The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-09-16
FATHER Of IRA. ),
ROUSH TELLS 0El
DEAL FOR BON,
IDENTIFIES COAT
WORN BY GRIFFITH
When Captured in South Car
olina AS Garment Son
Wore Before Death. ~.
N DWIoKT THT11

FONT Pleasant. w. Va. Sept H.
During the first day Of his actual trial
W. H. CHolly") Griffith for the nul.
dor Of Ira Roush, the state with fifteen
witnesses wove 4 chain Of circumSt4A.
tial evidence around the accused which
Is apparently unbreakabls.
witness after witness testified to the
appearance Of stranger In the little
towns Of APP Grove. Ohio: LstASt
Falls. Ohio. ant ,ntiquity. Ohio. on the
day previous the disappearancs OF
Ira Roush. TIL, Dwns, just q few miles
apart are up Ohio river from Al.
tiquity Uitne - described mlnutaly
tho clothing which the stranger woHA
blue overalls. dark grey coat. dark esp.
Witnesses when asked II they could
describe the stranger II brought face
to face with him. said smphadoaHy
they could They were asked to look
around the courtroom and see II hO
were present. without exception the
prisoner. Holly Griffith, was points6
out.
rsst1moay unshAksa. -.
Counsel for tho defense endeavcrsd ~
grilling cross examination to shake Wit
nesses In Identification Of Griffith -
the stranger referred to. without avail
The case against the prisoner waS made
oil the more certain with cross a1anin'
alton. :
Accused By Victims RotAss. ~
During the morning session Griffhh
was asked to stand to his feet for tdsA.
tifIcat!on by one OF the witnesses. just
as he arose a piercing cry broke out
from spectators. "Oh. Griffith. you
dirty. dirty dog, you killed my boy"
II was tho aged and grey hairo4
mother Of Ira Roush. who had just en-
tered the court room. and who had net
seen Griffith since the morning Of J4As
uary IL. when he Is alleged to have lstb
her home with her son. whose body w1s
dragged from the Ohio river several
days later. The woman. overcome With
grief. was escorted from the court room
10 an ante-chamber whcre she grad'
ually grew calm.
|. Court Kouss Crowded.
The court house. as usual. was crowd.
ed to standing room capacity. sptcta-
tors listening with death-like stiffness
while tho web OF evidence closed closer
and closer around the accused.
Feeling In Point Pleasant might b
said to be little moro than lively curl
osity. After adjournment Of court late
this afternoon, many persons were shAk-
ing their heads and saying there could
hardly be any question about Grtffth's
guilt: that It would take exceptionally
strong testimony to offset evtdsnce
brought out and to establish an abb
by the defense.
Griffith never for an instant showed
the slightest nervousness. Even when
Mrs. Rou.h made the dramatic scene
this morning. the prisoner never chang.
ed face and did not show the slightest
interest In the proceedings. He never
so much as looked around. sat there
with a slight snpercilious smile OF con.
tempt and Indifference. His mother, sit.
ting near Him. offered a pitiful contrast
10 the son: her face was sorToW.vorn
and eyes showed signs Of having vNpt
much. She just sat there with . look
on the face which only mother caa
hay. who has been resigned TO fats.
Seeing her son In the prison cha4s
charged with one Of the two foulsSR
crimes IN tho category OF the Law. hef
eyes swelled with tears her hesfs
broken.
Chain Of Hvtdsnes.
In all fifteen witnesses were exam.
lned to-day by the state. and not one o
them failed in providing 4 strong NRk
In tho chain Of evidence AGAINST Grit-
fifth. Through them tho accused vas
traced from Apple Grove. Ohio. Whsss
(Coatnusd on PaGs Dight)