St. Paul daily globe., 1895-08-31
STATE MAKES MANY STRONG
POINTS IN THE PERKINS
CASE.
CONTRADICTORY EVIDENCE.
STORY OF THE ACCUSED RE-
GARDING THE INSURANCE
DISPUTED.
HoBAN Is ROUGHLY RAkEn
Damaging Testimony From Some
OF the Women Neighbors of
the Prisoner.
A battle for a. life!

A battle for a life!
In the stuffy little court ruu1rl IN
| Second street. redolent with tobacco
and the bad air on Lookup alley.
another act in the latest Minneapo-
lis sensation was carried out yester-
day. The second day was prolific in
excitement, and point after point
was scored for both sides, till at ad-
Journment the case wore a more
mysterious look than ever.
The state had two strong witnesses.
Mrs. Minnie Virgins, a neighbor. tes-
titled to a conversation with Mrs.
Perkins on the day of the fire, in
which Mrs. Perkins told her that
her sister" had no insurance, and
to another some days later, when
Mrs. Perkins told of Charlie Kist-
ler finding the policies among the
dead woman's effects. This, taken
in connection with the testimony of
G. S. Dickerson, the agent who wrote
both accident policies, who later
in the day told of Mrs. Perkins
bringing Mrs. Hawkins application
to him and getting a commission on
it to her credit, looks very
BAD FOR DEFENDANT.
But the states star witness was
L. K. Thompson, the life insurance
man, who came on the stand shortly
before adjournment, and is not yet
through testifying. Thompson wrote
the $1,000 life insurance on Mrs.
L.
swore that he had never seen the
real Mrs. Hawkins, but that Mrs.
Perkins, whom he identified in
court, was the woman who came to
him for the policy, and gave her
name as Mrs. Hawkins. His testi-
mony was unshaken, but there were
no witnesses to the transaction be-
sides himself, so that his testimony
is robbed Of large part of it's
weight.
But the event of the day, from a
spectators point of view, was the
examination of Officer Ed Hoban.
1t was regular circus, with Ho-
ban for clown and Hall for .ringmas-
ter, and ringmaster's long whip
than did the sarcasm Of the attor-
ney's tangling questions. The would
be detectives features, which at first
were wreathed in a broad grin, grad
ually relaxed into a, sickly smile, as
he realized what a ludicrous position
the examination was putting him in,
and took in the Unsurpassed merri-
ont Of In I'll
mony undoubtedly did the states
case
MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
The other witnesses were not very
material. Mrs. Annie Cloutier, an
other neighbor, who assisted the
doctors in administering to Mrs.
Hawkins dying wants, testified to
her last words about the accident.
Henry Krumweide, the deputy oil
inspector who tested the oil used
said that it could not possibly have
exploded, as it was a very high test,
but on croSS-eXaminati ton as to COM
potency he was pretty badly shaken,
and he did not score very heavily for
| the state
The court room was crowded at
both sessions. Long before 10 o'clock
! the hall outside the civil court room
was crowded with the curious, wait
ing for the door to be opened to
rush for good seats. Reporters and
| court officers were first admitted; !;
then the general public fought for
what was left. Judge Holt presently
entered, and Court officer Ehrlich-
mann raped for order. Then there
form of the accused had a few min
utes before been carried from her
carriage to an upstairs room by
| Deputy Sheriffs Megaarden and
| Maish. Matron Paine now busted
herself with preparations, and soon
had a rocking chair padded with pill
| lows for the prisoner. The door
opened, and she entered, falteringly,
| on the arm of Attorney Hall, by
whom she was assisted to her seat.
Mr.. and Mrs. Axtell and her little
! boy followed her, and Mrs. Axtell
sat down close beside her. All the
morning the appearance of the ac-
| cused was one Of apathy, as far as
! concerned the witnesses and events
of the court room. She lay moaning
softly, with scarcely sign of other
animation. In the afternoon, how
ever, she began to take an interest
! in the proceedings, and more than
once smiled at Mr.. Halls sallies at
| Officer Hoban, whom the defense
seem to regard as the origin Of the
entire prosecution.
CORONER TESTIFIES.
Deputy Coroner Thomas Mayer,
who is also an attorney, was the first
witness called. He had seen Mrs.
Hawkins body prior to DR.. Nye's
visit and also afterward. He said he
knew the defendant, Mrs. Perkins,
when she was living with Mrs. Haw-
kins at 2917 Tenth street
On cross-eXamination the witness
said that he could not recall when
he first saw Mrs. Hawkins. In his ca
pacity as deputy coroner he viewed
the body after death, and identified
it as that of Mrs. Hawkins. He had
also examined the house, and noticed
a charred spot. Mr.. Halls question
as to what caused the charred spot
was objected to and objection sus-
tanned.
''To save time" said Mr.. Hall, "I
offer to show by this witness that
he made an examination of the house
and the charred spot in the porch
and satisfied himself that it was
made by the burning sleeve Of Mrs.
Hawkins night Dress" Mr.. Hall fur
ther offered to show that he, the wit
ness, had thought an inquest un-
necessary.
A. Chapman. a carpenter. residing
at 364S Ninth avenue south, who has
e SSe New: