Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-26
BEFORE GRAND JURY
An Alleged Murder to Be In
vestigated.
TWO MEN IMPLICATED
INQUEST HELD OVER REMAINs
OF DEAD MAN.
Testimony of the MISREPRESENTATION
by the Accused Men in Their
Own Defense.

|
An inquest was held at the morgue this
morning over the remains of colored man
whose name his friends could not definitely
determine
Il worked with him two years." said one
friend, and always knew him as John Pat
terson Digs
| I've known him for four years. said
| another. land have known him as William
Patterson Diggs. Some called him Billy
Patterson. and others called him Nan
Patterson !"
The name of the deceased was thereupon
recorded as John. alias william Diggs
! There was no question raised concerning
the fact that the dead man was from Alder
| marie county, Va. and that his death had
been caused by a stab wound of the heart
| received last night. John Mercer, colored,
admitted that he had stabbed Biggs with a
knife that was handed him by Henry Gas
kins, also celored. who is better known as
| Shorty
Policemen Short and Halloran arrested
| Mercer and Gaskns. at their homes, No 9
Chester court, few doors from the scene
| OF the tragedy. They appeared at the in
quest held over the body of the victim at
| the morgue this morning, and made state
| ments concerning their connection with the
| case, and were held for the action Of the
grand jury. The men were photographed
before being taken to Jail.
The Evidence Heard.
| Susie Cooper, about whom the men had
| the trouble, AN important witness In
| the case.
| Where do you live?' the coroner inquired
| of her.
| "At No. Chester court, was her re-
| Spouse.
1 10
| social last nisht?" Susie was asked
| NO, SIR she stated. but we had some
| gentlemen company and we had game Of
| cards"
Did they have anything to drink there?'
! THE first part OF the night / was Sleep
| ing said the witness, "and didn't see any
| thing to drink
| Where were you sleeping?'
| "On a trunk in the corner"
| Witness said that Diggs used some pro-
| fame language while talking. and she asked
| IL he could not talk without cursing. Diggs
| wanted to know what she had to do with
what he said and grabbed her. He pushed
| her down, and Mercer came to her assist
| ance and pulled him away from her Henry
| Gaskins was also there.
| Witness said she saw no knife and was
| surprised when Diggs told Mr.. Walker he
| was cut. Mercer and Gaskins she stated
went home At the time Diggs caught hold
| OF her. Susie said, Mercer was in the front
| room, and he came to the kitchen to assist
| her. Witness declared she never saw Mer-
| Ger strike Diggs. All she saw him do was
| to pull Diggs away from her.
| Physicians Statement.
DR.. William A. Warfeld, resident physi-
| clan at Freedmen's Hospital, told the Jury
| that the wounded man was in a dying con-
dition when he reached the hospital. and life
! was extinct in few minutes
| Il don't know what you said" Stated
| Cora Douglass after she had been sworn
| but I'll tell the truth"
The coroner repeated the oath and the
| witness proceeded TO tell what she knew of
| the arair. Several men had been playing,
cards in the kitchen, she said. and they
| bought pint of 25-cent whisky Susie
| Cooper, she stated INDUCED in some of the
beverage.
Were any of them drunk?' she was
asked
only Diggs." she answered He had
| been drinking before he entered the house"
Witness said Dfggs got up from the table
and said:
I'm going to bed: rats is working"
What did he mean by rats?'
| whisky"
Witness said the trouble started when che
asked if Diggs had gone to bed. He used
| profane language and Susie called him to
| account for ii. Cora said that after Mer-
Ger pulled Dlggs from Susie she saw Diggs
stagger against the door and put his hand
| to HIS side. He groaned. but said nothing
| about being cut until he went to the sec
ond floor.
Charles Lee, one Of the participants in
| the card game in Susie Cooper's house,
| testified that he left the house when the
| game was over and knew nothing Of the
trouble.
Why did you go homer the witness
| was asked.
THE other boys had lady friends to talk
| to-" he answered, and 1 went home be-
cause l had none"
Knife Identified
Witness identified aiSnfe shown him as
I he'll nf asl
| lies at his (witness) house, as does Mer-
| Ger. They came home together last night,
he stated, and told witness to lock the
doors, saying he had got into little trouble
down the street. Caskins he said had the
knife in his hand when he entered the
house. Mercer told him about the trouble,
said witness and told him that he borrowed
the knife from Caskins and struck at Diggs,
but did not know that he had stuck him.
Charles Walker, colored, who occupies a
room on the second floor of the house in
Chester court, testified that he knew moth
ing of the affair until Diggs came upstairs
and said he was cut. He went out and
Deputy Coroner Glazebrook exhibited a
piece OF the rib of the dead man through
| which there was knife wound. The blade
of the weapon. he said, punctured the heart.
Mercer testified that he reached the house
about 0:45 o'clock and played three games
Of cards. Some time after the game was
over, he said a ''scrlmmage" occurred and
he (Mercer) went to the assistance of Susie
Cooper.
II pulled him Off her he said. land when
I went to pull him off a second time he
got UP with chair in his hand"
And then what?'
Nothing"
did Henry hand you knifer'
Eyes, SIR
what did he sayT'
He told me to stick 1t In the --"
Mercer said that Diggs had the chair
in his hands he tMercer) showed the knife
and stuck It In him"
Gaskins denied having made use of the
language attributed to him, and said he
loaned Mercer the knife about twenty min