Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1906-04-06
Verdict Severely Crit
lciZed-EvidenCe
Will Go to the
Grand Jury
Communicated

=
Floyd Conley in this county, charged
with the murderer A. c Eldrige. in
koseville near Pocahontas, was given
preliminary trial before Justices
Frank Pyott, George Bandy and b
f. Riley.
The deceased was young man, who
hal just attained his majority and
lived in the town of Pocahontas. II
was reported that Conley mad signiiled
his intention of waving this hearing.
as ii was thought useless on account
OF the fact that the deceased was shot
in the back by him while fleeing for
safety, but it was deemed expedient
by the defendant TO demand this pre-
liminary hearing, and ascertain what
the COMMONWEALTH evidence would
be against him.
The following is brief sketch of
the evidence as detailed by witnesses
for the Commonwealth, and furnished
by Commonwealth Attorney, II. c.
Bowen:
First Witness: Millard Eldridge tes-
titled that he was brother of deceased.
and that both of them were at the
house OF Jennie Rider, who lives about
100 yards from the prisoner, between
and o'clock, the evening of Febrn-
AIRY 23rd, when Conley came in with a
pick handle i'm his hand, cursing them
and ordered them 10 leave al once;
that Conley was told that they had as
good right there as he had, where
upon Conley with AN oath on his lips
stated that he would see that they did
leave, and Immediately ran out the
door in the direction of his home: that
shortly afterwards they saw Conley
walking fast toward Jennie Riders
house with "a rifle i'm his hands; that
they, fearing trouble, left the house.
one out the front door, and the other
out the back door; running down par
allel streets; that witness heard two
shots, and his brother cry out that he
was shot; that he ran Immediately To
him and found Conley standing over
him him with IA rifle in his hands; that
his brothers dying declaration was
that Conley shot him in the back while
he was running from him and that he
was shot without cause, and that his
brother died the following day.
Second Witness: Anderson Holly, n
man Of color, testified that he was
Postmaster ut Roseville and that A. r..
Conley was his assistant; that on ac-
count OF business relations and per
sonal sympathy for the prisoner, he
refused TO obey summons, and that
he was arrested under an attachment
and brought here by the Sheriff OF the
County; that he lived about 100 yards
from Jennie Rider, and saw Conley
pursuing Eldridge down the street bv
his house with life in his hand: that
he saw him fire one shot, reload and
fire second shot at Eldridge while he
was running down the road away from
Conley, looking back over his shoider;
that there were only two shots fired.
and Conley fired them; that the de-
ceased had just run out of sight OF
witness behind a wood shed when
Conley fired second shot but that de-
ceased was at that time in full view Of
Conley; that Immediately afterwards
Witness ran up there and found EldTige
snot in the back and Conley standing
over him, with rifle in his hand, and
that deceased all the time was running
from Conley as fast as he could go.
Third Witness: DR.. Stump testified
that he dressed the wounds OF de-
ceased and that he was shot in the
back and ball cut out just under the
skin OF his stomach; that deceased
stated that he was running away from
Conley when he was shot, and that he
was shot without cause, and witness
further stated that shot was cause Of
death.
Fourth Witness: G. W. Mays, Scar
gent OF Pocahontas, testified that Con-
ley was a fugitive from justice for
about two weeks after this shooting,
and that he arrested him in Virginia
City and lodged him in Jail.
Only two witnesses were introduced
by the defence, J. c. Rutherford (coIor-
ed) and Berry Stokes, both of whom
testified that about twelve months aeo
Con!ey was an officer OF Mercer
County, but did not know whether he
was an officer at the time Of the shoot.
ing or not; that they had seen ConIe,
aid in stopping disturbance in Mercer
County about ten months ago, and tn,
defence rQafad ita oooo s.yitl.o..4 A.