The morning call., 1890-08-09
in THE POLICE COURT.
Judge Lawler Will Decide Ride.
outs Case To-Day.
Crowded COURTROOM at the Examination.
The Testimony the Same as Given at
the Coroner's Inquest.

After hearing the testimony in the case
Of Walter Rideout, the young molder
charged with the killing of Henry A. Sic
bert in Powell-street car, Police Judge
Lawler yesterday took the matter under
advisement. A decision will be rendered
| to-day.
The courtroom was crowded with work
ingmen, who evinced deep interest in the
| proceedings. The same faces - rugged,
earnest ones, with lines of care and anxiety
looked up toward the bench and witness
stand, and the same men unemployed
| molders-crowded close to where the at
torneys sat, as when Foundryman Kerr
| occupied the seat in which young Rideout
sat while being examined on a similar
| charge.
6 The testimony was almost repetition of
| that given before the Coroner's jury. At
torney Koran appeared for the prosecution
and ex-Judges Dibble, Wilson and Darwin
| for the defense
! John W. Sweeney, President of the Pat
tern-makers' Union. testified regarding the
| dying statement of Siebert, made in the
| Receiving Hospital, and admitted that the
deceased had been employed by the Mold
| ers' Union as picket.
MIGHT HAVE BEEN EITHER.
| DR.. NJ. NJ. Estes, who made the autopsy,
described the course of the fatal bullet
| Apparently, in his opinion, the shooter was
| standing over Siebert when the shot was
| fired, but under cr0ss-eXamination he de-
| clared that if the deceased was in stoop-
| ing posture at the time, the shooter might
| have been below him.
| A. b. EckStein, special police officer of
! the POwell-street Cable-road, reiterated his
testimony given before the Coroner's jury.
| lie also admitted having congratulated the
defendant on the verdict resulting from
| the inquest.
Charles w. Howe, clerk, testified that he
entered the car at the corner of Chestnut
and Mason streets and sat down in the rear
corner, opened his evening paper aud be-
came obliviouS to all about. AS he lifted
MS eyes from the paper to see how far the
car had progressed, he heard vile express
sion. The man who spoke almost instantly
struck young man, who was sitting in the
other end of the car
$40 you recognize in Mr.. Rideout, here.
the man who was struck?' asked Attorney
Wilson.
Yes, sir" was the reply; 'he appears to
be the same person"
How many DlUws?"
One or two; not more than two"
What followed the blown
"a shot was fired, and l saw the deceased
coming toward me with his hands to his
abdomen. lie said he was shot there"
THREATENED BY FIVE MEN.
W. E. Dimond, clerk in the Registration
Office, stated on the stand that he saw the
scuftfe in the car, and then heard shot,
but 1t all happened so quickly and the par
Elephants were so mixed up that he could
not distinguish who gave the blows or who
fired the shot. His evidence was also a
repetition of what he had sworn to before
the Coroner'S jury.
Dr. Bunker ret0ld what he had to say
about the condition of the deceased when
taken into the City Receiving Hospital
shortly before death. DR.. Williams, Police
Surgeon, eorroborated his confrere's state
ment Their patient had two abrasions of
the face from which some blood trickled
There was also a confusion of the nose
This testimony was intended to show that
the deceased had been beaten on the face
and, consequently, dispel the self-defense
theory.
John E. Gleason, special officer at the
joshua Hendy Machine Works, testified
that he had seen Siebert acting as ''picket"
outside the works for two weeks at least.
On the evening of the shooting he saw him
again and IN answer to RideOut's request TO
accompany him to the cable-car replied,
go on and If any one attempts to modest
you l will see that you are all right The
witness reiterated his story in connection
with the trouble Rideout had In leaving the
strike out this testimony was denied, as the
defense stated it would connect these men
with the tragedy.
The defendant took the stand and testi-
fed regarding the killing, adhering faith
fully to the story lie has told all along. He
said he had been told by five men that it
was dangerous to keep on working in the
iron works and he would be shot.
The Court reserved its decision until to-