The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-30
Many Affectionate Passages IN.
McCue's Letters to His Wife
and Hers to Him.
OFFSET 10 TESTIMONY
OF FAMILY DISSENSI0NS5
The Prosecution Feel Confident
That They Have Made Out
Their Case, But There Is
Strong Doubt in Public
Mind-Def Will
Open Monday.
From staff Consequently

F'rom star Correspondent II
CFIARLOTTEsyILLE, Va. October
29.-After five days of inexorable5 and
unremitting effort the Commonwealth has
completed it's case against Mccue. the
ex Mayor and alleged murderer and
now rests quietly and confidently upon
Its oars. awaiting the first sign Of tho
assault from the other side. IL. ii
Z Monday morning the defense will begin
Its counter movement that will probably
have spent It's force by the afternoon Of
the next day. Tho ground is being laid
with great care, but it is almost certain
to be covered within this brief time The
rebuttal will follow and then the argu.S
ment. The torrential eloquence that will
shake the dust OF ages gathered in the
battered old courthouse VIII be some-s
thing erochal in its way. For hours the
storm Will rage around the jury box, and
the air will be dashed with thousand
harbed and biting darts. Gifted tongues
4 will hurt logic and invectives, while tho
crowd sways and the iInmoblle twelve
When the last word has been spoken
they will flo silently out and q few
moments, or hours. or days later, no
man can tell how long 1t will be, the
verdict will be known, and what Of this
smomentous decision? 5s
Will McCue Go Free.
Will NrcCue walk the streets again y
free man or will he ascent the gallows
to give his lifo for that OF his dead and
Inurederd wife ? Is not an easy question:
and there can be found scarcely man
willing to point the answer Even now
before defense has introduced a single
witness. there lie grave doubt in nearly
every mind. With the one side fully dee
yeloped. and the other not even begun.
the shadow over the man In the cell IL 1
not so black that it Is impossible to de-$
tect q rift through which the light OF 4
hope and ultimate release may send q
ray. "a ss4S 81
The Commonwealth has strained every
muscle to mako the array as convincing
as possible, bit Its finished case is not
what many had expected 1t would be.
At the very last moment 1t was given q Il
disastrous blow that cannot but exert
a powerful Influence In determining tho
final Issue. m I'm
i - I
the elements of strength and conviction
arc entirely lacking On the contrary
there are number Of clearly defined
points around which will be built up q
powerful argument that may. sweep tho 4
fury as It Is very likely to carry the
crowd with a mind already fixed. The
work OF the past days has not been for Y
nothing, and n survey Of the ground
covered leads all three Of the prosecuting
attorneys to cypress confidence in the
result and to await with assurance tho
action Of the court. sG
Salient Points. d
The bloody shirt tho scrap of gauzs
In the death chamber. the variant ac-5
counts OF the murder. the lack Of hue
and outcry, tho hidden motive--these are
wealth will rest its weight and upon
which 1t will base Its plea that the court
find McCue guilty and punish him to tho
full extent OF the law.
The strength of tho argument can BIO
seen at glance. The picture will b.
drawn OF home torn BY dissension8 be-s
tween man and wife; OF n hearth violated
BY the yelled form of another woman.
Then will DO recounted In all Its terrible
details the crime Itself and tho relation
Of the accused to everything that oc-
Cured that night TO the Jury and the
court will be pictured the choked and
bleeding wife. strugttng, beating back
tho enraged husband. and in the scutiie
scratching his face and leaving upon the
back OF his shirt the tell-tale marks OF
blood. Isl
With oGual vlvdness the prosecutors
will point out step by step what nap
ipened next--the flight Of the woman 10
the bath room and her death from the
gunshot wound In her breast the hur-
rIed effort OF the murderer to wash from
the wristbands OF his shirt the bloody
marks; upon them the blood-stalned
scrap OF his shirt found within foot
OF the spot where his wife breathed nor
last: the mans incoherence in explaln-
ine the homIcde-an lncoherence that
could not be due to excitement or nsr-
yous collapse, since q half dozen Wit
nesses have. said he was perTe tly Ta- .
tional. his strange conduct Il, telcphoninB
TO his brother and TO a distant house IA
which were only three women and an
aged and inhrm man, when sins
ory from, a window or door would have
called to t1ts aid dozen neizhbors ana
irh,s is In part what the commoo-
wealth clai.ns ID have proven and Rhas
Il viii lay before tho Jury As being Sup-
norted by tho evidence OF che past hYs
DAYS. WIN it convince beyond Iea-
$saIh,a do,If,t "a Glance 1t Sh0 okhA0 4