The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-06-25

| uIOlutI AOuSE anu toOh AAF dSAu.
laid The gun down on the machine
Mrs. Mcbride took the bottle away
from me. I lost consciousness and
knew no more
At 1877 the defense turned the wit
ness over 10 the state and the cross
examination began.
Mrs. Kirk Wood sister of Mrs,
Henry Willis. who was at the house
in Mt. Pleasant at the time of the
killing and was also shot and wound
ed by Willis, was on the witness
stand all of Monday afternoon and
testified as TO the trouble between
Willis and his wife and the events
on the day of the tragedy. Mrs.
Woods home is in Columbia, but she
was visiting at the Massey home at
the time of the tragedy She has
been visiting relatives lin Texas for
| the past two months, and arrived in
Columbia at an early hour Monday
morning, only few hours before she
was placed on the stand. Mrs. Wood
, told tale of frequent rows and
trouble between Willis and his wife.
She said Willis was often drunk and
on these occasions was overbearing
and cruel. That sometime before the
tragedy at a time when Mrs. Willis
was sick that Willis jerked
his wife violently to the floor and
after a little picked her up and
dropped her to the floor again. That
Mrs. Willis was confined to her bed
for FIVE or six weeks after this exper-
fence and an operation, which result
ed in an abortion was found neces-
sary and was performed by three
doctors.
Mrs. Wood said her maiden name
was Cora Hood and that she was
reared in Columbia. Mrs. Wood des'
cribed her sister as a small woman. !
That the first trouble between Mr.. |
and Mrs. Willis so far as she knew, |
was about four years after their mar
riage. That Willis would curse and |
abuse his wife. On the occasion when |
Willis jerked his wife down Mrs. Will |
lis had sent for witness. She found !
her in bed in a nervous condition.
That witness got dinner and Mrs. |
Willis and children were eating when
defendant was heard entering the
house. Mrs Willis ran and hid a
pistol which had been lying on shelf
That defendant said to Mrs. Willis,
Fix my dinner and fix it damned
quick or I'll kill you That Mrs
Willis fixed the dinner and the. Viii
lis said to witness, Take your damn
little sister and get out of here"
That Willis caught Mrs. Willis by
the dress and jerked her to the floor,
later picking her up and dropping her
to the floor. That she took Mrs Will
lis home but she returned to her own
home the next morning and was ser
iously i'll FIVE or six weeks, the oper-
alton spoken of above following.
That during her illness Willis was
away a greater part of the time and
they did not know where Willis was,
but he came home the night of the
operation drunk.
Witness said that Willis shot his
wife sometime before the final trag-
edy. She had scar on her arm.
That she heard Mrs. Willis say to
him. You have shot me once and
when you shoot the next time, you
had best be sure to kill me-" That
on one occasion at the house of wit
ness on Eleventh street in Columbia I
she saw the defendant draw pistol q
On Mrs. Willis.
Morning OF Killing. I
On the morning OF the killing the
witness said she heard a conversation :
between Mr.. and Mrs. Willis. They :
we're not talking rough. Mrs. Willis 9
said You have watched after me and
1eeped after me, did you ever see :
anything wrong?" To which defend Il
mt answered, No" That a while u
before the killing Willis asked his Il
wife IL she loved him, and she an q
wered Love you Henry! How
ould you expect me to love you after :"
.ou have treated me so badly? l low Il
ID you at one time better than life y
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