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Show JOHN RICE HELD FOR BEUTLER MURDER George W. TdTuncy Furnished Damaging- Evidence That Induced Judge Dichl to Hold the Prisoner. John Rico wns lipid to the District court without bail to answer for tho murder of Fred Beutler on February 'X, by Judgo Diohl yesterday afternoon. Tho decision de-cision was handed down after tho examination exami-nation of Georgo W, Muncy, which lasted all aiornlng and a part of the afternoon, Tt was Muncy whose confession led to the arrest of Rico and Abe Hunter on this charge. Tho witness irnve his ago as 57, and said ho had met Rice a short time prior to the death of Beutler. He said that ho met Rice and Hunter In Hunter's granary gran-ary somo ten days boforo tho murder,-and that Hunter proposed to rob Beutler. They agreed to meet In tho granary and did so. "Wo found tho old man sitting in a chair," said this witness. "We grabbed him and throw him on the bed. Rice shoved a rag, which he had brought from the granary, in the old man's mouth. Hunter turned tho light down and hunted for tho money. He couldn't llnd any. Wo bocamo quiet nnd then somo ono knocked at the door and everything was quiet. "When wo went In wo covored our faces with cloths that wo hod found In tho granary. It was Hunter who opened Beutlcr's door and locked It after wo got inside. Whllo Hunter wan turning the light down, Rico and I were holding tho old man and Rice stuffed tho rag in his mouth. "Beutlor cried out only once. He said uiurucr; j. saw jucc wun ins nanus on Bcutler's throat choking him. We stayed about live minutes and left because wo did not think It safe to remain there, Rico and Hunter did not go with mo. Beutler was not dead when T loft, T could tell because be-cause he was on tho bed moving." Muncy said bo saw Rico onco after the murder and advised him to get out of the country, which Rico promised to do Ho did not see Rice again until ho met him in tho county Jail this spring. SOLDIER OF THE CIVIL WAR. Cross-examination brought out tho fact that Muncy was a veteran of tho Civil war and that ho h3d marched with Slvr-mnn Slvr-mnn "from Atlanta to the noa." He said ho had been wounded in the right arm, but had never been hurt on tho hend. His eyesight, he said, Ik "bad and he was not able to read tho newspapers for somo tine beforu and after tho Beutler murder. When ho was tlrst arrested by Deputy Sheriff Booth ho denied all knowledge of tho crime. Tho next day ho Implicated Abo Hunter, Al Mitchell and Rice, but kept his own namo out of It. Finally, ho said, ho told the wholo thing, keeping back nothing. Tho witness was unable to tell how Rice and Hunter were dresacd on the night of th- murder. He did not know how Beutler was dressed and had never seen him before. be-fore. Ho Illustrated how he had taken hold of Bctitlor by the shoulders and drawn him back. When the Stato closed Its case Mr. Hamilton announced that tho defenso would Introduce no testimony. Ho made a formal motion to dismiss, for tho reason rea-son thnt thero was no legal evidence upon which the court would bo Justllled In holding Rico to the District court. The motion was overruled and the defendant was remanded to the custody of the Sheriff, Sher-iff, The hearing of Abe Hunter on thp sane chargo will begin this morning at in o'clock. He will be defended by ISdler & Fowler. |
