The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-11-27
Fatal Quarrel With Poole
Described to Prove Claim
Of Self-DefenSe.
TESTIMONY AGREES
WITH CONFESSION
State Rests Case After Substan-
tiating the Statements Made
To Balumore Police.

ROCKVILLE. Nd. Nov g.-With-
out the least show OF emotion, but an
parently laboring under great nervous
strain, Oliver II. Harris. onthe witness
stand IN the circuit court here this
morning, in his attempt to prove he
acted in self defense. described in de-
tail the killing of John Henson Poole
in his little cabin near Penniheld's lock
Of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal on
the morning of July p.
Poole and I were together in Wat
ter's store in Travillah until about Q
O'Clock the evening before
We left the store together and went
directly home and found my sister and
a friend. Mrs. Pierson. IN the dining
room I talked with them until nearly
midnight. when they went to bed.
I read for sbnuf half an hour and
the next morning got up at O'Clock
and went 10 Poole's place. arriving there
knew he sold il and the night before
supply
Came For Booze.
I came after some booze. / said
when Poole came TO the door. He In
vited me in and said:
Wen have a couple of drinks. Sit
down. You are not in any hurry. are
you.
I'VE had several drinks together.
three or four. When 1 got Up to go l
said to Poole,
If you let me have a little whisky
I'll be going back home
III have to put some water in it,
Poole replied.
"I told Poole it was bad enough any
way to sell such bum whisky without
putting water in 1t. He cursed me and
that started the quarrel.
He picked up small hammer from
the floor and with fl raised In his right
hand he came toward me. 1 knocked
Henson down and as ne got up he
reached for a small rifle which was In
a corner Of the room.
Some way managed 20 get the rife,
but he got the hammer again and tried
to attack me the third time Then
fired the rifle. ] don't know where the
bullet hit him. He fell to the floor
but came after me again.
Shot Him Twice.
'"Then / picked up the hammer and
struck him on .he head. After that
deliberately shot him twice and, in the
/ excitement I did not know what ] was
doing
/ L went to the other room, took an,
other drink. gathered up Henson's body
and packed ii into the little cIoest.
/ filled three bottles with whisky. two
pints and a quart, and started back
/ to Travillah. After going a short dis
tance. 1 thought l had better go bach
and lock up the house.
! 7 remembered that Henson always
/ carried his keys in lis trousers pocket
which were hanging in the main clOse
I that ] put the body in. / took the keys
and found that there was a roll oI
] monpv--S52-so / took that too. But
4 really did not need It, since 1 had 81
/ Of my own. I went back 10 Travillal
and bought a shirt. and engaged team
/ from Rockville, and took my sister and
i her friend TO the county fair that after
noon"
4 Two witnesses were called By the
I prosecution when the court convened
I this morning 10 cOTTObOrate the testi
mOny OF other State witnesses. The
/ State closed its case at 1910. after which
] the attorney called Harris into the
/ judges room and conferred with hin
! for nearly an hour before putting OF
any witnesses for the defense. Scot
prosecution just before it closed its case
Told of Confession.
Collins testimony related TO vol
untary confession which Harris made {,
him when he was confined Ia the Rock
/ vile jail. This confession was substan
4 TALLY the same as Harris own storI
/ on the witness stand.
/ After two witnesses had been called
( by the defense to establish Harris
/ movements the night before he is sup
1 posed to have killed Poole. Mrs. Jef
! ferson Harris, mother of the defendant
was called TO the stand, and told abOu
her son disappearing from home earll
/ on the morning Of July q. Mrs. Har
ris' voice was choked with sObs, and +
was with difficulty that she controlled
herself so that she could answer IN,
questions put by her sons attorney.
Following her usual custom, she go
/ Up about o'clock that morning anC
( found her son asleep on couch IN tn,
/ dinlng-roOm. She went back 70 bed
and when she got up two hours later
/ Young Harris had left the house.
! The defense closed its case at 1913
/ n clock after two witnesses were CalIe,
| IN rebuttal by the State. The cOur
/ then adjourned until o'clock.
/ The case probably will go 10 the jur.
\ late today
Harris Confession.
/ objection was made by counsel 70
/ the defense late Yesterday to the sdmis
sion Of the signed confession made b,
/ Harris shortly after being taken TO th
| jail at Baltimore This confession wa
made In the presence Of Captain Of De
tectlves Pmuphrey. Of Baltimore, VIII
was placed on the stand late yester
day afternoon
! The prosecution, however, showed tina
/ the confession was made voluntarily
/ and that no promises had been held on
! by the police 90 induce the prisoner {,
/ sign the document. The court theI
/ ruled that 10 was admissible as elI
/ dence.
Tn the confession Harris saws that h
| went so the little house which Pool
| occupied on the banks of the Chesa
! peake and ohio canal on July p last
| about o'clock I'm the morning III
] told Poole he had come after "a lripl
/ Of booze Poole invited him I'm an,
! fhcv had several drirIse topofLo,