St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-09
Trial OF Annie Ut. Smith for
the Killing Of August
Hoppe.
Curious Facts Developed in
the Evidence Offered by
the State.
Some Of the Curious Signs
Nailed Up Around the
Henning Place.
The Defense Will Be Reached
Today--Featupes Of
the Trial.

Annie NJ. Smith, the colored woman
on trial for her life for the killing of
Hoppe July at Lake Owassa, watched
the proceedings III Judge BrilPS court
with close interest yesterday. She
looked with a steady and earnest gaze
at the witnesses who were relating the
incidents surrounding the shooting
down of the man under their eyes on
the morning of the nations holiday.
Occasionally she would smile and even
laugh at trivial display of ignorance
on the part of the illiterate witnesses.
The state thus far has made out strong
case. Several eye witnesses, who had
gone to the lake for days fishing, told
simple and plain story of the shooting
of Hoppe by the negro woman while he
was standing in the lake near the Hen
ming house with fish-pole in his hands.
The cross-eXamination by the aStute
criminal lawyer, Irwin, did not weaken
the story told by the witnesses for the
state. The evidence in chief for the
state is about ended, and the defense
will begin its evidence today. 1t has
been intimated that the defense will be
justifiable or eXcusabe homicide, or in
other words a
Killing in eIf-Defense.
A peculiar class of testimony was in
troduced by the state last evening. 1t
embraced a number OF notices on the
benches and trees on the Henning prop
erty. The signs had been collected the
day after the shooting by Deputy Sher
1T Eugene Gibberton. The signs were
peculiar as to spelling and manner OF
painting on the boards; they read as
follows:
ALL PERSONS are cautioned
against tressprssing, KEEP OUT OR
BE SHOT" Ills is property. Keep
Of" mo Crossin on It's lot. Private
property" AS there were two of the
following: 'No Admishun to It's lot"
Another red letter sign read. KEEP
owt tbs LOT PRlVlT grond." These
signs were marked as exhibits and dis
played before the jury. Deputy Sher-
if GibbertOn also exhibited the revolver
which was used by the woman to fire
the shots at Hoppe. The woman told
him where to find the revolver when in
jail the evening of the shooting and he
went out and found it where she told
him to look, under a platform at the
foot of the kitchen steps. He found
the weapon at full cock, with one ball
in position for shot. The other
Four Shells Were Empty.
At the opening of the morning session
Philip ID. Winchel testified that he has
lived in st. Paul for twenty years. His
property is near that of Hennlng, whom
he has known for over dozen years.
Henning's wife has been in the asylum
for number Of years, and the cOlored
woman, Smith. has kept house for Hen
ming for number of years. Mr.. Win
chei saw Hoppe shortly after O'Clock
of the morning of the shooting. lie was
wading along in the lake with a fish
pcle Hoppe fell twice when walking
along-once on the shore and once ~
the water. The witness thought he
might have been drunk, and went near
and told him that he was little tight
and might be drowned. Hoppe denied
being tight. The witness reached
toward him to take HIM by the collar to
lead him out, when Hoppe took bottle
out of his pocket and drew off to hit the
witness with the bottle, but afterwards
offered the witness drink after he had
led him out of the water. Mr.. Winch6l
left him after he waded back into the
lake, thinking he was not very drunk
and might not be drowned.
DR.. AmOss, deputy coroner, testified
to viewing the body, and described the
course of the bullet from the breast,
near the shoulder. and ranging down
wards, tearing Il considerable hole
through the lungs.
j. Nj. Johnson, Charles Emil RaSnka
and Henry A. Rashka. three boys aged
sixteen or seventeen years, testified to
witnessing the shooting from boat
that they had hired from the woman
Smith. They told Straightforward stories
in rather embarrassed way. They
saw Hoppe Wading along in the lake
near the fleming boat house. and saw
Henning throw stones at Hoppe. Hen
ming had called to Hoppe to get out and
then
Threw the stones,
but none of the stones hit the man, but
fel! in the lake around him. III little
while the negro woman came out with
a revolver and fired TWO shots that
struck the water and glanced along the
surface near to the boat in which were
the boys. A third shot hit Hoppe.
Then Henning hit Hoppe on the neck
with boat oar and Knocked him down
into the water. Hennng then ran
came back and dragged the body along
In the water. The woman called Hoppe
a vile name, and ended the remark with
the expression: Stay there and
drown"
Nick BLAIR and James w. Blair also
saw the shooting from ii boat, and their
testimony corrobOrated that of the three
preceding witnesses. William Blair was
on the shore, and saw the shooting.
He heard lond talk before the shooting.
Henning had told Hoppe repeatedly
to get off his premises, as he did not
allow any man on his property. Wit
ness also saw Henning throw stones at
Hoppe. Hoppe walked toward the
shore when The shots were being fired.
After the shooting henning walked
toward the house, and in about fifteen
minutes went back and
Dragged the E5Ody
along in the water distance of about
fifteen rods Before the shooting the
witness heard fleming ask Hoppe what
he had in his pocket and tell bin to
stop.
E. A. Boyd, a justice of the peace in
Rose Town, and who lives short DIS
lance from the uenning house, testi-
fled to the woman Smith going to his
house and telling him of the shooting.
He drove back with the woman and
Henning pointed out the body. He put
the woman under arrest and took her
and lodged her in jail. The witness
was not permitted on cross examination
to state what Mrs Smith told him when
she went to his house and told him
about the shooting. The objection of
the county attorney to the testimony of
this character was sustained by the
court. Mr. Erwin stated that he offered
to show that Mrs. Smith told the justice
of the peace that she had shot Hoppe
and gave herself up. The county at
lorney then admitted that the woman
had given herself up voluntarily, by go
ing to the house Of the justice OF the
peace.
w. 5. Runyan. a hardware dealer on
the West side, had gone to the lake 10
fish, He got there about O'clock in the
morning. He heard several ShotS-he
did not know how many-before he got
to tie railroad. He met Mr.. Henning
on the way, but did not see the woman
that day. He heard that man had