The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-03
Senational Evidence of Miss
 Nellie Armstrong.
Swears Dead Girl Said She Had Painted a Few Moments Be- fore Being Shot and Had
 Been Revived by halph
 4 Armstrong.

Tuskegee, Dec 2.-(special.) )-With her pale face tense and drawn, fingers locked and interwoyen Miss Nellie Armstrong, cousin of Ralph Armstrong, on trial for his fife and cousin of Miss Allie Arfs. strong. dead and in an untimeiy grave recourted in the Circuit Court of Macon County today, the words which the mof' tally wounded girl had uttered when she rushed from the room where her cousin had shot her.
 The attorneys for the defense adroitiy fought to keep out this testimony. It could not be used as dying declaration. they contended. The words were spoken ten days before her death. They knew In advance the startling evidence of the sad- eyed girl on the stand and it's possible effect on the jury. But when ex-Attor- ney-General w. c. Fits had argued its admissibility, the court allowed it.
 Miss Armstrong testified that her cous- in, Allie, on the fateful night of October "A with two bullet holes in her body, had run down the hall out of the front room in which she had left Ralph Armstrons. Turning into her aunt's roCbn, she had fallen on the floor, exclaiming. I'm dy- ing! I'm dying!" A few minutes later, so Miss Nellie Armstrong testified, Miss Allie Armstrong said that she had fainted after a struggle in the front room and that Ralph Armstrong, her cousin, had revived her. 'I told him I would tell Aunt Ella and he shot me-" were her words. as told by Miss Nellie Armstrong.
 The witness labored under manifest ner- vousness. She did not appear strong or self-contained. Judge Denson allowed the solicitor to ask her leading questions saying that all appreciated the strain un- der which she was laboring.
 Mr. Barnes, for the defense. objected to this, saying of all witnesses she should not be asked leading questions. She was easily influenced, he said, and had not the strength of will or mind to resist the 1r- fiuence of leading questions. She had not been at school an easy learner, he said.
 It fs expected that the startling testi-- mony of Miss Armstrong will be contra- dicted by Mrs. E. F. DeIbridge, who is her aunt, and who was present when the wounded girl is said to have made the statements testified to by Miss Arm- strong.
 Homer Wright, young man of Auburn, and a friend of Ralph Armstrong, testi- fled that Armstrong had. Wednesday pre- vious to the shooting, given him mes- sage to his mother to be delivered If notn- ing was heard from him Saturday. Ac- cording to the witness, the message was a notification of young Armstrongs pur- poee to commit suicide 1t intimated that he would die happy as he would die with the one he loved best.
 The letter was destroyed by Wright the morning after the shooting in compli- ance with a telegram from Armstrong.
 The biood-stained clothing of Miss Allie Armstrong. the garments she wore tho night of the tragedy, were brought into court. A red dressing sack powder-burn- ed and blood-stained was passed respec- lively and silently among the attorneys and court officials. The white undergar- ments were dark red with clotted blood. The trial of Ralph. Armstfong is at a special term of the Fifth Judicial Cir- cult, presided over by Judge w. D. Dem son. It is the first special term called fin Alabama under the provisions of the Lusk judiciary bill The trial drew a large crowd to the county court house of Macon County.
 The feeling over the tragedy in some portions of the county has been very tense. By private and public contribu- tions, funds were raised to employ le- gal assistance for the solicitor. The committee or persons who secured the funds employed Hon. W. c. Fitts of Mo bile, ex-Attorney General of Alabama, who appear with Solicitor S. L. Brewer. For the defense, Ray Rushton of Mont gomery. Oscar Lewis of Tuskegee, Barnes and Duke of Opelika and Dixon Arm