The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-07-28
STATE BEGINS
EVIDENCE IN
SHERIDAN CASE
Adjournment Taken Until Monday
When Prosecution Will Finish
Evidence.
SESSIONS In OPERA HOUSE
Several Lawyers Of State Fame Are
Arranged as Opposing
Counsel
SESSIONS IN OPERA HOUSE

The jury was completed, the OPEN
ing statements made and portion
of the evidence for the prosecution
heard Friday in the Sheridan muir
der case at Vienna, Ill. This case
has attracted much attention, OWN !
TO the prominence of the principals,
and it is being warmly contested.
The prosecution is represented by
Special States Attorney Cowan,
George w English and Judge w. A.
Spann Of Vienna, and James Lingle
OF Jonesboro. The defendants at-
torneys are Angus Leek and Reed
Green of Cairo and hartweH and
White of Marion.
Statement of the Case.
On the alternoon of saturday,
September 10, 1910, States Attorney
Thomas w Sheridan shot and killed
Harry Thacker. The killing was
the outcome of strained relations be-.
tween Sheridan and Frank 1ThaCker,
father of Harry Thacker and a
county commissioner at the tnfe
States Attorney Sheridan who was
also the proprietor and editor of the
Vienna Times, had made attacks in
his paper upon the elder Thaeker,
taking exceptions to several of his
official acts Young Thaeker called
upon Sheridan at his office To- re-
monstrate; a quarrel and a seuffle
following in which Thacker was
killed
Sheridan was arrested and was
placed in the Johnson county jail
where he remained a short time and
was later brought to Cairo and
placed in the Alexander county jail.
While here habeas corpus proceed
/, ings were instituted and he was re-
leased on bond.
Examination of Witnesses.
The first witness called was. thu
father of the dead man, Frank
Thacker, followed by Charles Thack
er, brother, Frank Webb, farm
hand and several others whose evil
to the tragedy,
Yesterday morning the first wit
ness called was Frank Veach. He
stated he was in Vienna at the time
of the killing. He saw two men
scuffling in the stairway leading IN
to Sheridan's office as he was pass
| ing the doorway. He recognized
both men. Saw Sheridan shoot
| Thacker, then went up stairs to his
| office Being asked if he saw a
| weapon in Thackcr's hand, stated he
did not; neither did he see Thacknr
| strike Sheridan. Attorney Leek on
| cross examining Veach tried to con
| fuse the witness and tried to show
that he had told conflicting stories
| to different people after the killing
| The next witness, Mrs. Nina Wal.
| ker, a storekeeper, stated she had
stepped ont on the sidewalk in
| 'ront of her store moment and
| noticed the two men scuffIing ~
| the stairway: she ran back toward.
her store, then heard a shot fired
! but did not see the shooting.
On cross examination by AttorneS
| Leek she said she. had neard no noise
in the stairway previous to the time
she saw the men scuffling.
Thomas Cooper testified: He wa,
standing on the walk in conversation
with two men when some one salt
something about fight. lie Wen
to the stairway and saw Sheridan
and Thacker in each Others grasp
Witness Heard Threats.
Thomas Burns testified he was II
Vienna few days before the kill
ing. Stood talking 20 Thaeker who,
sheridan approached. calling Thack
err aside to talk to him. He did no
learn what it was about. A day o.
.wo later in talking to Sheridan h,
/ made some reference to his quarre
nth Thacker. This was the frs
ntimation witness had that quar-
rel had ensued between them
heridan said to him. "Oh. | will
give 1t to them; II they don't lik,
that I'll give them something they'r,
not looking for.
| DR.. Brown, cousin of Harr
rhacker, said Thacker was brough
to him fifteen minutes after tn
shooting, he found Thacker had
wound over his left eye and TIL
bullet had penetrated the brain
Thacker died two hours and a hal
fter being taken to his office
hacker was unconscious the entir,
/ lime He assisted in searching