The Washington herald., 1917-09-25
Means ANSWERS.
MURDER Charge.
Witnesses Disagree on Time
Shot Was Fired-Expert
Testimony Impeached.
by DAVID N. CH UhCh.
(Staff Correspondent i. N. So

NOHSOIuI ~. ~ sept. Inc lliiIS
/ fixed by CASTOR Means as the hour
OF the death OF Mrs. Maude A. King,
when she was killed by a revolver
shot at Blackwelder Spring on the
night Of August %, was shaken by
the State today. The preliminary
hearing OF CASTOR B. Means, charged
with the murder of the woman. pro-
ceeded slowly. Capt. bingham, the
sole member OF the automobile party
to be put upon the stand and gen.
orally regarded as a defense witness.
testified it was still light-half day
light and half moonlight-when Mrs.
King was shot.
Charles S. Dry, a farmer who lives
within 200 yards of the spring, tes-
tiGed, and refused TO be shaken. that
! it was dark when he heard the shot
and heard members OF Inc party call
ing to each other.
Further than thl.. nothing definite
was established. Capt. Bingham could
I not Judge the time, but Dry fixed
/ II because he had "just gone for
| his tobacco pouch and found II lying
by the clock and it was exactly three
minutes after s." CASTOR Means in
much earlier than this.
During the day, the greatest efforts
made by the defense were to impeach
the expert testimony of witnesses
| brought here from Chicago and New
York.
For more than two hours this aft
ernoon he held a battle OF words with
DR.. Otto Schults, the New York
physician, who testified that it would
have been an anatomical impossible
! ity for Mrs. King TO kill herself. The
battle of words was a hot one, with
the physician always on top and his
testimony mistaken.
When the defense fnishecs DR..
Schults left the stand, and there was
loud clapping and cheering from the
gallery.
Means Appears Early.
Alton Means and his wife were early
on the scene. Mrs. Alton Means, car
I rylng notebooks and pencils. seated
| herself at a table and took steno-
graphic notes for the defendants
counsel.
| Hardly had court been opened when
| former Judge Osborne filed petition.
/ signed Wy CASTOR Means. requesting
I 1llN SADSAlAhNloAl VI illONiAtl JAeAANNs A'D-
| licitor Clement objected. but not
strenuously. and Magistrate a. e.
Hits, also of Concord, assumed charge
Of the hearing.
Capt. Bingham Testihes.
Capt. VIM. II. Bingham. one of the
party which drove to Blackwelder
| Spring the night of the fatal 18th of
81 h.
! that night when CASTOR Means ap-
/ peared. The defendant asked him to
| take an automobile ride. They drove
10 the Means home, where they were
/ joined bv Mrs. King and Alton Means.
/ Thence they went to the vicinity of
| the springs.
Carrying a shotgun, the captain
| left the automobile and walked about
| l2l yards toward the gold hill road.
I There be stopped and started to return
to the car, meeting Alton Means
walking toward him. Meanwhile the
car had been turned and had pro-
ceeded a short distance.
Coincident with that a pistol shot
| rang out And Immediately afterward
CASTOR Means called:
ALTON: Capt. Bingham come here,
! right quick"
They found Mrs. King lying be-
! side the forked tree. with Means
| bending over and attempting to
put water on her face" Mrs. King
appeared to be dead, he declared.
They lifted her into the car and
drove to the hospital, leaving her
hat and left slipper by the tree.
Under cross examination Capt
| Bingham said he, the Means broth
ers, Mrs. King and her sister. Mrs.
Melvin, had made several shooting
excursions. Returning to the
tragedy he said CASTOR had eX-
planned:
"Maude accidentally shot herself
with this little eevolver here
The second shot, heard by Dry,
was explained by Capt. Bingham. by
the statement that he Inadvertently
discharged his shotgun while pump
ing out the shells.