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THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN TELLSHER STORY.Klw Muypi Haw I»hmwi Muritar Mult AIKlnl»y. Anwihsv Wllnm lUWiit* Her T*»nHm«M»y~ The, gtuft« CImmn JU Usm*.Yesterday wax a sensational day m thetrial of Ephraim Faunee for the murder of Matthew McKinley. A woman was put on the standby the state who testified that she saw Faunae strike McKinley and knock him down and after-wurda shoot him. She a wore |Hsitive]y that she saw the men distinctly and ufterwarda saw the prisoner in jail andidentified him as the murderer. Ft isclaimed by the defense, liow'ever, that the woman 10 of 1ad character and is not worthy of Ixriief. It is further claimed that the wittiest* has told that the state's attorney promised her assistance in procuring a divorce from her husband if she would consent to testify,and* the story goes that she wants a divorce to enable her to marry a negro with whom she has been living. This woman is Mrs, Alice Oliphant, theMYSTERIOUS WOMAN,from whom sensational testimony was promised, and the promise has been made good. She testified that she met Faunee near Pete Bells* saloon shortly before the murder was committed and he asked her to go to a room with him and get a girl for his “pard/* She told him she was afraid Marshal Mason might see them, and Faunee replied with an oath that* if Marshal Mason interfered with him he would shoot the top of his head off. Witness saw Faunee go away and follow two women, culling after them, “Hello, Ida!” Bho then described the circumstance of the women calling for haip, of McKinley running across the street to them and of seeing Faunce’knock McKinley down and shoot him. After the arrest of Fannce she visited him at the juil, and she declares he told her that if she testified against him, he would fix her asH* riXM MAET m’kINLKY,and that if she wanted to go away his mother would give her the money to go with. On cross examination the witness admitted that she did not live with her husband; that he left her last June.'ivifnaan urn a iinahln rAmAmhnr1 9wlr?*2S, Put on the standand testified as follows;Mro. Kwjah MuOowlwin, uoiorwl-1ive« on Kina ntpat. nur th, fair ffroonda. On the even Inn of July :i Mr..Oliphant cmne to my house at about 7 p. m. and staid until 10 p. m. Hhe cameon bualmm Alsiut HftMn minutesafter she left f heard of the murder.*During the cross-examination of thiswitness counsel wrangled and snarled a great deal; ouch side charged the other with having seen the witness oTUner than was favorable to truth and veracity,After nil it was the old story which terminates with the classical language:“Ridiculus inuK nascitur.”Mol lie McGoodwin, alaxit M years old, corroborated the evidence lt;jf her grandmother, who preceded her.Mrs. Rebecca Mmith came up town with Mrs. Griffith oil tlie evening of July 9; returned down Franklin street. After crossing Main street I was a little ahead, heard some one tripping lightly behind. A man called out, “Ida/* to Mrs. Grif tlth. He followed ua almost to the alls) ; saw two men at the lamp poet, a large one and a email one. Mrs. Griffith and he quarreled, calling each other names. I got a glimpse of the man; don’t know who he was; think he bad on dftrk clothes; he wasn't a large man; it was dark and I • waa frightened. I went on toWood street, where there wenfepome men, Think the man who followed ua had a smooth face. H wasn't Mrs. Griffith's husband, f would have known his voice.Court adjourned till 0 o’clock this morning, much to the relief of all parties interested. The court room had been warm, close and dark all day by reason of the murky weather prevailing.EVIDENCE IN REBUTTAL.It is stated on good authority that Mrs. Oliphant, the “mysterious woman, who gave such positive testimony against Faunee, is a woman of shady reputation and that she did not identify Faunee, when taken to the jail to do so, until,after she bad asked another prisoner' who he was. The other prisoner was Harry Ishler, who is now doing a jail sentenoe for being accessory to a burglary. It appears that she tried three successive times to identify Faunee at the jail. The first time she refused to point out any of the prisoners, saying she was afraid to do so. The second time she designated as the murderer of McKinley a very light colored negro who was arrested in July for gaming.Before making the third attempt she asked Ishler which prisoner was FauneeP'and after Ishler had told her she pointed to Faunee and said “That is the man who killed Matt McKinley. Ishler willbe put on the stand by the defense to rebut Mrs. Oliphant/a testimony.RAILROAO RUMBLINGS.Freight No, 99 when pulling out
Newspaper Details
Decatur Daily Despatch
Decatur, Illinois, US
Sat, Nov 02, 1889
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Decatur P.
IL, USA 26 Aug 2019
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