. There
were small clots about the tissues of the
head. He said death was caused by nerv-
Gus shock, and by rupture of blood YES
sells. Thought the blows had been struck
that morning, or not later than twenty four
hours before his examination. He did not
think the blows upon the head came from
falling, unless it was from very great
height.
DR.. Wilson of Germantown who assisted
DR.. Deets in the autopsy corroborated his
statement almost throughout. He also
stated that from the appearance of the
wound. more than one blow had been in
ficted. Robert ]. Green, foreman of the
jury of inquest. testified to the condition of
the body when he saw it
Lizzie Jackson testified that she heard
Mary crying as if from pain the morning of
her death. and heard Hattie Brannison cry
out. Lord. have mercy, John, what will
l.
SON. Upon arrival witness saw the child
lying on the bed. She was dead Hattie
told her the child had killed herself falling
against the stove. Henry Hume corrobo-
rated her testimony.
Alleged Admission.
Joseph Jackson testified that week or
so previous to the child's death. Hattie
Brannison came to Mr.. Whites barn and
told John Moore that she had whipped the
child hard for getting hold of a revolver
which had four bullets in it, and that she
wished to God the weapon would go off be-
fore she got back and killed the little black
huzZy. VIM. Dronenberg, one of the jury
stated that John Moore told him he had
picked the child up from the floor where it
had fallen and that his wife had told him
that the child had knocked the stove over
on the floor. and when she asked her If she
knocked 1t over the child said yes" and
went out doors and in coming in had fallen
and killed herself.
Henry Harris corroborated that part of
Mr.. Dronenberg's testimony in which he
stated that Moore and his wife had said
that the child fell in the floor, but had first
knocked the stove over by slamming the
door too hard.
John Moore was placed upon the stand
and said he and his wife were both badly
scared over the death Of the child. He ad-
mitted that she had been beaten by Hattie
for telling lies, but knew nothing Of the
cause Of death. He says he was al
ways fearful Of something happening to the
child and had made up his mind several
times to tell John Handy to take her home,
but hadn't done so, and regretted it. 1t is
said he admitted to Nathan White for
whom he works, that he picked the child
up in the yard. but on the stand denied that
TACT The child was seen in the yard dead,
as TESTIFIED to by several witnesses present.