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Silas Richardson was indicted Monday morning by the Hancock county grand jury for the murder of John Dambrino, who was shot and killed in the city jail at Bay St. Louis August 14, and at the same time chief of police Mark Oliver was shot and wounded, the negro escaping and being captured in the city at his parents’ home after 12 days search. Judge W.A. White, circuit judge, appointed Myron P. Nailing of the firm of Foster and Nailing of Gulfport and Robert W. Thompson of the firm of Mize and Mize & Thompson, Gulfport, to defend the negro. A motion for a change of venue was made by the defense attorneys Monday afternoon but the judge did not allow this motion after testimony had been taken of witnesses to determine if a prejudgement has been formed in the minds of citizens. A motion for a special venire was allowed and Sheriffj. C. Jones was instructed to summon 50 men for Wednesday, the date set for the trial.
All of Wednesday morning was taken up with selection of a jury, 42 of the special venire of 50 men having been questioned before 12 men were accepted by state and defense counsels.
A number of reasons for the failure of the men to please as jurors were found, such as fixed opinions of guilt, participation in the citizens posses in search for the negro, relationship by blood or marriage to Dambrino. William C. Sick and I. T. W. Mitchell were named bailiffs by Sheriff Jones.
The jury accepted and swore in as follows: Luther L. Lee, P. W. Smith, John Howze, Stanley Koch, Sr., Roger Lee, Forest Moran, L. J. Summers, Neal Koch, Jr., Olen Anderson, Willie Ladner, C. W. Fountain, and William Bennett.
A great crowd of men and women from all parts of the county and from every walk of life were present in the court room, hundreds standing through the hours of the trail.
Witnesses examined included Lionel Vickery and John Dermoran, 15-year-old Bay youths who were in the hallway of the jail when the shooting occurred, both of whom testified that they did not see the shooting which took place in the cell. Mark Oliver told the story of the shooting in which he asserted he was shot by the negro when he attempted to search him to determine if he had keys to the auto which he, Richarsdson had been arrested for alleged theft. Oliver also testified that Richardson shot and killed Dambrino.
Mayor Chas. Traub, Sr., was called to the stand and testified that he heard the shots from the city hall above the jail and that when he went down stairs he found Oliver wounded and Dambrino dead from a bullet wound.
Richareson put on the stand testified that he shot Mark Oliver but asserted that he did so by the accidental discharge of his gun, stating that he was attempting to hide the weapon from the officer. He denied shooting and killing Dambrino, stating that if a bullet from his gun killed Dambrino it must have glanced back from the wall.
A curious incident occurred during the trial Wednesday afternoon when the district attorney, Will H. Colmer of Pascagoula, and county attorney, Emile J. Gex, rested their case and the jury was sent from the room, but was recalled upon the defense attorneys pointing out that the fact had not been established by testimony that Dambrino was killed with a bullet.
Incidentally it is understood that the bullet which is alleged to have killed Dambrino must have been buried with him as it was not known to have been taken from his before interment.