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Mrs. Silas Phelps and Mrs. Emmet F. Haskins Both Present in the Courtroom. Little New Brought Out in Testimony. (From our Special Correspondent) Greenfield, Nov. 30—The taking of evidence in the case against Silas N. Phelps of Monroe Sridge indicted for killing Deputy Sheriff Emmett F. Haskins of Charlemont was begun this morning. The court room was well fill ed and among the spectators were Ar thur N. Haskins, son of the murdered man, and Mrs. Phelps, wife of the prisoner, and her 12 year old daughter Mabel. There were a number of wo men in the room who remained through the morning session. Mrs. Haskins, wife of the murdered man, and several other women are present in the courtroom also. Seven witnesses were examined to day and little new was brought out ex cept in the cross examination of An drew McIntyre, paymaster of the Ram age Paper Co. who was with William Penman when he was stabbed. He said that when Phelps met Penman, Phelps turned aside to let them pass but Pen man raised his arm and pointed his finger in Phelps’ face whereat the lat ter stabbed him. It is evident that the defense is try ing to build up the theory that Phelps saw a number of armed men about his house, thought that they had gone there to lynch him, and shot the first one who entered his house. Prosecution’s Opening District Attorney Irwin made his op ening address to the jury shortly after the opening of court. He said: ‘We have now arrived at that part of the trial where it is time to introduce evi dence. No matter what excitement may go on outside, in the court room can dor, honesty and deliberation should rue. Leave only in mind all the time to discover the truth that justice may be done. It is a duty which must be per formed irrespective of consequences. The prescribed law is better than the judgement of any one of us. The case before you is one of murder, so charg ed in the indictment.” “The case now before you,’’ he con tinued, “is not one of circumstantial evidence. The actors in the drama are all identified. The defendant is a young man who has lived in Monroe all his life. He was an engineer in the mill of the James Ramage ,Paper company working nights. On Saturday, June 1, he was discharged for not fulfilling his duty, in the office of the company. Some time before 6 o’clock there were harsh words, and he was ordered from the office. He went but before leaving, threatened the superintendent, saying he'd have his life's blood before morn ing. He visited a Mrs. Ramage after leaving the office and visited the store of Mr. Clark. He made threats in both places against the superintendent. As Mr. Penman, the superintendent, came up the grade from the mill, Phelps came from the boarding house yard and met him some 50 or 60 feet below the boarding house. Mr. Penman made a remark to Phelps, asking him why he did not take a tumble to himself. Without warning Phelps drew an op en knife from his pocket and stabbed Penman beneath the shoulder. Pen man’s companion, McIntyre, called Phelps a dirty coward. ‘Then Phelps packed away flourishing a knife in each hand. Mr. McIntyre, after helping Mr. Penman into the house summoned Sheriff Haskins. To him he related the circumstances leading up to the as sault. It was decided to go to the Phelps house, and they did, arriving at Phelps’ house at 4 o‘clock. He was ac companied by an armed posse. Sheriff Haskins, arriving at the house gave an alarm and Fhelps rushed to open the door. There was a consultation and two of the posse were stationed at the back door. Then the sheriff and two of the posse went to the front door and broke it down, entering the kitchen. Then the sheriff and two of the posse went to the door of the stairway. ‘Come down; I see you. Stop your shiuffing, he said. Like a flash came the shot and the sheriff reeled and fell dead, exclaiming: ‘He's got me.’ There was consternation, for the leader of the posse was gone. Shortly after Phelps appeared at the upper window and de manded that they quit the premises or he would begin shooting again. He talked with a young man named New ell, who asked permission to move the body and Phelps laughed at him. Phelps then telephoned to a selectman, saying “Come up. I’ve got a corpse for you.” Then he told the posse, he'd never be taken alive. After that he left the house by the back window and took to the woods. He took with him a rifle, shotgun, clothes and food. Three days after he was captured, Phelps had made repeated threats that he would never be arrested by Haskins again. On the very day of his stabbing of Pen man, he said he suposed Haskins would come to arrest him. After he went home he said he was waiting for them to come.”’ This ended District Attorney Irwin’s address. Following the custom of murder trials, the witnesses were excluded from the court room, that they might not hear what the others testified to. Penman Examined William Pennman, the first witness, told the story of his trouble with Phelps and said it began when he ask ed him why he was not doing better work. “Phelps started to argue and was told to get out of the office. He said there was no one big enough to put him out. Mac, (meaning Paymaster McIn tyre), took him by the shoulder and led him from the office. Outside the door, Phelps turned and said he would have my life‘s blood before morning. Phelps left the office and a short time after, McIntyre and I started to go home. When we were going up the hill, Phelps came down toward us. I said to him: ‘Why don‘t you take a tumble to yourself?’ Witness showed how he raised his arm and shook his finger in Phelps’ face, “Then he gave me the knife be neath the left shoulder,’ Penman con tinued. “After he stabbed me, I dropped to the ground. Later I was attended by Dr. Eddy of Readsboro. I did not see Phelps again until after he had been taken prisoner. Then I saw him at the mill office and asked him if he was sorry he had done this and he told me that he had said he would get me. At no time on that day did I lay my hands on him.” On cross examination, he admitted that he had testified at the hearing that Phelps had come to his office at 6 o’clock on the fatal Saturday, for what reason he did not know, and that when he told him he didn’t want any one who had acted as Phelps had, the latter had left. He said that an en gineer named Dominick had been dis charged June 6 because the state inspec tor would not pass him, but he said that he did not know that Phelps had worked day and night from Monday morning to Wednesday night, and that he did not believe that he had. Penman said that he had not been drinking the day of the trouble with Phelps but afterward said that he had a drink with Philo Sibley out of a bot tle in the mill office. He said that he did not often drink in the mill. He admitted that he had paid a fine of $5 for assault on Mary Young at Holyoke June 29, 1906, and on March 25, 1908, at Holyoke paid a fine of $6 for intoxication. M. O. Patterson, city engineer of Northampton, who drew the plan of the Phelps house explained the plan to the court, and jury. Everett M. Howard of Greenfield, a photographer, testified as to having visited the Phelps house at the request of the commonwealth and photographed the place on July 25, 1910. He identified the photos in court as those he took. Andrew MclIntyre, paymaster of the Ramage Paper comany and ticket agent of the H. T. W. railroad in Monroe Bridge, ‘was the next witness. He said he had lived there for the past 1 years. He stated he was in the office on Sat urday afternoon. “There a loud conversation took place,” said McIntyre. “Phelps wanted to fight. He was ordered from the of fice. He said there wasn't a d—mar in the office who could put him out. I placed my hand on his shoulder but he went out without any resistance.” Mr. McIntyre then told of the trouble in‘the office of the paper mill cor roborating Penman’‘s story. He said that he called Haskins on the telephone and the latter came to his house about 1 o'clock in the morning when the witness related all that had happened. “He's at it again, is he,” said Has kins, the witness testified. Attorney Davenport objected and the court al lowed the testimony to go but will rule later as to whether it shall be stricken out. The witness then told of the organ “How long did you stand there?” “Half an hour.”’ What happened then?’ “Phelps called to Newell.” “Did he say to Newell ‘Did you fel lows come up here to shoot me‘’'” “JT don’t know.”’ “Did you hear it?” Not all of it.” “Did you and Sey go around to the back door?” ‘**os.” “You were ready to shoot anyone who came out?” izing of the posse consisting of Sheriff Haskins, Lewis Sears, Charlies Newell, George Bishop, TMuel Tower, John Ley and himself, “Yes, if they offered any resistance.” Witness stated he did not see Mrs. “Sheriff Haskins stationed two of us at the rear door of the house and he himself went to the front door and said, ‘This is Sheriff Haskins, come to arrest Silas Phelps for killing Mr. Pen- Phelps before or after the shooting. Going back to the meeting between Phelps, Penman and McIntyre, which took place on the hill when Penman man.’ He repeated this three times and finally called on Mrs. Phelps to open the door. She did not reply and Sheriff Haskins asked her if she knew what it meant to hinder an officer in the pet was stabbed, the question was asked: “Before you met Phelps on the hill, he was minding his own business was he not?’ “Yes.” “He had not said a word to either of you?” “No,” Jury in the Phelps Case
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North Adams Transcript
North Adams, Massachusetts, US
Wed, Nov 30, 1910
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USA 27 Aug 2026
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