The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-18
METHvIN ON TRIAL
South Park Doctor Charged
With Counterfeiting.
THE CHIEF WITNESS Is MISSING.
Ana che Dsfsuso ClAans Ne Il sAs Real
Cstmaoal-1ssea0soy II eAe De-
tss's Uiotee1a.

sss's Nistsess.
The trial Of Dr. B. }. Nethvin for coun.
terfeitias vas in progress yesterday in the
United States district court He was ar
rested last April By deputy United States
Marshass Biselow and Mndsess on war
ran. sworn out by . nan named George
W. Murphy. in whose house in South Sc
attic he WAS living at the time. Murphy
informed the officers that Neshvin Vas
getting ready 10 manufacture coins in the
garrett Of his house. and kept the officers
posted for several days Of Neshvin's opera
tons. Finally one dark. rainy night Bige-
low and Nudgefs made . descent on the
place and caught the doctor ss work.
After putting the bracelets on him they
turned their attention to gathering up the
evidences Of his occupation. These con-
sisted Of IN elecsrotyping eutdt. csuc.bles
plaster Of paris moids. some with impress
sions Of coins in them and some in which
wers the coins themselves, bottles Of acid
pieces of tin, copper. behhit metal, tinners'
scissors and many other implements.
While the Officers we're engaged in putting
these things into . large sack. Methvin
made . rush for the door, jumped down
stairs and In the darkness made his escape
for the time being. but was arrested the
following day.
All these circumstances were related to
the jury by the officers who made the de-
scent, which. With the large collection OF
tools, implements and mods. constituted
the states case. Murphy having in the
meantime disappeared. Much Of the coun-
terfsiting paraphernalia was not admitted
in evidence BY Judge Hanford, because il
Vas seized on . search warrant served dur
ing the night time, and the officers had no
right to seize the stuff on . search war.
rant served in the night time. This .rul-
ing. however. applied only to those things
found in other rooms Of the house than
the one Methvin Was IN when arrested.
The implements and apparatus in the room
with him at the time he Was arrested we're
admitted in EVIDENCE. which included the
moids and hot crucibls and metals for
making the bass coin.
The defense set up il that Murphy Vas
the real couuterieiter and the owner Of the
outfit and. In fact Was known TO have had
il before Nethvin had come to the state,
and that Murphy had put mp . job on
Methvin for the sake Of securing .
reward from the government Is vas
claimed that Nsthvin had been In the
room only . few minutes before he vas AZ
rested and had never been in the room but
once before, when he helped Murphy to
ct up stove there.
The woman who Was thought to b
Msthvin's wife and with whom he was liv.
ing 40 such in Murphy's house was the
first witness for the defense and stated that
her name was Nellie Ruttsr and that she
came to Seattle from Texas with Methvin.
She testified that . few minutes prior to
the arrest Murphy had after much
persuasion induced Methvin 70 70
upstairs, a. be had something
to show him. and that shortly after the
doctor vent up the officers made the raid.
On her cross-examination she declined to
say whether she Was married TO Methvin
or any one else. on the ground that she
could not be compelled to eliminate her.
SELF Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Robertson repeatedly sought 20 bring out
the fact that she had eioped from hus-
band in Texas with Methvin. bringing her
children with her. but Attorney Frank
Hartley Jones strsnuously objected and
Judge Hanford sustained him. The
woman Was not the least abashed by the
tendency of the cross-examination, but
Was rather disposed to vent her ire by
sharp answers and evasive replica On
leaving the witness stand she made an
ugly grimace Ut Mr.. Robertson, 40 much
~ to say. I'D like to scratch your eyes
out"
The next witness also was Q woman
named Mrs. Clara Whelpley, who lived ut
GAsV Ia IL. u~k,
that year ago, six months before Meth
vim came to Murphy's house to live. she
had seen . great deal Of the paraphernalia
scoopsd in By the officers in . trunk be-
longing to Murphy in his old shack at the
back end Of his lot, and called the atten.
ton Of Dick Harper to the stuff. The
cross-examination was directed to break
ing down her positive Identification of the
stun. but she stuck 10 her FIRST testimony
very closely.
The last witness examined for the day
Was Msthvin himself. who told the same
story as Mrs. Rutter. and said that when
he went up 10 the garnet At Murphy's re-
peated invitation and was shown what
Was going on he endeavored to dissuads
Murphy from engaging in such business,
and was talking about the matter In this
way when the officers swoopcd down on
them. Before he went Up stairs with MUIR
ply that night he never had any idea that
any counterfeiting Vas going on there or
that there was any counterfeiting ap-
para,us in the honss.
The testimony for the defense is not oil
in vet. and the case will b continued to-
morrow.
A rumor VAS in circulation last night to
the effect that George W. Mnrphy. the
missing government witness in the case
of J. n. Methvin, had been arrested at
Vancouver. Wash. by Deputy United
States Marshal Mckay. and lay concealed
in The King county prison. II is said tina.
Murphy was indicted at the last session of
the grand jury on the charge OF counter.
feisins, and that the indictment Vas sepa-
rate from that agsinst Meshvin, although
arising out Of the same case. Il Vas
learned last night the. Deputy Marshal
Mckay had been out of the city, presuma-
bly, TO Vancouver, Wash. where IL is be-
lieved Murphy vent after he lefs South
Park. bat II the arrest VAS made the prie-
ones has not eeen brought to the county
Jail in this county.
Sent 10 the asnss Of Good sAephsrd.
Emma Bittner. or pike stree. EN-" Is
she is known. came to = most sensible con-
csuxion yestersiay when ske told Jailev