The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-11
In rebuttal the chief of police was placed
on the stand. He testified as follows:

In rebuttal the chief of police was placed
on the stand He testified as follows:
THE CHIEF MAKES AxswER
Elm the conversation with the defendant
| did not tell him that | had evidence
! enough 10 pat rope around his neck, nor
| did | use any method TO IntImidate or sub
| iect him to duress. / told him that he was
| in a precarious condition; that many
| Germans were ciamoring for his neck
| But l wanted him to understand that he
| was in the Office of the chief of police, and
that any statement ne should make there
was to be voluntary. On no occasion was
| there used any threat OF violence or any
manner of intimidation"
| At $40 the court ordered a recess till
1880
| At the evening session another morbidIy
curious crowd thronged the court room
| and the hallway, filling almost the entire
space to the county clerks door. All en-
frances TO the room were locked and ad-
mission was denied to great number of
people who had come to hear the adj
dresses to the jury. The audience was
hard to control. and during the first part
| of Mr.. McBride's address he was Obliged
| TO pause for five minutes until order could
! be restored.
Proceeding with the trial. the state
| called Sheriff Woolery, Officer Barck. Chief
| Rogers and Detective Cudihee, whose testi-
| mony was confined principally to identi-
| flying the bit of hammer handle and a
| piece of the boat. The case was now
| closed, and the court ordered the argument
TO begin.
WANTS RoTHER TO TESTIFY.
Attorney Soderberg. seconded by w. Z.
| Humphrey. his associate, at this point
| surprised every one by moving for a con-
| tinaanee till this morning on the ground
| that he had just been informed of evidence
4 that was very material TO the defense but
not at once obtainable. Mr.. Soderberg
said:
I'VE wish TO call August Rother man
| whom the prosecution has singularly re-
| fused 10 put on the stand. ;"
The motion was denied.
ARGUMENT Fos THE STATE
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mcbride
| opened the case for the state, speaking
nearly an hour. All the circumstances, he
declared pointed TO the guilt of the &C.
| eussd. The hammer on the window sill in
the front room OF Melier's house, the piece
| of hammer handle in Craemer's backward
| the 500 in gold in the tin box m the wood
shed, Craemer's revolver found asst Satur-
| day back of the Meller house aud the sus-
| pieious actions of the defendant when APP
preached by the officers with questions as
| to the murder, all formed a strong and
conclusive chain of eircumstan,ial evil
deuce. Counsel made an elaborate
| argument 10 show how the piece
of hammer handle found in Crae-
mer's yard belonged to the ham,
mer with which the deed was committed.
Three witnesses had testified that Craemer
had been seen lurking about Meler's
house two weeks before the crime, and
another witness had seen him near there
the evening Of August IL. only q short
while before the murder. The accused
was evidently only waiting for a chance.
The Tacoma abb was completely shat
tered by witnesses who saw Craemer in
Seattle after IL o'clock on the day OF the
murder, so that be could not have left on
the IL O'Clock boat. If he had returned, as
claimed, from Tacoma at $40 y. M, he
would undoubtedly have been seen by
witness Booth, who vas a passenger. The
Tacoma man. Jack Qainey, whom Craemer
said he visited TO collect money, was a
myth.
THE ARGUMENT FoR cRAEsER
W. T. Humphrey followed In strong
aud eloquent speech for the defense.
Craemes told straight story about being
in Toeoma. and the witnesses for the state
who testified that they saw him in Seattle
after II o'clock on the morning Of August
Is were mistaken 20 the tine The fact
that Booth did not see him on The boats
return trip does not prove that he was not
on board. because Craemer sat outside the
cabin most OF the trip. Witnesses for the
state were contradictory in their state
ments, especially Harry Guyer, who. with
| August KotheF. material witness
who was not pat on the stand, came
IN for severe criticism b. the att0rnev
/ Guyers story Vas false ia nearly every
important particular, and the evidence
pointed 70 his guilt as much as Craemer's.
0nyer testified ~ he did 20 shield himself.
| According 70 his own statements Guyer
vas the Fast man. except the murderer.
who saw Mrs Meller alive IL vas asas-
paelous circumstances that he should have
eeea about the house only short while
before the murder sad then not have
gone near u fer two days afterward. one
q the prosecuti3n's most important wit
nesses. A. &. Smith. had said anqua!idea!y
thar the bloody hammer was not Craze
mer's. No one lad satisfactorily Identified
tie hammer as his. The peculiar circum-
/ stances Of the ease, especially the revolver,
indicated thai some one was trying 10
fAsssR guiiE upcn an innocent man.
Mr.. Humphrey closed 81 1895. The
argument viii be resumed ~ ~ this
morning ~ Attorney soderheTg for the
defense aaa Prosecuting Attorney Miller
fer tie state.
NcSoTiey N axes harness ITO Commercial