The Indianapolis journal., 1893-12-12
BEST CARDS PLAYED
State Introduces Its Strongest
Evidence Against Annie Wagner.
Druggist Borst. Chief Splann and Cor
Oner Beck on the Stand Yesterday
Some Damaging Facts.

The attendance of women at the Wagner
murder trial yesterday morning was lighter
than any day since the trial began.
The first witness called was Frank Koes-
ters. and his cross-examination, which was
not completed at the adjournment Of the
court Friday night, was resumed. The wit
ness said that after Annie Wagner gave him
the paper to read she went into an ad-
joining and he heard her talking to
some one, but could not tell who II was,
and could not tell whether it was woman
or not. He heard her say, Enough people
have died now, and they shall die no more"
The witness said he was educated in Ger
many, where he went to school for nine
years, and thought he could intelligently
translate a conversation from German TO
English. He said there might be words
expressions which he could not translate;
he did not know what part of speech the
word "shalr' was, nor had he ever studied
the grammatical construction of the En-
glish language. CThe witness had changed
the word should" to "shalr' in testifying
as to what the defendant had said about
persons dying in the house) He could not
explain in English the difference in mean
ing between the word shall and should"
The witness said the expression of the de-
fendant about the deaths was the first
thing he heard her say after she brought
him the paper, and 1t occurred to him that
it was a curious remark for her to make.
After this he went downstairs; when he
came UP he went into the room where the
remains of his mother were lying and talked
to his brother, but did not say anything to
him about what the defendant had said.
DRUGGIST BORST ON THE STAND.
The next witness called by the State was
George Borst, proprietor of the drug store
at the corner Of Meridian street and Rus
sell avenue, at whose store, it is said, the
defendant purchased the poison. He said
he had known Charles Kcesters for ten
years, and the defendant for two and one
half years. He testified to the defendant
having brought two valentines into his
store the evening before st. Valentines day
and requesting him to deliver them to the
postman. He said she showed him what
was In them, and identified the valentines
introduced in evidence last week, as the
ones received by the defendant, as the ones
she had asked him to deliver to the post
man.
He said on the day before Clara Koesters
died, the defendant came into his store
and purchased a box Of Rough on Rats"
He asked her what size she wanted and
she said ''ffteen-cent box would do" The
witness said he could find none Of that size
and called his brother, who found 1t in the
rear part of the store. The witness said
that the defendant, at the time OF the
purchase, told him she wanted to kill rats
and mice, as they had eaten a whole peck
of apples. His attention was called to the
sale of the poison on the next day after the
death of Clara Koesters, He told Charles
Koesters OF the sale of the poison on the
Wednesday after the old lady died. He said
Captain Splann brought the defendant TO
the store and, when he began to explain the
incidents connected with the purchase, the
defendant interrupted him ana, speaking in
German, denied having been out OF the
house the day before, and denied having
purchased the poison. When the witness
referred to her having worn a blue dress
she denied having a blue dress. The wit
ness said that Captain Splann brought the
defendant to the store that afternoon in a
| buggy, and called him out and showed him
| q blue dress, which he identified as the
| dress worn by the defendant on the morn
| ing she was in the store and purchased the
| poison.
on cross-examination by Mr.. Brown, the
witness gave description of the arrange
ment of the counters and showcases inside
his store. He said he could not remember
what time the defendant came to the store
on the morning she purchased the poison,
| and that there was nothing unusual about
her appearance or actions to attract his
attention. He said Ii was possible that he
| lad waited on twenty-five people at the
| time the defendant came in. The stand is
| an old one, and the witness said he did a
| large business there. He said he could not
except Henry Schmidt and he could not
remember the clothing of any others. He
| said he never charged his memory with
these trifies. He was not in the store OIL.
| the afternoon of the day the defendant pur-
| chg sed the poison.
He said Trough on Rats is made by
| Wells, of Jersey City, n. j., who is the
| only manufacturer of it. He said he had
| been introduced to the defendant about one
| and one-half years before her arrest. She
| came into his store frequently, and about
| one month before the purchase of the poi
/ son she bought some insect powder, and
| came once to get a prescription filled dur
| ing the illness of the girl Mamie. He said
| Rough on Rats is sold to all customers;
| il is a general rule TO ask what they want
| it for, but this is not always done The
| witness said IL was generally sold in the
| sprngtime. He did not remember any par
ticular person to whom he had sold Rough
| on Rats except Mr.. Campbell, who said
| could not remember any person to whom he
had sold the poison prior to the time the
defendant purchased the box at his store.
He said his brother was in the rear room
/ at the time the defendant purchased the
| Poison. He could not tell whether she wore
| q hat or not, he just happened to notice her
| dress. He said he saw the defendant on
| the street with Mrs. John Ohleyer on
| Wednesday night: the next time he saw her
was when she was brought to the store by
| Captain Splann, who showed him the in
| sect powder, and asked If that was what
the Qe1endanJ naQ purchased on the Mon
| DAY previous. The witness told Captain
Splann that it was not; she had purchased
| Rough on Rats" He said he was talking
| TO Captain Splann when the defendant in
| terrupted them, and said in German that
| she had not been out of the house on the
Monday previous, and denied buying the
poison. and said she had no blue dress
The witness said that Captain Splann then
| interrupted them and said that he wanted
tn understand what was being said. and he
| (witless) told him in English what the de-
| fCndant had said In German. He said Cant.
Splann came TO his (witness's) store again
/ that afternoon in buggy with the defend
| ant, and he identified a dress in the buggy
the the defendant wore on the daY
| she came into his store
On redirect examination the witness wa q
| shown package and identified il as n box
| OF Rough on Rats of the same size and
| just like the one he had sold the defendant
| The witness said he went to the picnic
on the afternoon OF the day it was given
| On recrosS-eXamination by Mr. Brown the
| witness said he knew Anna Witshowski
by sight and had seen her occasionally for
| about ten years. During the past six years
| He said he had testified before the cor
oner on May %, and was shown the record
| of the evidence taken before the coroner
and said he had written and signed the
| record. He said he ony wrote answers to
| such questions as the coroner asked: the
| evidence taken in the witnesses office:
| the coroner was in hurry and wanted to
| get away He said the evidence was taken
| by the coroner on Thursday morning the
| third day after the defendant had been in
the store TO purchase the poison
| A COUPLE OF TRIPLES
The State then called j. NJ. Watson, who
I l. -,