The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-08
Discovery OF an Important Piece of
Evidence for the Defense.
The Prosecution Rests the Case and the De-
fense Begins-Carpenter Will Not Tes-
tify in His Own Behalf
THE BURNS INQUEST.
Carpenters Visit to Peoria-The Prosecu-
ton Rests the Case.

|
the State in the examination of O. A. Car
penter, accused OF numbering Fora Burns,
was resumed this morning. The court room
was again crowded.
Thomas Mclaughlin, night clerk of the
Peoria House, at Peoria, testified to the ar
rival of Carpenter there on Aug, 49, with
a lady, registegingas Carpenter and daughter.
He gave them adjacent but disconnected
rooms.
| Nellie Shehan, chamberm aid of the Peoria
House, remembered the coming of a gentle
man and lady; could not swear that Carpen-
ter was the same man. The lady was good
! looking, rosy-cheeked and slightly pox pit
ted; she thought the picture of Fora was the
picture of the woman with Carpenter. She
saw gentleman in the lady's room when
she went in to make the beds. Both beds
were used but she did not notice the condi-
ton OF either. Later in the day she saw the
gentleman and lady walking on Main street,
the lady ten steps in advance, carrying a
small satchel.
John T. Boyden, coroner of this county,
was sworn, and related the finding of the re-
mains on Oct. Is, at 8 A. NJ, The body lay on
its face the throat was cut from ear to ear,
| and the face and neck were covered with
blood. The ground under the neck was
soaked with blood several inches deep, and
the hair was full of dirt and burs. The cor
oner swore that the first man who recognized
the girl was A. c. Boyd, prominent mer
chant, who remarked at once: You want
to see O. A. Carpenter about this"
| The coroner sent for Carpenter,
but he was out of town. Carpenters daugh-
ters recognized the girl as Fora Burns Car
penter came to my office at 6 p. NJ and went
in and looked at the corpse; he started out,
showing no unusual feeling or excitement.
| followed him out and asked if he knew
who 1t was. He replied, 81 think it is Fora
Burns" and added that he saw her last in
his Office on the previous Saturday morning.
He said he knew nothing as to whether the
girl was pregnant or not, and didn't ask as
to whether there was any clew to the MUIR
derer.
Fred. Hudson, Carpenters stable-boy, aged
| fourteen, swore he fed Carpenters horse at
P. NJ on Saturday in the usual place in the
shed; on Sunday night he put feed in the
shed for the horse. Carpenter drove up and
put the horse in the shed he didn't take off
the harness. The horse was in the stable,
all right, on Monday morning.
| A diagram was shown and introduced
proving that the spot where Fora was found
dead was about three-fourths of mile from
Carpenters house.
Miss Helen Holton and her brother testi-
fled to hearing buggy driving rapidly past
about 1:30 o'clock on Sunday night in the
direction of Carpenters house, the witnesses
living between the scene of the murder and
Carpenters house.
Mrs. Burns step-mother of Fora, swore
that the latter had throat trouble, and her
father had promised to take her to Vandalia
for the purpose of having an opera
portant piece of evidence for the
defense, showing that Zora's allusion to
throat operation, in a letter TO Dukes, here
tofore construed by the prosecution as n
hint at abortion, may have been in good
faith.
August Koehn, a saloon keeper, swore
that Carpenter bought pint of whisky on
|
casionally took drink,
Zachariah Burns, brother of the deceased,
| a school teacher at Las Animas, Col, on the
4th of October received letter from Fora tell
! ing OF her throat trouble, the first he had
heard of it. He had seen a letter to Fora,
postmarked Lincoln; would recognize the
handwriting; didn't know Carpenters writ
ing, but when shown Carpenters signiture
thought it the same he saw on his sisters
letter. A number of letters, some addressed
| by Carpenter, were shown him, and he
picked out one addressed by Mr.. Beach, an
attorney for the Defense creating good deal
of amusement Here the prosecution rested
! the case.
| TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENSE
The first evidence presented by the defense
was in the form of the depositions of four
laborers, who deposed they hal seen a light
in Carpenters office on the fatal Sunday
night between and o. clock
Mr., Lennon, proprietor of the Lincoln
House, was sworn. His testimony was for
the purpose of fixing the time of Zora's de-
parture from the hotel. He swore that
Fora returned to the hotel about S:45 P NJ,
and remained until about 8 when she de-
parted for the last time.
Aurelian Esten, Carpenters business part
ner, was sworn. The light could Le seen
| from the elevator office. He was not Mt the
office ON the evening of the 18th or 14th.