The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-08

ing 1t from one OF confidence in my
client to one of doubt. AZ first Buck
punkum was suspected. and he was
not placed on the stand at the in
quest All. gentlemen of the jury. no
woman fired that shot" lie stopped to
pay tribute TO ~ w. and Mrs. Ellen
HALL who have been so loyal to their
accused dauEhter-in-law. saying that
they would have been the first to tear
her to pieces had they suspected her.
would GLADLY pass over Sterling
Hall. not for his sake. but for the sake
OF his parents. But l will spare no
man in behalf of my client am
sworn TO defend that defenseless. Wild
owed woman
lie eXcoriated Detective II. e. Mac
Kay. of the Pinkerton National Do
tective Agency saying that he start
Cd on his investigation with Il lie, ART
Sretarrcd to him as that red headed
and pop-eye0 detective" He paid his
respects also to Detective Scott of the
State Bureau of Insurance, and said
There was never 4 whisper against
AIRS. Hall until this man Scott came
upon the scene and said to her: 'Don't
YOU know that you are suspected" They
were trying TO say that she wanted to
set rid OF Victor Hall so that she could
marry Bill Roberts And | want to
stor right here to say something for
poor old Bill. He has been badly
trimmed. old Hill has One hand is gone,
aud he has only Il thumb and finger on
the other But ne is Il fine man. and
he has been kind to this woman when
others were against her. But Scott
inSulted Mrs. Hall in the sacred pre-
cincts of her own home. I wont say il
is not neccSSsPy to have detectives, but
II is equally necessary to have statutes
Don't YOU know. though. that this
Pinkcr:on detective agency hires out
armed posses To shoot people down, and
that every one of them carries IL gun?
TINS man Mackay. i'll my opinion has
come here and deliberately sworn to a
ialYchood and gotten Sterling Hall to
backStand him"
RIDICUIES IDEA THAT
SHELL SMELLED OF COFFEE
Then Mr.. Gordon went OH to ridi-
Guile the idea that the empty shell
found in Victor Hairs pistol had smell
ed Of coffee. pointing to the fact that
it had been left long time in her
home. 1t has been established. he
contended. that Miss Hall. the Com
monwcalth's own witness, had fired
the pistol Il month or six weeks be-
fore the murder, and that the Com
monwealth had tried to prove their
own witness a liar. He said that
Charles Johnston's testimony about
having examined the pistol and finding
it loaded all round was another lie
IL bore the impression Of frame up
from its incipiency to Its end. when
Johnston came here and swore false
y he ought to be prosecuted for per-
jury he said. MIR. Gordon compared
the activity Of the detectives against
Mrs. Hall with the energy which was
displayed in upholdnG the dignity and
honor OF the IIillsvillc court during
the Allen trial.
They say" he went on, that my
client had blood on her face and
hands. thank God for that. 1t
proves that she went TO his side and
assisted him. and that she got the
blood on her while attending to her
dying husband. If she had shot him
herself and gotten blooN on her she
would nave washed ii off before call
ing Hccktc aud Buck Dunkum And
those bloody clothes. out of which the
prosecution has made SO much CAPT
tai 1t has been proved that they were
buried on the order of the coroner and
Mrs Ellen Hall, Nictor's mother. And
Charles Chisholm, the negro who
buried them and who was so hostile
TO my client, had his mind poisoned
by the detectives" AS to Mrs Hall
not having Oh IL nghtgown that
night. he said that il had been put
in the evidence that she took il off
because she had gotten It vet at the
sleep in a kimono.
II am going to prove" he went on,
that Victor Hall was not killed by "A
woman. That man, In some way we
do not know. was struck down and
then shot by some man, possibly.
don't know how he was killed. but
do know. from my own experience,
that no woman could have given him
that blow over the eye and knock ed
him down. The evidence shows that
he WAS killed by a man. Was there
IL man about the place that night who
could have killed him" They say not.
and they want us TO prove that there
was some agent other than Mrs. Hall.
And now, gentlemen OF the jury,
come 10 Buck Dunkum. and | do it
very sadly. We are not required TO
prove motive, because only God can
look into mans heart and see what
impels him. Not only is there not a
motive In this case. but every motive
Mrs. Hall could have had was not to
destroy her husband. but to preserve
him. Judge" he said, addressing Mr..
Fulton. whom he always referred to as
Judge"
HE POINTS ACCUSING
FINGER At DJNI<UNI
Was there any one else who could
have had a motive TO Kill him? Gen
tlcmen of the jury, there was one ma II
who was his rival, one man who had
lost his store that night by fire, either
by the hand OF an inccndiary or by his
own hand. lie had a new store The
evidence shows that Buck Dunkum had
been III partnership with his brother:
il shows that that partnership had been
dissolved. and that he had become a
competitor OF Victor Uall. II shows,
not only that they were competitors,
hut Buck Dunkum said to Mackay that
The did not know whether Victor could
run him out of business. but that he
was cutting down mighty close. The
evidence shows that Buck Dunllun and
his wife are mighty interested in this