The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-27

mystery, ana VINO, nlnSIy-DlDe llIneS Out OI
hundred. build up a substantial structure
of theories, based upon facts, these men
are the newspaper reporters. They hunt
not not be Backed exc u5 Sy good sufficient rea-
sons. Their professional reputation and
the good name Of their papers depend pend upon I
Duncan put the newspaper men on the
stand with Beck and Splann? 1t was be-
knew too much
At this point the court adjourned till
In the afternoon Mr. spaan resumed his
argument from where he stopped in the
morning. ''In case of circumst antial evil
dence, If any OF the evidence can be ex-
Court has said that those natural explana-
tions must be considered. The doctors adj
mitted that the symptoms noticed In TINS
case could be attributed to alkaloidal
poisoning In the certificate of death q the
old man the cause OF death Is given as
acute dysentery. II the old man died or
arsenical poisoning, who poisoned him in
September, when he had the same symp-
toms? Why did DR.. Ryer report the Sep
TENDER case and the cause of death as
acute dysentery? Was some one interested
in getting the old man out of the way at
that time, just after he had made his Will?
He was then living with his wife and out
of the reach of Annie Wagner. How much
Of mans statement will you believe when
he states in the death certificate acute
dysentery, and then comes into court ana
swears the death was caused by arsenical
poisoning? beiieye as truly f,, as COD 9eR wSe
reIgns above. that this girl is innocent,
and l will not blush to stand before you
and protest her innocence with all the
power that God has given me-
IF you wanted to poison any person
would you go TO drug store only rev
hundred yards from your home to buy
the poison with which to do your dastardly
work, and to druggist with whom you
was well acquainted? Just think or TINS
| girl going to Borst's drug store only few
| minutes walk from her home, to buy
| poison to kill a whole family! And then
| stand their DISCRIMINATION for a whole
| day and never vary one lota from ner
story as told in her examination In chleI.
| HE SEES THE HAND OF PROVIDENCE
"But just here Mrs. Wetkoske steps in
as our Gibraltar Why would she, stran-
ger to Annie, come into court and make
| false statement. thereby mourning the en-
| nifty OF all the Koesters and their friends?
Why should she subject herself to a severe
| cross-examination and have all her life
laid bare to the public and even held up to
| ridicule? The prosecution even attacked
| her virtue. They knew full well that If
they could not break down her testimony
| their case would fall of it's own weight
| Why, say, did this woman bring all this
| upon herself? 1t was because she was
guided by an all-seeing eye to save one or
| His innocent servants from an ignomlnlous
| fate. / tell you, gentlemen, L am as much
| Of believer in the goodness of God as l
/
| EARTH and don't believe He would allow
| this girl to suffer when she is as innocent
Of this crime as any or you are Mh9
| brought Mrs. Wetkoske into court? Did
| Bergman, the poor teamster. pay her? or
| did Annie? Or was il the lawyers who
| paid her to make up that long story she
| told to you about having bought box or
| Rough on Rats from druggist Borst on the
| same day he says Annie Wagner, and no
E it was P the Command of God, who could not
| see His innocent child suffer Tor the crime
of another
What was Duncan's criticism on this
| woman? What was the idiotic statement of
| the man who told you that he came into
court TO perform duty but who i in reai IIS
| said she was not truthful because she said
| she bought cueumbers on May % which ne
| said she could not do because they were
| not or the market that early I'm the season.
| Mr.. Duncan may know something about
law but ne don't Know anytn n,. aP fS f te
| market gardeners, by planting them In hot
| beds. can have cucumbers much earlier.
| even, than that time Mr. Duncan rldl-
| culed Mrs. Wetkoske in every particular,
| but all his sarcasm fell TO the ground as
| harmless as an arrow against stone wall.
| Now, gentlemen, don't You know that this
woman could not so through all the long
stories of her movements for days and
| weeks and not get tangled up on it, unless
ii was true? If her evidence is not all true
she Is the most consunmate liar thet ever
| lived. Facts are linked together in an UNI
| breakabe chain. This woman's testimony
was linked together in a chain, which the
| prosecution was forced TO consider un-
breakable after a long and fruitless EFFORT
to tear ii to pieces. She stated that she
went to the depot to inquire the price of a
| he had her then, and asked her the price of
| a ticket. But she was ready for him and
promptly stated that il was sl$ If that
| seller up here TO tell you that II was false
1t was because they would rather rely upon
| the sneers of the sneering counsel, paid for
at so much a sneer Mr. Duncan says that
this woman was trained to give her evil
dence. He says she knew entirely too much
for it to be true. He tried everything
known to his ingenuity to break down the
| testimony of this witness, and after finding
that with her statements. backed by the
truth, he could not make her contradict
herself he then fell back upon the very
fiimsy excuse that she knew the truth toe
the illiterate man who told his boy that
he would whip him II +, he did not learn the
whipping learned the alphabet in the
required time. Then some one twit-
the more old than h did and he vent hom
and whipped the boy for learning the al
What did Borst say when Mrs. Wet
koske went to him and told him that she
had bought Rough on Rats from him or
the day that he said he had sold it to Annie
| Wagner? Was his answer the answer OF q
disinterested person? Was it the reply of an
honest man? Was it the answer of a man
who wanted to get out the facts of the case
so as TO do every one full justice? Was II
the reply of n man with an honest motive
inspiring it? No; ii was the reply of man
whose opinion was already formed, mar
who for some reason, wanted suspicion &c
fall upon Annie Wagner He said, You had
better keep out of this and let Annie Wag,
ner alone. She is a nice one
| Now, gentlemen, another point i want
to impress upon you. Was not this poison
found in a closet accessible TO every mem
Der of the family? Could not Charles Koes-
tiers or any other member of the family
who had an interest in putting the old man
out of the way have used ii, knowing full
/ u-aI thee hell Fly ped n M "a
she would be the one TO be called to account
for 1t? | am not accusing any one of the
| murder, If murder has been committed bu
| merely call your attention to these facts
| that YOU may consider who else might have
| had motive for wishing to be rid of these
people What a field there is here for oul
sleuth hounds to investigator?
| Mr.. Spaan here read several old English
| cases of conviction on circumStantial eVi
| dence where persons were hanged, and aft
erwards proved innocent beyond any posi-
! BILE doubt. All were cases of mistaken iden
tity.
Now, are you going to believe that thi:
| man Borst could not be mistaken when hi
says that 1t was Annie Wagner who bought
| poison from him on that fatal Monday, oil
Will you accept the mistaken statement o.
| Mrs. Wetkoske that ii she who wor,
| the blue dress, and she who told Mr.. Bors
about the rats having spoiled her apples
| and that bought the only box of Rough OF
| Rats which Mr.. Borst says he sold OF
| that day. Gentlemen. | wish | had time {,
| read this whole book to you. (Greenleaf OF
cases where people have gone To un
timely death through human falibility il
| the matter of recognizing faces
| Mr. Duncan says Annie Is a Shrewd, de