Evening journal., 1904-11-30
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
is THORN'S DEFENSE

say several times that he might as well
be hanged for two murders as one. On
Cross-examination the witness said her
husband was dead and that Robert Epps
boarded with her.
Boozer's Letter Read.
Attorney General Ward at this point
read to the jury the note written by Booz-
er to Epps. 1t follows:
Bob
Would mind coming over to house to-
morrow, want TO see you on some i'm
portant bussnest. did not think you
would treated me like that because Agnes
did not know what / did in Delaware.
Jon.
Ratledge on Stand.
State Detective James p. Ratledge. tes-
tilted about being informed by Harrisburg
authorities that they had a man there
who was supposed TO have killed a man
in Delaware. He told about taking VIII
liam Harra TO Harrisburg. who identified
Boozer as Thorn who lived with his
father when the latter was killed. De-
tective Rauedge said that Boozer in
conversation with him at Harrisburg told
him that at the time of the Farra murder
In 1897, he was working for q man named
Sharp at Pinner's Point, Va. He testi-
fed that he went to Pinner's Point to in
vestieate this story, but counsel for the
defense objected to him stating the re-
suit Of the investigation and was sus-
tanned by the court.
The State recalled former Detective Nc
Vey rad asked him if the Farra murder
was the only murder committed near VIII
mington in 1897, in which the murderer
was not apprehonded. The defense Oh.
jected and was sustained.
The State here rested.
Mistaken Identity is the Defense.
J. Frank Ball, counsel for the prisoner
occupied but a few minutes in his open
ing address to the jury.
He said the defense case was one OF
mistaken identity and that the prisoner
during the month Of December, 1891 wal
not in Delaware, but was working in Pin
ners Point Va. He called the prisone
TO the stand and told the court that hii
right name was John Williams and aske,
TO have him sworn under that name
Witness said his name was John VIII
liams but he has also gone by the nam,
. va NNAaAA AfNRANAf AAN ANRAA AAAAa AAtNAAAN hN
cause he was going with a man name,
Tom Boozer
In December. 1897, witness said he wa
I working at Pinner's Point, near Norfolk
/ FOR William Perkins, who had a govern
| ment contract He went TO work for MI
Perkins in November of that year an
/ previous TO that he worked on the south
1 ern dock in Pinner's Point. He worke
then for man named Sharp and othe
stevedores. He went to work for Nj
/ sharp in July Of that year.
The witness testified he worked q
/ Pmner's Point from July, 1897, until Eel
ruary, 1903. He denied that he worked fc
Robert Epps i'm 1855 on a job near .Balt
more and said that Epps' position WA
night watchman.
The witness said that he did not te
Epps in Baltimore that he had killed
man i'm Delaware. He denied that he wa
ever I'm Wilmington until brought her
last September and said he never worke
ON o. farm i'm his life.
The prisoner said he went to Enol.
near Harrisburg carly In 1893. where Ep
was then working. a railroad yard Wa
being constructed there. Witness sal
Epps was the boarding house keepe
but was discharged and the superintei
dent gave him the place. lie said thcl
was beer bill against the boarding hou.
whicn he refused to pay and that he an
Epps quarreled over it. Boozer denie
that he wrote the note which was put
evidence by the state and also deniC
that he threatened to kill Epps.
: Continued on Fourth Page)