Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-26
FRANK GRADE ON TRIAL
FOR NUMBERING HIS NINE-yEAR-oLD
STEPDAUGHTER.

| A Witness Testifies That He Tried to XII
His Wife With n Hatchct-A Plea of In
sanity VIII be Eut,red - Other Court
Matters.
The trial of Frank Grade for the killing
Of his 9-yesr-old stepdaughter, Annie
Hafers, at her home on Shady avenue, ALLIE
gheny, March Is, was taken up in Criminal
Court before Judge Magee yesterday. The
defendant is represented by ]. c. Decken,
ESQ.,, while District Attorney Johnston is
conducting the case for the Commonwealth.
The latter asked for first degree verdict
Stewart Hamilton, turnkey at the Ale.
gheny lookup, testified that when the pris-
orer was brought to the lookup he was in q
very excited condition and had to be
strapped to bed. The witness asked him
how he killed the child, and the prisoner first
stated that he struck it with a hatchet but aft
erward said that he knocked her head against
the foot of the cradle; he also said that his
head was whirling and he couldn't tell how he
did it. Detective Thomas johnson corrobor-
ated the statement of the previous witness.
DR.. ]. Guy McCandless testified to having
found Il wound inches long on the back of the
head and reaching into the skull. There was a
confused wound on the forehead On the chest
the flesh was all bruised and the third and
fourth ribs on the right side broken. The abdo-
men was also badly bruised. Any of the
wounds he thought would cause death. The
cut on the back of the head could have been
produced by knife.
Maggie Dengler stated that she lived next
door to the Grade family. About two weeks
before the murder she saw Mrs. Grade stand
ing at the window and she heard loud words
She then saw Mrs. Grade running from the
house and her husband after her with a
hatchet. The wife ran into a shed and escaped
Mrs Grade was crying and informed the wit
ness that she wanted to get divorce from her
husband.
August Domch was the first witness for the
defense. He stated that he had known the
prisoner for l6 years. ana knew him to be a
hard working. honest citlzen. About two
weeks before the killing of the child he noticed
change in the prisoners manner. Mr.. Grade
spoke TO him In rambling manner and his
eyes look like those of wild man. On another
occasion he went to Grades house and found
him with a lot of papers strewn on the floor
and his children including the dead child,
gathered about him, showing them the papers
and lLnpreSslng on them that he was an honest
man. On another occasion the defendants
brother asked the witness to go with him to the
prisoners house as he was afraid TO go himself.
the prisoner having threatened to brain him
with a chair. The witness advised the brother
that he had better get some medicine and a
doctor for Grade. The prisoners conduct was
such thas the witness thought him crazy and
he warned his brother that he had better watch
him.
Mr. Johnston objected to the general line of
testimony as offered by the defense. The de-
cision of Judge Stowe and of Chief Justice Ag-
new in the Ortwein case was cited, showing
that the condition of the prisoner at the time
the deed was committed, not before or after,
was only admissible as credence. The Court
ruled that it would be guided by the decisions
citec. The court was then adjourned for the
day.