The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-06-05
PRELLER'S SLAYER.


His Ordeal On the Witness stand and the
Demolition of the Structure of His De-
fense-His Nemesis Close at His Heels.
ST. LOUIS, May 2s.-The manner of the
defendant in the Preller case has under
gone change since the cross-examina-
ton by Circuit Attorney Glover. His
clipper iippancy has given place to seri-
business. His easy assurance is fast van
ishing under the load of self-confessed
weakness and disgrace, and even his in
ordinate vanity has been reached by the
merciless probe.
The ordeal must have been terrible
one which could touch the prisoners
vanity, and it was.
The weak points in his record and in
his story of the killing were dragged out
to light and were lirted in his face, until
in sheer desperation he collapsed and fell
on the handiest reluge-a treacherous
memory.
A weak memory was the alternate from
vigorous Imagination.
His own attorneys had led him over a
waste of quicksand, where he plunged
and foundered helplessly and pitiaby.
The last support was knocked from under
his feet, and he was overwhelmed by the
corruption of his own wretched past.
There never was finer illustration of
what record is worth.
The furies of fraud and falsehood faced
the man in the crisis of his life, and have
dashed and bounded him to the verge of
Gel 10 t., 81. &c
the crOss-eXamner was reached, there
was not soul in the courtroom who
did not look upon the prisoner as a
doomed mainland justly doomed. The
faces of the jury seemed to wear the. eX-
preston of men who have practically
made up their minds and who have an
unpleasant duty to perform.
1t was his vanity that led him to change
his name; his vanity that betrayed him
into the affectation of learning; vanity
that led him to add titles to his false
name; vanity that led him to make 9TH
ers believe him disappointed in great
expectations; vanity and villiany that
made him murderer; ~anlty that forced
him in displaying his blood-stained
money; vanity that put up guide-posts
| from the Mississippi to the Pacific coast.
Weak vanity led to petty thievery, petty
thievery to deception, deception to lying,
lying to fraud; lust and fraud and lying
and vanity led to murder, and murder
will lead to the gallows.
The Nemesis of the accused man was
created by himself.
Yesterday the chief witness for the de.
Tense was the defendants sure condemn
alton. To-day the expert witness for the
defense failed to strengthen his case
Granting the truth of the accident theory
it proved him fool, whose folly was
great enough to almost deserve hanging
Again the hypodermic syringe was
brought into court indirectly. Strive as
the defense may, they can not get away
from the syringe. By their own wit
nesses it was proved that the effect o
chloroform and morphine on the lung
and heart are practically the same.
Every little adjunct of murder rise
to meet the murderer on his trial.
The trial thus far has come to this
Every thing points to murder and rob
berry. Granting the truth of the theor
of the defense, the cruelty, lack of feel
ing and utter want of decency ant
moral principle displayed by the prisone
under the circumstances brands him a
all object of contempt and disgust-th'
nearest thing to murderer.
The body of Preller has been exhumeC
since the beginning of this trial and al
examination made of the parts claimed
by the defense to have been diseased an,
to have been under treatment by tn
prisoner when his administration o
chloroform killed his patient.
The elimination was made last Satur
day, and the suggestion for tiff not tn
absolute necessity for such Il move-wa
first given in the confession of Maxwell
which has already appeared in these dis
patches.
The body when taken up was found t
be in remarkable state of preservation
There were present at the time, beside
! Circuit Attorney Glover, John +. Ryan
! superintendent of the mOrgue, and a FEY
casual visitors to the cemetery, Doctor
Brokaw, Jr., Prewitt, dean an
, professor of surgery of tn
Missouri Medical College, an
] Coroner Nidelet. These last tire
. professional gentlemen made an amputa
ton of the parts alleged to have been a
fected and brought them to the city wit
them. On the same day in the morgu
they made an investigation of the part'
which were cut open and thoroughly e.
n amined. ...
C They were in a good state of presel
0 walton and gave very little evidence {
decomposition. Upon dissection the il
e ner portions were in good color and al
Q solutely perfect. No signs or indie
o tons of structure, which Maxwell h;
p testified existed, were found. The
: three gentlemen will take the stand in r
y buttal and give the above facts. tt
" parts will also be shown to the jury.
For the defense DIR. Bauer testified
= the difficulty of determining the presen
s. of structure by post-mortem examin
/; ton after decomposition has been at wo
II for five or six days. restoration
e arsenic, carbolic acid or embaIming flu
d would mummy the parts and destr
is the evidences sought for.
. Accused of Firing His Own Store.
: ROCKFORD, H., May 2s.--B. A. Nor