The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-17
SAYS HE WAS ANXIOUS
Mrs. Wetk OSke Tells of Interviews
KOesterS Tried to Have with Her..
DIR. Hurry Testifies OH the Subject of
POisOns-A Number Of Witnesses i'm
the Wagner Murder Trial.

tinued by Prosecutor Hoffman. The wit
ness said she went to Borsts drug store
the second time before she became
Quainted with Mrs. Bergman, and ii was
about two weeks after the arrest of the de-
PENDANT; the witness said Mr. Borst ought
to know, he is smarter than 1 am" At
this point the cross-examination was inter-
rupted by Mr.. Span, who objected to the
prosecutor whipsawing the witness back
and forth over ground that had been COW
cred several times in the cross-examination.
Continuing, the witness said she first heard
of the poisoning and arrest Of the defend
ant from lady in front of
the New York store, and 1t was
about two weeks after this that she
went to the drug store the second time. She
said she did not know the date of the paper
in which she read the account. after reading
which she went to the drug store. She
never talked with Mrs Bergman about the
poisoning case. When the latter came to wit
ness's house she was always crying about
her injured husband. The witness did not re-
member exactly but thought it was early
in the week and at an early hour in the day
that she went to the drug store the second
time.
AT BORSTS STORE.
The first time she went to the drug store.
when she purchased the poison, she looked
at the clock because she must return home
by 11:45 to prepare dinner for her husband.
She said II was II a.. m. when she returned
home from the drug store upon the occa-
sion of her second visit. She changed her
dress the morning of the second visit to
the drug store because she was going up
town. She said the elder Mr.. Borst was in
the drug store at that time, and she did
not see the young man. Counsel for the de-
Tense thought the witness was installing
the visit alluded to, and when the witness
was Intercepted it developed that she
thought the question referred to the occa-
sion of the visit when she purchased the
poison. Being set right as to which visit
was meant, she said she believed the
young man was in the store when she went
there the second time. She said when she
entered the store the elder Mr.. Borst was
standing in the rear of the store, near
where she takes in the money" She said
he spoke to her first, and asked what she
wished. and she purchased 10 cents worth
of borax. After purchasing the borax, the
witness asked Mr.. Borst if he did not re-
member of her having purchased the poi
son, and he said he did not that he knew
d nice one" The witness said Mr.. Borst
told her she ought not to think anything
about Annie Wagner, and the witness re-
piled, II know when / got the poison to
which Mr.. Borst replied, "And 1 know
when she got it." The witness said she told
MIR. Borst she bought the poison on May %.
and he said he did not remember her, as he
did not know her. but he knew Annie Wag
ner so we'll because so many had died at
the Koesters. She said she read in the paper
that no one purchased poison in his store
on that day but the defendant, and she
knew that she had purchased poison there
on that day.
The witness said she testified before the
grand jury that she asked Mr.. Borst if he
remembered the day she bought the poison
and he said he could not remember. She
denied that she testified before the grand
jury that she told Mr.. Borst it might have
been the week before Annie Wagner pur-
chased poison that the witness purchased
it. She said she did not tell Mr.. Borst
that she did not remember whether she
bought the poison from him or his brother.
The witness said she asked TO be ad-
mitted to the Police Court once during the
preliminary hearing and was refused ad-
mission; when she did finally succeed In
getting into the room the preliminary hear
ing had been concluded. She did not re-
member now long IL was from the time
she read or the poisoning in the German
paper till the preliminary hearing was
had in the Police Court. The witness
said Mrs. Tanner told her she ought not
to mix up in the case and be dragged into
the court. She also said that Mr.. Brown,
of counsel for the defense. had told her
at his Office to tell the truth, whatever il
might be- This was before the trial in the
Police Court
on redirect examination, the witness said
she was acquainted with Mrs. Tanner. and
that she met the latter upon the street
one day and she (Mrs. Tanner) suggested
that witness should not help Annie Wag-
ner. Mrs Tanner said she understood the
witness had been to see Mr.. Borst, and
advised the witness TO say nothing about
ness said that Mr.. Kossteis sent woman
to her house on Wednesday and wanted
her (witness) TO come to his house. She
said it was a woman who brought the mes
sage. The witness refused to go to Koes-
ters's store, and when she saw him yester-
day Thursday he asked her why she had
not reported the purchase of the poison
sooner. She saw BOOSTERS at the house of
the woman who came to her as a messen-
ger from him. She said she did not know
at that time that she was to see koeSterS
at the woman's house. The woman sent her
house. and they told her their mamma"
wanted to see her at her tthe woman's 50
house. When she went to the house she
saw Mr.. Koesters there and told him IL he
wanted to talk to her about the case he
would have to come to the court and do
his talking there. The name of this woman
witness and Koesters together did not ap-
pear, from the testimony, and she was al
ways alluded to as the woman" Mrs.
Wetkoske was excuesd till Monday morn
ing.
DIR. HURTY'S TESTIMONY.
The next witness called was DR.. j. N
Hurry He was called to testify as an ex-
pert. He said he was an analytical chem
list. 1t was twenty years since he began
the study and had practiced analytical
chemistry for twelve years. He had made
tests for poisons. He had served time
as city chemist. He said he knew toxin
poison was that poison which came from
toxines and said it could form in bodies
| alter death or could form in food, notably.
milk, cheese and ice cream. The witness
said II would not necessarily follow that
all of family should die OF toxin poison
| ing because they had eaten of food that con-
| tanned IT,
a hypothetical question was then put to
| the witness. He was asked, suppose a
child should come home from school COM
| planning of being sick, that she had eaten
cheese and Vomlted all night, that ply
stefan was called in about thirty hours aft
erward and found peculiar nervousness
| and desire TO escape light, suppose the
child died and the undertaken washed the
body with fluid known 10 contain arsenic
and placed upon the face clothes saturated
] with the fluid which cloths came in con-
tact with the eyes. nose and mouth and
suppose upon a qualitative analysis IL
should be shown that there was arsenic in
the stomach. where would you say the
arsenic came from?" The witness answered
| that he would say that arsenic
came from the fluids, used and the
| and said that If arsenic had heen in the