Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-27
A CALIFORNIA SCANDAL.
THE TRI.fL OFSCHRODER FOR KILL
ING HIS WIFE'S PIRAMOUR.
He Was Insane the Moment He Pulled
the Trigger and Hence Was Acquitted
The Point of Sanity not Reached Until
Lefevre Was Dead-Resume of the Tes
timOny in the Case.

tHlOny the Ease.
OAKLAND, Cal, Dec. 13.-Thc trial of
Edward F. Schroeder for the killing of DIR.
Albert Lefevre was ended to-day by a
verdict of acquittal, after the jury had
been locked up for three days and three
nights. 1t is said that upon the retire
ment of the jury on Friday last poll
was taken, and ten were found to he for
acquittal and two for conviction. These
two held out obstinately for seventy-two
hours before yielding to the majority.
DR.. Lefevre, a dentist, of this city,
WAS KILLED IN HIS OWN OFFICE,
at Eighth street and Broadway, by Ed
ward F. Schroeder, the exchange teller of
the London & San Francisco bank, at
about O'Clock on the evening of Mon
day, July 26 On that day Schroeder re-
turned from his business in San Francis
co on the boat that reached Oakland
Point at 4:40P. NJ. He was met at the
cars by his wife and little girl, and upon
the arri val of the train at the Broadway
station he insisted on going to DR.. Lee
fevre's Office, which is within stones
throw of the station. Mrs. Schroeder tried
to prevent him from going there, but he
forced her and the child to go along with
him. Lefevre was operating on the teeth
of Mrs. Keeney when he was called to
the outer room and confronted by Schrod-
er and his wife and child 1t is said that
Schroeder accused him of seducing his
wife, but no testimony was given on the
trial, except that within four minutes
after Lefevre left the operating room he
was shot by Schroeder The murderer
was arrested, and his victim died within
an hour
The trial began in the superior court
of Alameda county, Judge Green presid-
ing, on Wednesday, Dec. l, and occupied
eleven days. Schroeder is the son-in- law
of the Rev. Horatio Stebbins, very
popular Unitarian clergyman of San Fran
cisco, and the dramatic features of the
trial was the testimony of DR.. Stebbins,
who STAN ped his daughter
AS 4 CONFESSED ADULTERESS
in order to save the life of her husband
The court room was crowded daily, and
the case will take its place in the crimi-
nal records as one of the most famous of
the cause celebres which the history of
this nation presents The verdict was
given on the ground of Schroders tenn
pOrary insanity. 1t was surprise to the
public, and the general sentiment cx-
pressed is not favorable to the jury, al
though there are many citizens on this
coast who believe that, sane or insane,
Schroeder was justified in shooting the
man who ruined his home His counsel
made a strong appeal to the prcjudices of
the jurors on this point, and it was not
without its effect. The defense admitted
the killing, and relied for acquittal en-
tirely on public sympathy for Schroder's
wrongs, and on the theory that he was
temporarily insane when the deed was
committed The story of the murder, as
given on the trial. is an intensely inter
esting one.
The first witness produced by the pros
ecution was Miss Mary Agnew, the as
sistant of Dr. Lefevre She had known
Mr.. Schroeder for some time, and was
positive that he was the man who killed
her employer on the evening of Monday,
July %. DR.. Lefevre was engaged Just
before in filling tooth for Mrs. Keeney
He was called from the chair and passed
out into the first operating room, and
almost Immediately Miss Agncw heard
the report of pistol After the report,
DR.. Lefevre opened the door and stag
gered into the room, closely followed by
Schroeder with pistol in his hand LIE
fevre fell with his head against the wash
stand, and as he was falling Schroeder
fired another shot. The dentist was car
ricd into the other room by DR.. Brooks,
while the ladies present were screaming,
and a scene of the widest confusion was
being enacted He was bleeding from a
wound in the left side, and
DIED IN A VERY SHORT TIME
after being removed to the outer room.
The witness went to see him before he
died, but did not hear him say anything
about Schroeder. He suffered greatly and
seemed to be choking to death Upon
cross examination by Mr.. Foote, Miss Ag-
said that she thought DR.. Lefevre was alb
she heard the pistol shot She noticed
Mrs. Schroeder, but not her little. girl, in
the room at the time of the tragedy. Mrs
Schroeder began coming to the office to
have dentist work done about a year ago,
and she came very often. Mrs. Kcency
and Mrs. Mary Jane SPOTS, her mother,
who were present at the time of the
shooting and saw the second shot fired
stantialIy the same testimony as Miss
Agnew.
The Rev. Horatio Stebbins, one of the
most popular clergymen of San Francis
co, and the father-in law of Schroeder, oc-
cupied very nearly the entire fourth day
of the trial. Dr. Stebbins succeeded to
the famous Starr King, and has hosts of
friends all over the Pacific coast, and as
the old man, with his head bowed with
grief, told the story of his daughters
shame, in defense of the man who had
avenged her honor, the silence in the
crowded court room was intense. At
portions of the fathers story tears were
forced from the eyes of strong men, and
even the lawyers for the prosecution gen
orally treated him with unusual consider
alton in their cross examination The
jury listened with breathless attention to
his story, and there is no doubt that he
alone is to be credited with
SAVING HIS SON-IN-LAw'S NECK FROM THE
HALTER.
| He told a plain, straightforward nara
tive of the troubles which had led to the
crime, and which he honestly believed
had temporarily unsettled the reason of
his son-in-law. ''The first knowledge that
| had Iof this trouble" he said, twas