The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-01-27
ONLY ONE WITNESS PIT o,
. STAND FOR DEFENSE
YESTERDAY.
apparently Depending on "Un~ritten
Law 70 Hsip Prisoner-Damas-
Ing Testimony BY State.

A. f.o5 O'Clock last evening all tss-
timony In The murder case Of the State
". William Thomas bad hsen com.
pleted and adjournment vas taken
untI this morning A. ? 20 O'Clock.
when arguments 10 the jury Wiu be
made BY the attorneys.
From every angle a. Seems that the
state has a conclusive case. the attor
neys for the defense admitting that
their client q killed his wife. Freda
Thomas. on a night IN September last.
They bold the @unWritten Law a. a
rule in this case. a man shootinE Al
another whO he feels a. breaking up
his home. and accidentally kills the
woman herself The defense claims
that George Papus was In the room
Win the Thomas woman at 'he time
OF The shooting. and hat they had
been in bed together.
A stinging blow was dealt this con
tention In the afternoon when the
Creek who was charged with being in
tho room was placed on the stand aud
denied the statement. and wa backed
up soon after In his statements By Or.
George W. Abersold. who said that
during the month Of September he had
performed an operation on the man.
This confused h defendants attor.
nCys.
Thomas Not on Stand.
The state has gained consistently
throughout the hearing. and yester-
day evening the defense. after placing
one man on the stand. said they were
willing 10 rest. Thomas. the defend
ant. was not placed Pm the stand. but
his attorneys feel that his statement
20 Captain Henry Frohme will have
some weight in his defense.
II can be said with truth. unpreju.
diced. that the defense has failed ut
terry. and a hrst degree murder yer.
uict would not be surprising. The de
PENDANT attorneys seem willing 10 be
satisfied N their client escapes the
hangman's moose 4 wal seems to
have brewed itself into the defendant
attorneys. who do not seem TO agree
on a great number OF points al bar.
\ great deal Of Interest was shown
In the trial yesterday. persons stand
Ing out In the corridors. nNiOu 90 get
into the court room and hear the case
\ large number Of colored people were
numbered among the crowd The
mother and sister OF Mrs. Thompson
were In their usual places yesterday.
The Two boys OF Thomas testified
against their father, they being the
first ON the stand.
Prosecutor Opens.
In opening. Prosecutor AddIemau
said: You have been and
selected here as twelve men unbiased
unpreiudiced and minds free from
opinions. On the night before Enamel
patton day the STATE Will prove 90 you
this defendant returned FROM MiuuO
with beer and whisksy. tina he and
Hfu rgNFa nrruvvaH.I sha# A. ..r.
her with a glass spOonholder and
threw her about The room. lie forced
her up stairs. That was the last the
Two little boys saw % their step
mother until one OF them went 10 her
room the next morning TO awaken
her. She was dead. Their father was
gone
The house was topsy-turvey and
Thomas r1zors We're gone from his
barber shop downstairs. We will provs
that Thomas left his home that night.
that he rode In "a wagon at Steuben-
VIII" the next morning and that q
u dropped from his pocket We Will
produce that gun and have g. idcntl-
fled as that owned 10y Thomas. IL b.
"a is calibre lvcr-JOhnsou weapon"
For he defense Attorney Sheridan
Moore explained the object Of an open
ing statement by counself. u said IL
vas AN outline Of the case. He told
how Thomas made "a statement 10 the
attorneys for The state. and how he
said he shot at q man in his wifes
room aud killed his wife by accident
eff we prove this statement true. said
the attorney. We will ask for "a YER
dict of not guilty
Graham Causes Surprise.
At this point Attorney Graham. also
counsel for the defense. asked % b,