Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1915-03-23
ARGUMENT
in PROGRESS
In The RenShaw Case Which
Will GO To Jury
To-day.
CROWDS ATTEND EVERY DAY.
Commonwealth Closed With
Several Witnesses To De-
StrOy The Alibi of Defense.

The testimony for the prosecution,
in the Wilson. Chain murder trial,
was concluded Friday afternoon and
Saturday.
Doc Beaumont, COL, stated that
he heard the defendants conversing
in Wilson s cell in the latter part of
January or early in February. Chain
said to Wilson, You'd better get a
lawyer" Wilson replied, II don't
need lawyer. you're the one that
fired the shot" On cross examina
ton, he admitted he didn't know
that Mr.. Southail had been engaged
by Wilson since November. He de-
MED that the prosecution had offered
him light sentence for his offense
if he would testify. Upon being
asked if Chain was not in the Hen
derson Jail at the time he is alleged to
have heard the conversation, he said
that this was before Chain was tax.
en- away.
Geo. Rives, Nortonville negro,
was introduced and testified that
Chain had talked with him in Nor
tonville in November. Said that
Chain said he was en- route to St.
Louis, that he had just killed a white
man in Hopkinsville, and was escap.
ing to st. Louis.
Ophelia Golden, a negro woman,
stated that she was walking along
on Durrett's avenue, and Chain ap
preached her and wanted to wall
with her. She told him she wouldn't
walk with him, to which he replied
"Ifyou don't walk with me, you won't
do anybody else any good. I've shot
one man. | killed Mr.. Renshaw. D
This was about the time of the fair,
a few days after the murder.
Eugene Harrison, deputy jailer,
introduced a letter written by Chain
to his mother. He wanted his folks
to see Blind Mary and get her to
help him. Complained of his treat
ment and of injustice, and stated
rather than be convicted, he would
commit suicide or kill the jailer.
Reiterated his innocence.
Lizzie Hart, COL, did not know of
any connection existing between Tip
Leavell and Chain.
At this juncture, the common
wealth announced the sickness of
Stephen Haynes. their last witness,
and the court adjourned till Satur-
day morning. He testified that he
heard Chain threaten to kill some
body to get some money. At 1890
the common wealth closed and Bub-
Der Chain was the first defense wit
ness. He told the same story he has
stuck to all along; said he worked
the entire day in his fathers tobacco
field on Durrett avenue and did not
hear of the shooting until he came
down town after supper. Said he
was not on the GAINESVILLE pike at all
that day, did not see Mr.. Renshaw
that day and only knew him by sight
and had nothing at all against him.
Denied that he had stated to Rives
or the Gholson woman that he had
shot Mr.. Renshaw or anybody else
or that he had threatened to kill
some one in talking to Haynes. and
denied every discriminating bit of
evidence which the prosecution had
brought out against him. Said he
was not with Ernest Wilson at all
that day and had not seen him since
the previous Sunday.
A great many defense witnesses
were introduced Saturday in support
of the alibi and general denial of the
defendants. The case was resumed
yesterday morning.
The prosecution introduced sever.
al witnesses in rebuttal yesterday
and the case was ready for argu.
ment in the afternoon. There may
be several speeches and the jury will
take the case some time to day. In.
terest has been great throughout the
trial, the court room at times being