Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-12-14

leading to the courtroom. The
crowd was unable to effect al
entrance. however, and attor-
neys, press representatives and
persons carrying cards. of of adj
mittance literally had to fight
their way in.
Hardie !Sr ith was the out
standing witness of the forenoon
session.
Hardin Smith, ferryman at
Boonesboro, testified he ierried
beth men across the river after
midnight on July 24th. lie sad
both men we're in an automobile.
Smith said that he lived in
Madison county all the 81 years
of his life. He said he was the
son-in-law of W. NJ. Asher. who
operates The ferry. He said on
the night of July "A he saw
Hardman cross the ferry after
midnight in a Dodge roadster
with Reese Fox. Fox driving. He
said there was barge party on
the river that night. He said he
was particularly attracted to the
car because the men continually
blew their horn.
He said lie didn't know where
they went after they crossed the
ferry. He said on cross examina-
ton that -he only time he ever
saw Ora Slater. private detect
i've, was when Slater came up to
him during the war, in Cincinna-
ii, and asked him for his regis
tration card. He said he had
never forgotten him.
He said he first saw Scobec
Hardman at the be ch at
Boonesboro and knew him. He
said that anybody named Ash
craft worked on the ferry the
night of July "a. He said tha;
the barge party WAS over soon
after he took Fox and Hardman
across the river.
He said he took Harvey Ringo
and a man named Crcech across
the ferry earlier in the night
This, he said, was 40 or so min
utes before he took Fox and
Hardman across.
Smith was put under vigorous
cross examination i'll an attempt
to prove rhat he had motive IN
testifying, changed his story
since the examining trial or had
been told what to say.
He was on the stand more
than an hour. During his testi-
mony he declared that after
Hardman's examining trial Sher-
iff J. Dee Bush had quizzed him
in an effort to confuse his story.
At the examining trials of
Hardman and Fox, Smith said
that the conversation took place
in an ante room of the court
house after he had testified i'll
the trial and that Sheriff Bush
asked him to describe the clothes
Hardman and Fox wore and 9th
details he did not know in an
effort to Iiscrcdit his story. He
further said that the sheriff ask
ed him to name men he had ta-
ken across the river two or three
years ago. and he, Of course,
could not remember who they
were.
James Nolcini. witness for the
defense, then talked to him at
he same Tine in an effort to
make him admit, Smith said,
hat he told the wrong story on
he witness stand.
At the examining trials OF
Reese Fox. Sheriff Bush was put
III the stanI by the prosecution
which charged he not only fail
ID to cooperate with the other
authorities in investigation OF
the murder, but actually OBJ
,tructed the investigation.
Thomas Blackey, of Winches-
or. testified re heard rapidly
moving automobile IN in g
down the street from the direc-
ton of the Renaker home but
did not see it. He said it was
after midnight but he could not
fix the day Of thu week.
Miss Ella Hazelwood, of Lo-
hist Grove. Clark county. said
she was on the barge party at
the river on the night of July "a.
She said at Is minutes to z
o'clock she saw roadster auto
mobile come to the river, that
the horn blew quite a number
Of times, which attracted her
attention. She said she didn't
know either of the two men III
the car.
Miss Irene Dillon corroborat-
ed the story of Miss ,HazelWood,