"W. D. Moses identified the knife,
watch and pencil case as Blessings".
"I have never seen Blessing since.
When I got to Van Winkle, I enquired at Macaffery's if any one had asked
for me, and was answered in the negative." A few days later in Williams
Creek Moses was visited by Barry in his barber shop. He enquired of him
where Charles Blessing was and Barry replied: "That coon, I left him
on the road, his feet were sore." On a second occasion Moses asked
about Blessing again and received the same answer. Some time later he asked
him once again and states that James Barry looked savagely at him and muttered
something he could not distinguish.
Another witness named H.P. Stark states
that he saw Barry at the Thirteen Mile House along with another man he did
not know. Although they all left the house together they did not travel
far in company. Stark went ahead of Barry and his companion and the next
day he saw Barry alone at Van Winkle. Barry stated that his companion had
sore feet and had remained behind.
A further witness, one William Fraser, had
become acquainted with Barry at New Westminister and traveled with him from
Yale to Quesnelmouth. He states that Barry carried a six shooter revolver.
Barry attempted to borrow money from Fraser with no luck. He complained
that he was dead broke and was able to get $5 from Daniel Fraser. The next
time Wm. Fraser saw Barry was at Cameronton on Williams Creek where he was
dancing with the hurdies (Hurdy Gurdy girls) and paying with cash.
John H. Sullivan, the arresting officer
relates this story:
I left this creek on second October last
with a warrant for the arrest of the prisoner (Barry). I caught up with
him at Yale. On the return trip Barry asked me who made the charge against
him. I told him he would find that out when he got to the creek; he said
he could tell me who it was and named Moses, the barber; as Moses had asked
him several times concerning a man named Blessing, he got vexed with Moses
and told him he was not the man's keeper. He also said he had plenty money
when he came on the creek but went through it on the hurdies. He claimed
he had traveled from Quesnelmouth alone.
