Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-12
SCENES AT MURDER
OF CONNELL TOLD
Widow Tells Jury Circumstances
Surrounding Crime and Identi-
fies Clothing Worn.
COURSE OF BULLET IS ISSUE


LAS CRUCES, N. M, Sept. IL
Especial Telegram - Dramatically
Ralph Connell's widow told the court
the facts surrounding the killing
she referred to 1t as the murder OF
her husband at Tularosa-at the
trial of James L. Porter, charged
with murder in connection with the
killing Of Connell, on June II. 1914.
Il saw Ralph last alive. when he
had ridden away on his sorrel horse
to drive the aus head Of beef cattle
10 the Mascalero Indian reservation
the molntsins,' Mrs, connell tss-
tilted. "Soon. after, Florence, aged
10, came running to the house cry
ing and wringing her hands:
They've killed papa she shouted.
where asked her.
"In front Of Porters house. she said,
as she ran into our house and threw
herself on the bed in an abandonment
of grief.
II started to go to the scene Of the
killing, but was told that they would
kill me, too. 1 insisted upon going and
it was only when l was restrained by
force that they succeeded In keeping me
away from the spot where my husband
was murdered"
Mrs. Connell identified the bioodsoaked
neeligee shirt and gray coat which Con-
nell wore when he was shot and In bot1
of which there were two punctures as u
made by bullet The hole was in the
I left shoulder of each garment and the
two garments were introduced In evil
dence against the strenuous objections OF
I the attorneys for the defense Mrs. Con-
/ nell also identified picture OF her hus-
/ band on a horse with his daughter
Helen, in his arms.
! On cross-examination, Mrs. Connel
toned down her testimony regarding the
/ condit on of Porter at the contempt pro-
/ ceedIngs In Alamogordo. She had testl-
fled that he was drunk. This, she was
forced to a6mit. was not the exact fact
as she said, she believed he had had a
drink, but was not drunk. She said She
did not believe that Conneli signed the
petition which had brought Porter Into
court on the contempt charge.
Bullets Taken from body.
Henry Purdy. a member OF the coro-
ners jury VIII ch examined Connell's body
following the killing, was also a wit
ness TODAY. and said. that Connell 4
body was on the road on the left side
and It was near the Porter residence
Jose Duran was standing beside the body
he said. He said the body had beer
probed for bullets after the jury wai
impanelled and that pieces OF sharttered
bullets had ben removed from the body
He said a search of the Porter house
was made and only pistol and rifle
were found and ne ther had been fired
He said he saw Mrs. Porter and o. M
Tally, but no one else in the porter
house following the shooting. He said
he had buried the pieces Of bullets, fear
ing they would be taken from him by
violence by some desperate man.
Range of Bullets.
DIR. Mcdaniel, who conducted the au
topsy, was also examined, as was Df
John r. Galloway. a government sur
geon from the Indian reservation. 4
dispute as to the range of the bule
followed as one testified that the rang
vas up. Indicating that the firing ha
been done from the ground. while Con
nell was mounted. while the other IN
, sisted that the course OF the bullet wa
somewhat downward. as If fired fror
horseback or while connel was on tn
ground.
A. J. Buck, the undertaken who pre-
pared the body for burial. also testifie
that the bullets were found by him an
given to an assistant. He said the rang
OF the bullet was not far from tram
verse. The case was continued over Sur
day and viii be resumed Monday mora
ing 1t is attracting crowds from a
marta of New Mexico