Mary Peckham
Having first been duly sworn on oath testified as follows:By Mr. Ratcliff:
Q What is your name?
A Mary E Peckhan [Peckham]
Q Mary E Peckhan?
A Mary E P-e-c-k-h-a-n.
By the Coroner:
Q You live next door to this J B Moore?
A Yes.
Q How long, – - were you acquainted with Joe More [Moore] and his family?
A Yes, Sir.
Q How long had you known them?
A Oh, I think they lived any way about thirteen yers. I have know them for years.
Q Where from your house do they live, Mrs. Peckhan? [Peckham]
A Right directly east.
Q Next house east from you?
A Yes, sir.
Q How far is that house from your place?
A Well I, - -
Q Well about, - - in feet, about what?
A Say how long is it Dr. Lomas? Twenty feet.
Q Just what is your best judgement?
A Well, I don’t know.
Q You live the first house east?
A No.
Q Your house is then?
A No, we live west of them.
Q You live the first house west?
A Yes.
Q Who, - - what did his family consist of, who were the members of it?
A His wife and four children.
Q So you know hat his wife’s name was?
A Sarah.[Sara]
Q And the names of the children?
A Yes, sir.
Q You may give them?
A Herman the eldest, and Katherine and Boyd and Paul.
Q Did you see them on Sunday, the ninth of June?
A What was last Sunday?
Q Yes.
A Yes, sir.
Q How late on that day, did you see them?
A Oh, just before they went to church.
Q In the evening?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you see them after they came home from church?
A No.
Q Did you notice a light there?
A No.
Q Now, Mrs. Peckhan [Peckham], you may tell in your own words anything and everything you know about this matter, the happenings of Sunday night at that house?
A Sunday night, - - don’t know anything at all.
Q Anything that you have heard, - - did you hear any unusual noise there that night?
A Not a sound.
Q Not a sound?
A No.
Q What time did you retire Sunday evening?
A A little after eight.
Q Yes.
A I did not go to church, so I went to bed.
Q What time Monday morning did you arrise? [arise]
A Between four and five.
Q Between Four and Five. And did you go out doors?
A Yes, we did the washing.
Q It was probably five o’clock before you went. You know what time it was when you got our in the yard?
A No, I don’t, I was out and in all the morning.
Q But it was quite early?
A Yes.
Q It was between five and six when you was going on your, - -
A Between five and six.
Q Did you notice anything unusual about the house?
A Not anything at all.
Q When did you notice something unusual, what time was it?
A Why it must have, - - it was between seven and eight.
Q Between seven and eight?
A Yes.
Q What was it then that called your attention?
A It was such an odd stillness, and I wondered where they were, I always saw the children, and all of them, - - Mr. Moore was a very early riser, and everything was quiet and the curtains were down.
Q Something very unusual?
A Oh, yes, for that time in the morning.
Q And then what did you think about it, while,--
A Why, I did not think anything at first, I wondered if they had over-slept or something of that kind, I did not think it was anything serious.
Q What did you do, –did you take any part in finding out what was wrong?
A Yes, in just a few minutes, I did not hear anything and I went over and tried to get in the door and everything was locked, and I heard the chickens, they had quite a good number of chickens, and I let them out, and I went to the barn and the horses were tied, and I thought they hadn’t been feed [fed], and I looked out where they had the cows standing and they hadn’t been milked.
Q What did you do then?
A Well, I think I telephoned to Ross Moore, - - to the house.
Q And you told them about this?
A No, I did not tell them. I just simply said, "Is there anything happened down at your Father’s place". Thought perhaps the old gentleman had dropped off, and I did not care to call up the house, so I called up Ross at home, and they said "No". I did not talk to Ross, I talked with his wife.
Q And then what did you notice, you noticed after that some body come down to the house?
A Not, until after I got up, I got this man Selley to come up and feed the horses, I told them the horses hadnt been feed [fed].
Q He came up and fed the horses, but did not try to get in the house?
A Before he went back, and said he would send the boy up to milk.
Q Did you go in with any body, one of the first to go into the house that morning?
A I went in with Selley.[She means Ross Moore]
Q He came back?
A Yes, I called him.
Q And you was with him?
A Yes.
Q You found the doors locked at that time?
A Yes.
Q He had a key?
A He had a string of keys.
Q And found one that would open the door?
A Yes.
Q Did you go in the room with him?
A I came into the other room.
Q And he went in further?
A He opened the parlor door, in the kitchen then he walked around and peeked in the bed room, and came right out.
Q What did he say at the time?
A He said, I am afraid there is something awful happened, there is blood in the beds, then we came out.
Q But left the house.
A We sent for the marshall [Marshall].
Q Staid [stayed] until the marshall [Marshall] came?
A We had telephoned him to come, perhaps his wife, I don’t remember, it was quite exciting.
Q Yes, that is all that you know about the happenings of Sunday night or Monday Morning [morning]?
A Yes, I did not hear anything at all Monday morning, or Sunday evening.
Q You did not hear any noises there Sunday afternoon?
A No, oh just the children, these Stillinger girls were there.
Q They were there Sunday afternoon?
A Yes, I think they came in with them home and staid [stayed] all night.
Q You don’t know what time they came in?
A No, along in the afternoon, I saw them perhaps three o’clock. I don’t think they came home with them from church.
Q You know if there was any other visitors there Sunday afternoon or Sunday evening?
A I don’t think so because they were at church Sunday evening.
Dr. Lomas:
Q Did you see anything of the key that belonged to the door when you went into the house?
A No, it wasn’t there.
Q It wasn’t there?
A There was no key in the key hole, because Ross used his key and he opened right off.
Q It had been locked with a key?
A Yes, and the key was gone.
Mr. Wickersham:
Q When he pushed the key in to unlock the door, there was no key on the inside?
A No, not anything at all.
MR. RATCLIFF:
Q When you first went there, there was no one but Ross and you?
A That is all, I had been over there two or three times, but I could not get in.
WITNESS EXCUSED
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