The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-03-25
THE TRIAL OPENED.
The Jury Secured to Try Mrs.
Schmidt for Her Life.
TAKING OF TESTIMONY BEGUN.

DIR. Graham and Mrs. Crumbie
Testify to the Grief of Mrs.
Schmidt - Coroner Bullock Inti-
mates That He Would Not Be-
iieve an Established Fact.
MEDIA, Pa, March 25.-The attend
ance at tho opening of court on the
second day Of the trial of Mrs. Caroline
Schmidt for the murder of Emma
Pftzenmeyer, her maiden sister, :.was
muchlarger than on Monday. Every
seat in the court room was occupied,
and the aisles were also crowded with
persons standing. There were large
number Of prepossessing and well
dressed young ladies occupying seats
next to the bar, who gave close atten-
tion to the testimony. The crowd was
10 great that Judge Waddell threatened
once to have the aisles cleared il tho
noise was continued.
The jury, in the order as chosen, are
Richard Powers, Chester; Reese T. Co
burn, Chester township; Elisha Moore,
Upland; Orlando II. Cloud, Upland;
James w. Faucett, Lower Chichester;
Albin Harvey, Birmingham; Frank
Pierson, Concord; Joseph MCGOWAN,
Chester; Henry Major. Clifton Heights;
William Hopes, Media; Isaac N.
Founders, Media, and Thomas w.
Scott, Chester.
District Attorney Hannum's opening
OF the case occupied only few min
utes. He said the state would prove by
the testimony OF experts that the
wounds on Emma Pfitzenmeyer's neck
could not have been self inflicted.
Testimony Opened.
Officer Peter Stringer, OF the Chester
police, testified to the condition of the
room and the body of the girl when he
was called in by Schmidt. Eugene
White, an undertaken, gave similar tes-
timony
DIR. Il. r. Graham, Chester physi-
clan, said that hes,ad been called out of
Bed by Henry Schmidt on the morning
Of the murder. Schmidt said: AN ac-
cident has happened to my sister; she
done it herself. want you to come
and see her." He went to the house
and found the girl dead. The room,
apart from the blood near the mat and
bloody clothes, was very orderly. He
said Schmidt seemed to be in great dis
tress, and was crying when he came to
her brother Carl were wailing and
throwing their arms about each other
David Crumnie, one of the under
takers in the case, gave detailed ac-
count Of how he found tho body.
Appeared TO Be I'm Great Grief
Mrs. Crumbie, wife of Undertaken
Crumbie, testified that Schmidt had
come to summon her husband, and that
she went first to the house herself. At
the Schmidt house, Mrs. Schmidt was
moaning, and said, "Ain't this awfulp
asked, How came Emma to do such
q thing2" 'Dear Inc, l don't know"
Bhe said. She appeared to be in great
grief,
Il. Foster Miller, young man en-
ployed in Schmidts store, gave unin-
portant testimony.
Robert J. Knott, furniture dealer
In Chester, was called to identify the
b9ood stained stained bureau and wash
stand in the room at the time of the
murder.
William Jeans, photographer, whose
place adjoins the store occupied by
Henry Schmidt, said he went to bed
that night about 9:30. During the
night he said, II was awakened by u
scream, long. steady wall. 1t ap-
peared to come from Schmidt's house.
He also heard some one walk in hurry
from one end of the house TO the other,
and heard some one exelalm, Poor
thingf" The witness had known Henry
Schmidt and his wife since they came
to Chester, about eight years ago, and
their reputation for peace and good
order was always good.
Coroner Bullock Testifies.
Coroner L. M. Bullock, who is also a
physician, was the next witness called,
and the calling of his name caused quite
stir in the court room.
He said he was summoned to the resi-
dence of Henry Schmidt next day to
hold an inquest on the body Of Emma
Pftzenmeyer, and made a preliminary
examination. II came to the conclu-
sion that they could not have been self
inflicted. l asked that DR.. Jetferes be
sent for, but did not tell him of my
suspicious" There were nine cuts on
the neck, and these were explained in
detail as cut No. /, cut No. 3, and so
on. One OF the cuts was clear to the
spine, and another severed the esopha-
gus and carotid atery. Three of the
cuts were each alone in his opinion suf-
hcient to cause death.
W. b. Broomal, counsel for Mrs.
Schmidt, objected to Coroner Bullock
giving his opinion as TO whether the
cuts on the dead girls neck could have
been inflicted by the big knife found in
the store. HIS objection was overruled
and DIR. Bullock testified that he did
not think the wound could have been
inflicted with the big knife found near
the body. Coroner Bullock said that il
person cut his throat standing in
room of the kind where Emma Plitzen-
meyer was found, the blood would have
fquirted all over the room. There was
{ no evidence of this kind in this case
The Coroner's Queer Admission.
Coroner Bullock's testimony was
somewhat shaken in cross examination.
Lawyer Broomall read the report Of a
man who had cut his throat with
razor twice, severing the carotid artery.
and who walked down two flights of
stairs afterwards and out on the street
In response to question, the coroner
doubted the truth of the story.
Would you believe it if you knew it
TO be u factr asked the attorney.
don't believe | would !" was the ra