Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-02-04
OLD DOMINION NEWS.


A~A@~~&~aEs
trial CO the case % Charles r. Fi<A-
burne. charged With the murder Of D<.
Frederick Lsfew. vas called. with tho
court room crowded The deep inter
est in the case was manifest when
hundreds OF persons turned out iu
The bad weather TO hear the begin
nsng OF the testimony in the celebrated
case. which probably means life OF
death for Charles r. Fishburne. bank
er and broker and member of one
OF the prominent families % Southwest
Virginia.
The State acted en- an important
point ia securing the admission al
evidence 81 the declaration q Dr. L.
few made as he Was dying
The prisoner entered me courtroom
nftcen minutes prior TO the opening
and was Immediately surrounded b
ala relatives and friends. Has wife
was az bis icft and his brother. Jaaius
b. Fishburne. cashier Of the National
Exchange hank. az his rigst. The "a
thcr and mother o. the accused nsR
sat near him
The counsel on neither side made
any preliminary statement. but went
directly into tsc testimony. on the
motion OF counsel for the defeuae ths
witnesses were separated. Mrs. Yah
bnrnc. Edward l.. Stone and NrH.
stone. respectively. brothcr-ln-lau and
sister of the prisoner. were excluded.
Behind COMMONWEALTH Attorney
Everett Perkins and Harry n smith.
for the prosecution. uat Mrs Lefew.
widow OF the dead man. and her
friends. Mrs Woodward and Bcst 10
few. of Richmond. brother % tho r1r-
dcrci man
Victor Hoffman. the sfepson 90 Dr
Lefcw. was The FIRST witness called
Hc is "a years old and is the boy Who
vas whipped on the street b. tho
T prisoner prior to the stabhlng To
stated that he. with four other -omnan
7 IONS. nad called ~Iccir 60 81 Flsh-
burue while he was out walking with
/ hie wife. Hc and Alex Nelson haa
# beth cried out'tho annoying wcrd he
said. Fishhurne passed on without
u srcaking. che boy testified ant after
wards returned when he main an at
tack on the hor frst by throwing a
stone while young Hoffman WAS run
Minis The boy stopped and Flea1urnc
thon struck him several blows ln thu
ioce. Ho1mcu chem picked ua q stone
Bee said. when Fishhurne pat Dis han4
behind him and told him that he
would kil him Do DE- ill not trun IN.
stone The evidence vas to tho af-
iect that Finhhune laid his overrcat
and bis hat ON the fence before al
lacking the boy.
Fifteen minutes later HOFFMAN vent
ncmc through che back way and found
bis sfenfathcr. nr. Lrfew. lying on
fhC pavement unconscious. with "a atab
wound in the breast The b1y derlar.
ed thar he was the cause cf the trouble.
. meaning that the difficulty between
him and FIshhurne had caused the
standing of ur. lcfew
Two other boys we're examined. who
ccroooratcd tho statement made hy
young Hoffman.
ln the afternoon Mrs Lciew ANA Dr
Ralph Brown were nut ON the witness
stand Dr. Brown introduced the ~
Jag declaration of Lefaw and aftci
some controversy Be- was admitted IA
evidence.
The Commonwealth gained whaf h
considered ara important point ln tht
adm CON 90 the post morfom state
mcnt of the murdered man. Testi
mony for the prosecution vii be rcsum
ed tomorrow.
la his DYING dee laration I.efow ia
Clarcd that Fishburnc went 90 th,
Lcfow home and told the doctor al
, tne difficulty DEE had had with his step
son. The men had a Qu1rrol AN,
Lelcw struck Fishburac a light bl0y
d in the face with the back OF his fiu
gers. After Ftshbune went ont uf "a
yard. be reached over the gate an'
plunged his knife Ia LsfeWs breast
Lefew was nos armed. the declaration
hJaiCs.