Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-03-01
CASE GOES TO JURY
BEFORE NOON TODAY
Davenport Murder Trial Finally
Seems 10 be Drawing 10
TWO Of THE ADDRESSES HEARD
Newsome Opened For Prosecution
and Was Followed by Robinson
For the Defense-Colier Was
Speaking For Defense When Court
Adjourned.
TWO Of THE ADDRESSES HEARD

Andrew l. DayenpOrt'S case will |
re IN The hands of The jury before
noon today When conrt adjourned |
FOR The midday recess yesterday all |
~ III" testimony was IN and the in |
strncilons To- The jury hal been sub |
mitied ana passed upon
j r. Ncwsomc, the colorcd aitor. |
ney who is assisting the common |
wealth opened the argument ycs,er
day afternoon. Speaking about aI}
honr He covered The case very iullE |
ana made a strong appeal for NE |
conviction of the prisoner Attorney
Il s. Robinson. for the defense. fol |
lowed. MIR. Robinson cited numerous |
celebrated cases in Virginia in which !
lie jnricS convicted upon circum.
stantial evidence and declared that
III each OF those cases the murdered
person and the accused had been
seen together shortly before The kill
ing
Mr., Collier began the closing ad
dress Tor the defense Il few minutes
after o'clock ana had not concluded
when court adjourned two hours lat
or. He said he expected 10 speak
abont an hour longer so the hope al
finishing he ease last night was
abandoned. Mr.. Collier read stories
from Two well known magazines for
he purpose of weakening the value
of circumstantial evidence In the
minds of The jurors
The commonwealth objected To
his. hut Mr.. Collier said that the
stories were merely articles Of nc.
tiOn. which he used as Illustrations.
and mo court told him To pro-
coed.
The principal object Of Mr. Collier
seemed 10 be To show that at least
three negroes besides Davenport had |
motives for killing Thomas He said |
that Davenport ana Willie Wimbnsh |
entered into II conspiracy 10 defraud |
the insurance company and that Win |
hush might have done the killing He |
also referred 10 lanes Ford ana |
sam Johnson
Commonwealth Attorney Robinson
says that he will close the argument
in about half an hour. Court will
convene again this morning AT l0l
H'clock, so the jury should retire 10
consider The ease before noon
Last Witness For Defense.
The Hast witness for the defense
was pat on the stand yesterday morn
my. He was W a. 5 Adams. agent
Tor The Metropolitan Life Insurance"
Company His testimony WAS 10 The
effect that While Wimbnsh WAS The
man who signed the application for
Inc Insurance policy and impersonai ed
Willie Thomas.
The defense rested without calling
Chief OF Police Reynolds. On ac
count of his familiarity with all OF
he details of the case, the common
wealth desired 10 have the chief In
he court room during The trial MIR
collier first had The chief excluded
from the court room with the rest
nf The commemorative Witnesses AT
Ter The chief had testified. Mr. Col.
ier had him excluded on the ground
mai he intended To call him as =
witness for the defense.
RebuttaI Testimony.
e c Cunningham, Il negro under.
iakcr, was put on the stand 10 testify
in rcbnttal Cunningham said that
Davenport told him that he had an
Insurance policy upon Thomas life
lie asked where The policy was ana
Davenport replied that il was at the
dead mans house. Davenport asked
him for 50, saying that he wanted il
20 employ Ncwsomc to prosecute
johnson
An Abb For Wimbush.
G. G. Curtis, an usher al the negro
Second Baptist church, testified that
While Wimbush was al the church |
ON The night Of the killing. He |
came in before o'clock and was |
Tie church until after 9:30 o'clock
Charlie Chamberlain corrohoratch |
ms witness testimony saying that he
spoke 10 Wimhnsh al the church a,
3:l5 o'clock
Thomas J 'rcc said thai he was
Sent from the negro Pythlan Castle
for Wimbnsh on The night of thc muir.
der He found Wimbugl AT The