The Washington times., 1922-10-19
SAW FURR WITH !
Gun, BOY TELLS.
LEESBURCJUR
Staying Trial Gets Under Way
With Mostly Farmers as
: - TaIesmen.

LEESBURG, Va, Oct. 19.--The
trial of Louis Furr, the first of
the quartette of Furrs charged
with the murder of Irvine Hatcher
at Middleburg, April IS, began
yesterday at Loudoun courthouse,
Leesburg. Some wrangling be-
tween counsel occurred on the
exclusion Of witnesses with regard
to the three other defendants who
may be called as witnesses for
the defense. Judge Latham
Fletcher, the presiding judge,
ruled these defendant witnesses
out of court.
Mrs. Belmont Called.
The witnesses called by Sheriff
Edwards included Mrs. Raymond
Belmont. Commonwealth Attorney
Cecil Connor presented the States
case to the jury. Col. E. E. Gar
rett followed, with defendants pres
entation and announced that Melton
Furr. who has confessed to the kill
ing OF Hatcher, will testify in favor
Of his cousin, Louis Furr, now on
trial.
Mrs. Irvine Hatcher, widow Of the
murdered man, was the first witness
10 appear, with Jack" Lee examin.
ing the witness.
The turymen are pr n pally
farmers from points in northern
Loudoun, although the murder was
committed at Middleburg in the
southern end Of the county. Never
in the history Of Loudoun county
has the courthouse at Leesburg
known such a crowd or seen such
intense interest displayed.
For some time, there have been
strong rumors of animosity between
the families Of Raymond Belmont
and of Mrs. Katherine Elkins Hit.
and when Irving Hatcher, was kill
ed by one of the Furrs, on the night
of April Is. 1922, the animosity be-
came all the more acute. residents
of Middleburg and thereabouts lined
up with either the Belmont-Furr fac
tion or the Hitt-Hatcher faction.
The Furrs are employed on the Bel
mont estate.
A fund was raised at Middleburg
70 assist the prosecution and Aubrey
G. Weaver, of Front Royal, former
member Of the Virginia house of
delegates, was employed to assist
Cecil Conner, Commonwealth at.
torney of Loudoun and the Elkfns
Hits were substantial contributors
to the fund.
Dramatic Feature.
When Jack" Lee. known as the
"Virginia knight aErrant of the
Bar" and the foremost criminal law.
yer of the State. appeared at
the Leesburg courthouse, the drama
tic element become uppermost. Mr..
Lee is assisting Col. Wilbur c.
Hall, member OF the Virginia house
of delegates and E. e. Garrett, local
prominent attorney, in the defense
of Louis Furr. Mr.. Lee will remain
in Leesburg until Saturday night,
when 1t Is hoped that the t.ials
will be entirely completed.
Although Milton Furr confessed to
the killing Of Irving Hatcher, the
Commonwealth will endeavor to Fix
the murder upon his cousin, Louis
Furr.
Cause Of Staying.
About sixty witnesses will be ex.
4hO 40 odlu " hdNO
grown out of the fact that Shirley
White, an intimate friend of Irving
Hatcher, is charged with having
wronged a sister Of the Furrs', in
January. 1922. Judge Fletcher. sit
ting in the four murder cases, made
1t plain to the selected Jurors that
the accused men must be accorded
o strictly fair and impartial trial.
One of the juryman, S. r. ia
cobs. formerly q member Of Billy
Sundays singing outfit, is six feet
three tall and weighs 300 pounds.
j.. Humphrey Potts, when called
from the venire caused a ripple Of
amusement in the court house when
he emphatically declared he was
against capital punishment, now,
and always had been" Everyone in
the court room remembered that he
had been tried, and acquitted, for
murder some years ago.
The prosecution sprung a sur.
prise when the second witness was
called. He was Franklin Grey,
eleven years old, who lives across
the street from the Mitchell store
at Middleburg. in front Of which
the murder was committed.
The boy testified that shortly be-
fore the affair he had passed the
store and recognized Louis Furr by
the reflected light from the shop
window, had seen the accused
standing under a tree with a gun
in his hand and exchanged the
time with him" The witness. ac-
cording to his own testimony and
to the amusement of the spectators,
said that he had found his Satur.
day bath ready, had hoped in and
out Of 1t and was putting ON his
union suit" when the shot rang
out.
He Immediately told his mother
of having previously seen the ac-
Cused with the gun and his mother,
not wishing him to be mixed up in
the trial cautioned him not to men.
ton the matter, even to his father.
The boy severely kept his own
counsel until he learned yesterday
that Jack" Lee was to represent
the defendants.
Then he told his father and the
father brought the witness into
court.