Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-21
PROVED POOR WITNESS
MR.. BEAVERS DISAPPOINTING TO
PROSECUTION.
Outlook is That Robert Hamilton Will
Be Acquitted Of Train
Wrecking Charge.

opeSidt DIspRtcn TO ine Evening StHT.
FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE. April FL
At the trial of Robert Hamilton here today
the commonwealth closed it's case in chief
about noon, after twelve witnesses had
been examined, and up to the noon recess
the defense had introduced one witness
More than 100 witnesses had been sum-
moned. and it was expected that the trial
would last three or four days, but 1t is now
probable that the case will be submitted to
the jury before adjournment tonight, as
there will not be over eight or ten
witnesses. Simeon beavers, al whose house
Hamilton had been staying. and who was
expected to be the star witness for the
prosecution, testified that Hamilton had
confessed to him that he wrecked the train,
but upon cross examination he became bad
ly tangled, made several contradictory
statements and admitted that he had made
different statements which were false out
of court.
The only witness who has been examined
by the defense attacked the general repu-
tatiOn Of beavers for truth and veracity,
and also contradicted beavers in one i'm
portant statement.
The general impression now prevailing
here is that Hamilton will be acquitted, or
else that there will be hung jury, as 1t is
not considered that the evidence submitted
by the commonwealth is sufficient to es-
tablish the prisoners guilt.
After The Stars report of the trial of
Robert Hamilton, at Fairfax Court House,
for train wrecking, closed yesterday after
noon several witnesses were placed on the
stand by the state. J. w. Loving, who
was conductor of the Inflated train, told
OF leaving Washington the evening of the
wreck an hour and forty-eight minutes late.
The train was speeding along very rapidly
when it struck the switch at Ravensworth
and was ditched. BY means of a railroad
switch apparatus the witness illustrated to
ia III hnU he md hQ roi 1c cot FOR he
siding when he examined them few min
utes after the disaster. The rails were
latched down and the switch light out, he
stated.
c. o. Coleman, conductor of the Pullman
cars attached, gave about the same evil
dence, as did also c. E. Holt, f1agman of
No 33.
J. J. Goodwin. an engineer. told of pass
ing Ravensworth on train No. Al at II 21
o'clock the evening of the wreck. He
found the switch light all right then. and
saw no one about the place. His train was
going south. and should have followed No.
80, which 1t preceded because the New
York and Florida express was late.
Tobias Javins, night operator of the
Southern railroad at Ditchley, a station
slightly more than mile north of Ravens
worth, said that No. 80 passed his tower
at 1913, which was a minute before the
wreck
He told of Hamiltons coming into the
tower after No. IL passed going south at
I1.lo uclOIS Tie passing VI TNO. DuL
the operator could not exactly specify the
time when Hamilton arrived. Under cross
examination by Attorneys Thornton and
Thornton, the witness admitted that he
might have estimated the time at his hear
ing before the grand jury as 1882 pm. or
thereabouts, but his statement that ne
could not state the exact time was un-
shaken. The questioning on this point was
sharp, as counsel for the defense stated
that they desired to show that the period
between IL. 21 pm, when No. Al safely
passed Ravensworth and the time when
Hamilton was seen at Ditchley was too
short to enable him to cover the distance
between the two places.
The witness said that Hamilton acted in
an unusual manner, stating that he had
come to stay all night, which he had never
done before. Several of the neighbors OF
the accused man were called to the stand.
and one testified that Hamilton had acted
nervously when spoken to about the wreck
and had been seen with one OF his hands
lacerated.. To expedite the trial Judge Love
held night session.