Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-06-03
THE TRUNK MURDER.
The Defendant in the Teller Mur-
der Case on tn, Stand.
Maxwell Tells All About the Killing of
Preller-He Did it Accidentally, Hut
frightened at What He Had
Done, Sought Safety ia
Flight.

Maxwell would take the stand in lis OWL
defense was sufficient to pack the criminal
court room at an early hour yesterday morn
ing.
Attorney Fauntleroy, for the defense,
after the rout;:e business OF The court has,
been concluded, commenced his Opening
address to tile jury. lie stated that he
wished to impress them with the fact tina,
no one knew how Prefer came te
his death except the defendants and
he proposed to disclose 10 The
jury all the circumstances attend
ing it
MAXWELL EXAMINED.
Maxwell was then placed on the stand.
He showed little evidence of feeling.
although there was some degree ~ nervous
ness, both in his face and hands. There
was rustic through The court room and
Jucgc Van Wagner in brief speech de.
manued absolute quiet in the audience.
Witness, in reply 10 questions by Fauniie-
roy, stated in substance rs follows.
My full name is Hugh NJ. Brooks. lam
twenty five years old and was born i'm HYDE,
Chester. England. l commenced to studs.
law with Brown at Stockport, near Hyde,
In 1S7s. and remained there fonr years. [
nm lawyer by profession and also
studied medicine and surgery at
the college school at Manchester, but
am not licensed physician. / first
metC Arthur Preller ut the Northwestern
Hotel at Liverpool, but did not get ac-
qnainted with hiin until met him on the
steamer Cenhaionin, i also met Warren
on the steamer. Preier and were both.
EnGlishmen coming to strange country
and our acquaintance ripened into q warm
friendship. We talked much about our
plans and purposes for the future, and our
acquaintance and friendship continued after
our arrival
The witness then described various events
about Prel!er leaving Boston for Canada,
about his own and rrelier>s arrival i'm St.
Louis and stopping al Tie Southern Hotel,
and said that he had between so and 500
when he arrived ,re He told how he had
tried to pawn son. ! OF his things before
Pre!ler came
Maxwell then described his visits to
Fernow's drag store. and his conversation
with fernow, and his purchasing various
articles from him.
I'VE reached Boston. February g." con-
tinued the witness, and after thee or four
days Preller Starteti on a business trip [
had conversations and correspondence W it'll
Pre;ler about goirg 10 New Zealand. We
agreed TO meet in 81. Louis AMI 90 there
together. l told him about my financial
condition, telling him in letter that had
500 all told. L treated Prciler several
times medically in Boston and by letter,
and he acknowledged having received de-
cideu benefits from the treatment. He
knew that had never practiced medicine
regularly. never used any deception
With him in this regard"
The court then took 4 recess, after which
the examination was resumed. I'VE, Mr..
rreller and l." he said, made two trips
between the Southern Hotel and the Union
Depot, where we attempted to discover tie
cause of the detention of my trunk, which
contained the magic lantern, and were told
by the haggngeman there that 1t was prob
ably detained in Port Huron, Can, by the
customs officers.
I'VE visited Aloe, the op:ician in the en-
dcavor to ascertain If he would purchase
the lantern and slides when they should ar
rive. From the time that Mr.. Preiler arrived
IN ST. Louis down 10 Easter Sunday we saw
great deal of each other. We were, as a
former witness has stated, almost insepa-
rable. visited his room several times, but
when We were not looking around the city
or playing pool we spent most Of our time
IN my room. We played pool great deal
and whoever lost the game paid for it. We
played about even, SO the expense was
about equally divided. We drank some
but net much. He paid for most of the
drinks.
Mr.. Preller was accustomed to call at
my room early i'm the morning and we would
go down 10 breakfast together return to my
room, converse and smoke for awhile, and
then go TO the rotunda. On Easter Sunday,
before l went to the drug store he and |
had conversation about the performance
OF the operation heretofore alluded to- and
also day or two before that. On Sunday
MI. Preller described to me his symptoms
and concluded that he was suffering from
a structure, and that the best method of
treating him was by passing catheter.
took my authorities OH medicine and read
TO Mr.. Prellcr the directions as to the proper
methods of administering chloroform. and
refreshed my own mind as to the rrecau-
tions to be used. There are marginal notes
on the pages treating of the simplest and
safest method of using the drug, but had
made these some twelve months before |
left England. After this conversation with
MIR. Preller went to the drug store and
purchased four ounces of chiOrofurm and
a quantity Of absorbent cotton.
"On this same day PrelIer and l had
gone to another drug store, one under the
Southern Hotel, and maize some purchases
which he said we must have and could
proD@)ly not get Oh our journey to Auck-
land before we should have arrived at San
Francisco. 1t had been understood be-
tween us all the time that was TO sell my
magic lantern and some other things in Or
der to raise money for the trip TO San Fran
cisco and that he was to pay my passage to
Auckland with the understanding that
should refund to him the cost of that pas
sage While in the drug store l ordered
and drank mixture of bromide of potas-
stun and valerinate OF ammonia TO quiet my
nerves. drank this i'm the presence of Mr..
Preller and he paid for it as he did for the
other things purchased there. We then re-
turned 10 the hotel, and on our way up to
my room stopped at the cigar stand and
purchased a box OF cigars, for which my
companion also paid. We then went up
stairs and after smoking for awhile and dis
cussing tie proposed operation, Mr.. Preller
went to his own room, returning shortly
after, having removed his wastcoat and re-
placed his coat with a dressing gown.
Immediately thereafter We began to
cake preparations for the operation. Mr..
Prelier removed his trowsers and drawers
and lay down upon the bed. placed a
four-ounce bottle of chloroform on the
washstand and poured cut a fluid gramme
of the liquid on a piece of lint, which l fold
ed three times. l then walked to the bed
aud held the lint auout six inches from my
patients face, SO that the vapOr from the
chloroform might become mixed with the
air and produce not a too violent effect. 1t
all evaporated in few minutes and l
turned around 10 get more, aud found that
the bottle which had placed on the wash
stand had fallen into the basin and large
portion of the contents had flowed out and
not enough WAS left TO produce anesthesia.