The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-12
SADDLER ON TRIAL.
Charged With the Murder of
Nicholas Rufus.
Baird BEFORE THE GRAND JURY,
No Law to Fit His Case-Judce Hanford
Appealed to-Three Cinnamon Tell
Their Histories-The BIotter.

september, was commenced in Judge Humes'
department OF the superior court YESTERDAY
morning. Al the time OF Adjournment at <
o'clock in the afternoon, all OF the witnesses
for the prosecution except one had been exam.
incd. 1t will probably take sll day today and
/ perhaps ali Of tomorrow to get through with the
| witnesses. motley crowd of curious
iouugers almost filled the courtroom
l ali day aud every wori of the testimony
lgas listened to very closely. Only one vo-
imam besides Mrs. Hall, the witness. was
In the courtroom. Sadd1er himself looked
sllck aud prosperous. His bald head and gray
hair and his rather intelligent features created
better impression upon the spectators than
did the evidence brought out in the examine
ton.
Prosecuting Attorney Miller stated in his
opening remarks that the state expected To
prove that saddler was rival OF Rufus and that
be had motive for killing him. He proposed
70 put the very woman on the stand who had
been the cause of the trouble between the dead
man and saddler.
The jury consisted OF the following men: A.
D. BnrTow, W. II. Gillian, O. NJ. Jones, Harry
Ebeshan, 8 Berry, w. L. Lowman, r. b. Russell.
J. l. Cresson, Charles Otto, Joseph Diekerson.
". II de Wolf, c. II. Shaw
Bonnie Hail, the little son of the woman who.
II Is alleged, caused the breach between saddler
and Rrfus, is the only known witness of the az
West streets when he saw Saddler go scross the
road to meet Rufus, and then he heard them
quarrelIng. Saddier struck Rufus, he saye and
then Rufus struck back. They seuffied around.
and then Saddler ran down the street and Rufus
staggered across toward his little cabin on the
hill. lie thought that 1t was tho next day after
Labor day.
DR.. G. f. NJ. Kreigk testified to the condition
be found Rufus in when he was first called to
the shanty where the injured man lay He de-
scribed the wound and its treatment and on
cross-examinat!on said that it could not have
proved other than fatal.
Dr.. kreigk was witness TO the ante mortem
statement made orally in the last hour OF Rufus
life. The attorneys for the defense entered an
objection to the admission OF the dying mans
statement, on the ground that 1t was not properly
taken. When Judge Humes overruled the OBJ
lection 81 exception was taken, showing dis
Dosition on the part of the defense to make the
ruling strong point in the possible event of an
appeal.
DR.. E. L. Smith was rigidly cross-examined
after he had testified to the treatment OF the
murdered man. The defense held to the theory
that more thorough treatment OF the wounds
mighs nave resulted In Rufus recovery, but DIR.
6mith was very positive that the wounds would
have proved fatal under any treatment.
The stomach of the dead man was here pro-
duced In evidence to show a gaping wound an
cred at the autopsy. This evidence was OBJ
1ected to, but Judge Humes admitted it.
Albert Hawkins was another witness to Rufus
ante-mortem statement He testified that Rufus
was catechized in the presence of Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney Mcbride, DR.. Kreigk and
himself, at Providence hospital In his state
ment Rufus said Saddler crossed West street TO
meet him with an open knife In his hand, with
I. which he was apparently whiting stick.
lsadder accused Rufus of meddling In the af-
FAIRS of family, to which Rufus replied, using
b vile epithet
"Go away from me; I have got no use for you.
You are no good"
saddler struck him and he retaliated, and
eaddler with his knife. inflicted the fatal
wound. Rufus was positive in saying that
seaGdier struck him first Rufus asked
whether there was a woman in the case and he
said there was and in answer to another Ques-
ton gave her name us Mrs. Hall.
Mrs. Martha Hall, washerwoman who lives
near the scene OF the tragedy, at the foot of
times with Saddler, and once Saddler and she
had gone to Lake Washington together. On
direct examination she testified:
! received letter from saddler since he was
In Jail about my testimony. 1t was from the
county Jail, and Ii came TO me In October IL
was written with a lead pencil. About two
weeks ago the letter disappeared, and j don't
know what became of it. / was acquainted
Tor his washing often. Saddler told me that /
had better keep Rufus away from the house;
that he wasn't of a fit nationality for an Ameri-
can woman to associate with, and that / had
better not take any more OF his washing. Sad
der told me that my husband was getting
jealous of Rufus, too. This was about two
months before the trouble.
! knew Nicholas Rufus about three months
before his death. My husband has had several
letters without signatures lately told Sad
der TO call. did not ask him to treat my hus-
band for any disease, nor o buy any medicine.
! sent fo- him to treat my little boy when he
had his finger mashed. ] only asked him TO
come to the house once. / overheard CONVEX
saton between Saddler and my husband, and
my husband threatened to shoot the Greek.
found picture in the street, but did not
know whose il was until the Greek came and
then | recognized ii as his. saddler told my
husband that was meeting Rufus at his cabin
and that Rufus would come to my house every
Time my husband was away, lie told nay bus
band that was positively meeting Rufus and
that ho had better do something about IL.
Mrs. Hall said that she had seen Saddler's
writing on several occasions, but she was not
allowed to tell where or when. Asked why she
had told her little boy not to tell his father
about something that concerned her and Sad
der, she said lit wasn't any of my husbands
business"
c, Hail. the husband, will be put on the stand
today, and his testimony will close the case for
the proSecution