St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-17
CLAIMS sELF-DEFENSE.
Baxter on the Stand In His Own
Behalf

Attorney A. P. Loomis will try to prove to
the jury that George Baxter killed Celia
Baxter, his wife, in self-defense.
That is the way the Baxter murder case
presents itself to the public at present. and
that is the way the evidence for the defense
was put in, after the state had surprised
everybody by resting it's case after less than
a day in the trial. True, the state had little
to prove, as the defense did not intend to
deny the killing, and so there was only to
be shown the fact of the death, the condi-
tion of the body, and the admissions of the
man who was caught red-handed.
The claim Of the defense is that Celia Bax-
ter assaulted her husband with razor, and
that he, to protect his own life, seized the
hammer and beat out her brains. That is the
way the case is presented, and that is the
way the evidence was outlined by Mr..
Locmis when he opened the case for the de-
fendant. His client was a weak cripple, and
his wife had been a strong, we'll woman,
with a violent temper, and that was what
caused the tragedy.
Mr.. Nye opened the case for the state
by his address to the jury. He stated the
facts regarding the murder, and outlined
what the evidence of the state would show
G. j. Ringdahl was the first witness. He
detailed the condition in which he found the
remains. DR.. Thomas B. Watson corrob-
story. JOnn r. WdlSl, Keeper OF
the morgue, gave evidence chiefly as to the
way in which he found the body when he
went after it. Hans Bulie, a police officer,
was sworn, and said that he was standing
on the corner of Twelfth avenue south and
washington the morning Of the murder when
the Baxter boy came running up to him and
told him he wanted him to go to a house
near there, for there were a couple quarrel
ing. He replied that he had more to do
than to go and interfere with family quar-
rels. Then the boy told him that there was a.
murder going on, perhaps, and then he went
to the place and saw the woman lying on
the floor alive, and the man with his throat
cut, and, as he thought, dead. He saw the
hammer and the razor lying on the floor of
the room near the bodies
Frank Halling, blacksmith, had also been
called to the scene of the trouble and he
saw much the same as the former witness.
Howard Baxter. the son of the accused
told short story for the state. He knew
little OF the affair, and had heard no quar-
rels at any time on the morning of the
murder. He only knew that he came into
the kitchen and saw his mother lying upon
the floor in a pool of blood. Over her stood
his father in threatening manner, and the
tather reached down and picked up a razor
from the floor near the mother. Then the
boy left hurriedly for help. He heard his
father admit the deed. NJ. G. Powers was
called and told where the body was living.
He also heard the admissions of the killing
by the accused. This closed the states evil
dence, and then Mr.. Lownes made his omen
ing.
The defendant was sworn In his own he
half for the defense. He took the stand
cody and spoke in a calm voice and in lam
guage which gave an appearance of a fair
education, although he swore he was a. COM
mon laborer. He said he was cripple sick.
ly and weak, and that his wife was Of good
health and very much more muscular than
ne was. This was a preliminary excuse for
the defense which had been urged.
Witness told his story without much
prompting. On the morning of the trouble
the couple had gone into the kitchen. where
they were making preparation for break
last. While there quarrel arose Sba
selzed razor that was lying on the table
and made for him. He was standing on tbo
other side of table from her. where wos
hammer with which they had been craok
ing nuts the night before. He seized this
and as she came to him, he struck her. and
then became so angry he did not know what
he was doing. When he realized all tb.+ h.
had done, he picked the razor from the 4oou
where it had fallen, and tried to take b;a
own life. 1ii'
AT this point in the proceedings the cour.
took an adjournment until this mornine