The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-20
COILS TIGHTEN
AROUND RICHARDS

AROUND RICHARDS
Continued from First Page.)
Snowder that tramp was on ahead.
He said he would find out who he was.
and whipped UP his horse until he over
took the man In disguise and recognized
him as being John Richards.
w. j. IIoff, Doll Conner and Robert
Bowles. OF Glenvar. and Joseph Aldrtdge.
Of Copper Hill, witnesses for tho de-
Tense. were excused, they having becn
fered through Mason Goodwin. Many OF
the witnesses Summed by the defense
are, 1t is blicved, being held here for
that purpoe.
r. w. Collins was the next witness.
He lived at Check. He saw Richards one
Saturday afternoon sitting on log IN
the edge Of the brush 100 yards from
where Francis was shot, with a gun on
his lap He was ten or fifteen steps
from the road Witness spoke to him.
Always With a Gun.
He again saw him on tho second Sat
urday night III July near John King. a
mile or from the scene OF the Tragedy.
g1Ic had u Il double- baSceled shotgun.
Shortly after,an the same month Col
Inns and Rufus Kelly were going to Mrs.
Poffs over the road where the tragedy
occurred. They met Richards the next
day at the Head of-the- River Church.
where he wanted to know II they mad
q good time at Mrs. Poffs, stating mat
he had seen them while squirrel hunting
ncar Rropp's woods, and he would make
~ renlv ms to what he was doing there.
Rufus Kelly, who was summoned by
tho defense. was called for tho prosecu-
tion and corroborated the evidence Of
fered by Collins.
+. Yapp saw Richards sitting on the
fenco with q gun about a hundred yards
from where Francis was shot ms was
on the fourth Sunday night IN July ABOUT
O'Clock. He spoke to Rfhards ana
recognized him. ~
three different occasions. twice going
towards Richard 8 home and once gong
towards the scene Of the murder. he
could not positively state that ne identi-
fled the man as Richards.
On Scene Of Tragedy.
". D. Conner brought the disguised
man right on the scene Of the tragedy
on July 2sth, the day before the MURDER
He saw him with an umbrella over MIN,
standing at the spot where Francis was
shot. The witness whistled 70 attract
the mans attention, when he pulled the
umbrella further down over MS race
and ran into the brush IN the oirectioii
Of the spot where 1t Is commended the shot
was fired from when Francis was killed.
He was about Richards size ana ABOUT
II O'Clock in the morning.
Zoe Porf saw the disguised man mile
and a half from the killing place lie
looked to be about Richards size he
was going In the direction Of his nome
between s and o'clock in the evening.
The man bowed his head lie thoCent
the moustache was false.
Jean Sowder saw the disguised man
little later He was impressed with the
falsity OF the moustache. He did not
know the man, but Informed w. /. Pof1, 4
who rode ahead and overlook the dis
euised man, whom he positively identified
as being John Richards.
G.. w. Hundley testified to seeing Rich
ards on Friday evening late, going to-
wards home, and again the next morning.
going towards the place or the kllilnS.
carrying shotgun.
These facts were fully corroborated by
the testimony of r. L. Poff, G. L. Stump,
Sam J. Poff. J. A. Stump, all of whom
saw Richards on the morning of the
killing within one or two miles, and going
In the dierction of the killing.
False Moustache.
The half dozen witnesses who placed
Richards on the road to the scene of
the shooting were followed by William Fl.
Ferris, who saw strange man dressed
as the disguised man had been described
by other witnesses, going in the direction
of Richardss home through the fields
at a very rapid gait and carrying n
double barreled shotgun. He wore what
he thought to be q false lnoustache and
was about the size of Richards. He
passed within fifteen steps OF the witness
and was coming through the field from
one patch of woods and went into an
other This was about O'CLOCK in the
evening and mile and arhalf from the
point where the shooting was done.
Richards has by one witness positively,
been recognized as the man In disguise.
A number Of witnesses have traced the
man in disguise from the very spot where
Francis was killed to within short dis
lance OF his home, having seen him on
various occasions. Several witnesses
show him going in the direction Of the
shooting on the day tho crime was COM
mitted, and Ferris's testimony completes
a chain of clrcumstantial evidence Of |
most damaging nature.
Oiled Shot.
Especial to The Tlmes- Dlspatcn)
FLOYD, VA, October 10,-At afternoon |
session. James Collins found the bottle Of
oiled shot where Francis was killed.
Testified as to the finding and the bottle |
was produced. Several other Witnesses
were introduced to prove that Richards |
had a similar bottle and oiled his shot,
he giving as a reason to keep them from
snrnading They also testified that the |