The Indianapolis journal., 1893-12-12

fendant. On cross examination by. Mr..
Brown, the witness said he was never In
troduced to the defendant, but knew her
name before she was arrested. He said
there were a number OF persons passing his
shop each day, and he would not notice
them unless there was something in the
manner of their dress TO attract his atten-
ton. he would not only notice the dress
women in the dresses. In answer 10 ques-
tion, he said he always noticed a curiosity
when IL came near him, and he considered
Annie Wagner something of curiosity. He
was questioned closely TO his reasons
Tor SO thinking, and answered that her
dress was neatly made and fitted her like
a glove. and he thought Mrs. Koesterss $
hired girl has new, nice-ftting dress"
He said IT displayed her figure to advan-
tage, and admitted that 1t was the figure
and not the dress which attracted his at
tentlon. He could not say whether the de-
1endant wore bonnet or not, but thought
she wore sunbonnet; he could not tell the
color OF the bonnet
Al the conclusion Of the examination, of
MIR; Landwehr the court adjourned till
o'clock in the afternoon.
Inc afternoon session was convened
promptly at the hour. and little time was
consumed in hearing a report of the grand
jury. A dispatch from Franklin College
was also read, asking that seats be re-
served for the class in chemistry. on the
day DIR. Eisenbeiss is called TO the stand
10 TESTIFY as TO the chemical analysis made
by him.
The first witness called to testify was
Harry Borst, brother of George Borst, the
druggist. He said he had known the de-
fendant for one and one-half years, and
get small-sized box of Rough on Rats"
on the Monday before Clara KoeEters
died The poison was for Annie Wagner,
VINO was in the store at the time. He
said box of Rough on Rats In the
possession of the coroner was similar in
size and appearance to that which he got
for Annie Wagner.
on cross-examination by Mr. Brown, the
witness said the box shown him the
same as all fifteen-cent boxes of Rough
on Rats" Mr. Brown then went very
minutely into the facts relating to the
size and shape of the drug store and the
distance between the witness and the de-
fendant at the time she said to have
been in the drug store. The questions
that the witness could not have recognized
the defendant. The witness said he had
Deen acquainted with the defendant for
about year prior to, her visit TO the store
for the poison. He did not know her name,
but was told by his brother that she was
employed by Charles Koesters. Three or
four weeks before she purchased the poi
son the witness had sold her insect pow
der, but did not remember of having sold
Ir ner oenzlne and eamphor at the same time time:
who else he sold articles to on the day
the defendant purchased the poison. He
could not tell whether the patrons had
been all male or partially women, nor
could he tell how any of them were
dressed. He thought there was an average
OF fifty persons in the store during any
given day, and at the close of the days
business he would be unable to tell to whom
he sold articles, or what ne S0ld, unless II
was marked in the day book. The witness
said he often sold Rough on Rats from
the store and said nothing to the pur-
chaser at the time Of the purchase.
CHIEF SPLANN'S TESTIMONY.
Chief Splann was then called by the State
and examined by Mr.. Duncan. The witness
said it was he that arrested Annie Wag-
| ner; he received the information upon
which the arrest was made about l o'clock
that afternoon, from Superintendent Col
bert. The Coroner with witness and other
officers, went to the KoeSterS house He
saw the defendant in the dining room and
asked TO be shown to her room and, after
asking Mr.. Koesters about it, she showed
the officers to the room. The witness asked
her for the rat poison she had, and she
replied that she hadn't any. The witness
SAD SAID ne insisted that she had, and the
asked her II she hadn't purchased rat poi
son at Borsts, and she replied that she had
not and had no use for rat poison
The witness was then asked if the de-
fendant had any difficulty in understanding
him. This was objected to by the defense, as
Mr.. Duncan said he thought If he talked
with person, he could tell by the an
Ss a made 6 w6ethsr 5 the understood
ruled, and the witness said that the de-
fendant understood him.
The witness said he then took the de-
| fendant to Borsts drug store, and the wit
| ness asked BDrst If this was the woman
who had purchased the poison. and Borst
said it was; the defendant denied it, and
Borst tried to recall it TO her memory by
asking her If she did not remember a con-
VerSation, had at the time of the purchase
| as to the size of the box wanted. The
| conversation at the drug store was partially
| in German and partially in English. The
defendant was then taken to the police sta
ton, and Joe Stevens talked to her in Ger
man. The defendant was then taken to the
| koeSters house again, and taken Immediate
10 toIr -
defendant with him, searched the upstairs
| of the house, and Dr. Beck went down
stairs to search the lower part of the house
After awhile the coroner came up stairs
and had the poison. The witness asked the
| defendant about the poison. She hesitated
from her sister some weeks before The
| witness said he took some dresses belong
g B6rs drug rne stere and as at aroye past
| Of them looked like the dress she wore on
the day she bought the. poison. and Mr..
| was then taken TO the police station
| Mr. Duncan hesitated several moments
before asking the next question, and then
| said: Captain, I'll ask you if"
| The question was not finished, and Mr.
| Duncan then said to the witness: Captain,
there is something here Mr.. Spaan and /
| wish to see," and the witness retired To
| the chambers with counsel for each SIDE
| and remained out about three minutes
| When they returned the witness carried
| couple of blue dresses in his hand He
| said the dresses were given to him by the
| defendant on the day of her arrest and
| had since been in the custody of Police
| Matron Buchanan. One of the dresses was
/ wrapper.
on cross-examination by Mr.. Brown the
witness said the dresses brought to
| the court room by Joe Stevens. The wit
| ness was asked if the dresses were not
brought in at the request of the defendant S
| counsel, and the witness said they were
The witness then asked: ''Mr Dun
| can did not suggest that you bring them
out, did hep
/ oh tod b,,
Duncan, and the objection was sustained
| From the argument it appeared that in
| this little coup the defense had quietly
slipped ahead of the State and forestalled
| a bit of the evidence intended to be intro
| duced by the State.
| Continuing the examination, 1t was deyel-
oped that when the witness went to the
fendant was arrested he was dressed in
citizens clothes; the witness said he
thought he went alone into the dining room
where the defendant was. standing The
first thing the witness said to the defendant
was that he wanted her to show him to
| her room, and she asked Mr.. Koesters If
she should do so, and when the latter told
her it was all right she took him to the
| room. The witness said he thought he did
| not use the name Rough on Rats at any
time while he was talking to the defend
| ant. He did not think the defendant said
| "Oh that is what / got from my sister -
| when the coroner came into the room with
| the poison. He said he first told the defend
| ant she was under arrest as they were leav-
| that the defendant got the dresses which
| We're introduced in evidence. The witness
| said he asked the defendant for all her blue
| dresses and she pointed them out to him.