St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-19
MEIGGS SETS UP AN ALIDI.
WAS III BED At TIE TIME OF THE
RO56ERY.


Driver of Laundry Wagon, who
boarded Where Meiggs Did,
Says He Called for Defendants
Laundry at the Hour OF the
Robbery and Meiggs Was in
Bed.
The defense in the Meiggs bank rob-
berry case retaliated against the state
yesterday for its surprise of Saturday
bp bringing in a new witness 10 prove
an alibi for Meiggs. III his opening to
the jury, the county attorney said that
he did not expect to prove that Meiggs
was in the bank at the time of the rob-
berry, but on Saturday he surprised
Meiggs and his counsel by producing
the elevator boy, Lafdell. of the First
National bank, who testified positively
that he saw Meiggs in the bank
at the time the bag of gold
was stolen. The fact that the
boy had seen Meiggs was learned
by County Attorney Butler during the
present trial. and was. of course, made
use of. Mr.. Johns surprised the state
by calling F. A. ID. Hawksworth TO the
stand, and he testified to having seen
Meiggs at his room ten minutes before
and fifteen minutes after IL o'clock am.
of the day of the robbery. The bag of
gold was Snatched at about II :25. Hawks
worth drives laundry wagon. He is
about fifty years old, and roomed in the
same house with Meiggs at the time of
the robbery. He went TO the house the
morning of the robbery, so he says, and
asked for Meiggs' laundry. Meiggs
was not then out of bed. and he then
went TO his own room and secured his
own laundry and returned to Meiggs'
room at 11:15 and got Meiggs' laundry.
MelggS had his underclOtheS Oh the lat
ter time, but was not otherwise dressed.
HaWskworth was submitted to a cross
examination that was rather rigid and
confused him in the main part of his
testimony. He admitted that he might
have told the grand jury that he fixed
the time by church clock, while on
the stand yesterday he fixed the time
by clock in his own room.
The state rested its case a few min
utes after the opening of court at 2
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. The state
witnesses called during the day EN-
braced Detective Shirk, of the Pinker-
ton agency of Chicago, who made the
sensational arrest of Meiggs in Chicago
as detailed in the GLOBE several days
ago. He is the man that was arrested
by confederate of Fleury and Meiggs
when following Meiggs and threatened
to shoot the man who tried to prevent
his arrest of Meiggs. Other witnesses
called for the state are E. B. LorenZ,
secretary to Chief Garvin; Frank Muir
ray, Chicago detective; Mrs. William
Twomey, of Chicago; Mrs. Mary Tucker,
of st. Paul. The baggage belonging TO
all the defendants as we'll as the S7o5. a
gold watch and an opal shirt stud taken
from Meiggs were also offered in evil
dence.
Henry Johns addressed the jury for
about three minutes in his opening
speech, stating that he would ask the
consideration of the jury to the evidence
as presented and would not Outine'what
he expected to prove. By 4 O'Clock the
defense had concluded its side of the
case with the exception of placing Kate
Early on the stand. She is the invalid
that lived in the house where Meiggs
roomed in this city and to whom he took
the oranges about noon of the day of the
robbery. Mr.. Johns wanted the county
attorney to admit that she would testify
to the fact about the fruit OF to permit
her deposition to be taken at her home
for the reason that she has beea
an invalid for year and is
not now in condition to
be brought into court. Mr.. Butler OBJ
jected to the proposition. Judge Kelly
then adjourned court until this morn
ing to give Mr.. Johns chance to bring
in certificate from physician to the
effect that the young woman Is unable
to appear in court. The county attorney
aud Mr.. Johns took physician to see
the young woman last evening, and i'll
case it be found practicable she will be
taken to court this morning TO testify.
That will end the testimony for the Ge-
Tense. and the state will proceed to pro-
duce rebuttinG evidence,