The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-29
ALONZO'S CITY JAG !"
JUROR IN KELLER MURDER TRIAL
CREATED A SCENE IN COURT.
The Rev. Covert Loses His Libel Suit
Against the Medfum-Shelbyville
saloon Keepers Fined.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, JAM ga drunk
en- juror showed up in the Keller case this
morning and for a time there was some
doubt as TO what course would be pursued
by the court. Judge Taylor had allowed the
jury to separate last night because some
Of them had business and domestic affairs
to arrange before they were taken in
charge by the baiiff. All showed up at
the appointed hour to-day but Alonzo
Soules, of otter creek Word came to the
Judge that he was drunk. The Judge d.
rected that he be brought into court and,
staggering slightly and blinking rapidly. he
came in the room with a deputy sheriff
and found his devious way to the one va
cant chair in the jury box. There he sat
and binked. pulling at his big, dropping
mustache. For more than an hour the
Judge and the counsel in the case discussed
the situation in the hope of finding an
easy way out of the dilemma and one which
would not open the way for technical
fault in the trial. At 10 O'Clock Judge Tay-
lor resumed his seat on the bench and Mr..
Lamb, for the defense, made a motion that
the jury be discharged, that juror Soules
be relieved from duty and that the other
eleven then be resworn in the case. The
motion, he said, was the result of an
agreement with the counsel for the State.
Judge Taylor granted the motion and or
dered the sheriff to take charge of Soules
and keep him in custody until he should
be called on TO answer for contempt Of
court.
1t is said of Mr.. Soules that he is a
well-to-do farmer, a man of good reputa-
ton and a citizen who would not have
been suspected of such an escapade. He is
not in the habit of going on sprees and
those who are well acquainted with his
habits do not know how TO account for his
peculiar lapse. Amos Hixon, of Riley town.
ship, was called. He was accepted and at
1910 Prosecutor Maxwell of Parke coun-
ty, began making the opening statement
for the State. He had diagrams, photo
graphs and plats for use. in describing the
He said that on the day Clara Shanks
arose from the dinner table and left bare
headed and barefooted, never to return,
Dan Keller said to the searching parties
going down the road. There was no trace
of her down the road. All afternoon the
Keller women were on the lookout at
the windows Of their house and Dan Keller
stood guard in front. They did not join
in the search and late that night lights
were seen in the windows Of the Keller
''mash Clara's head" If she came
across the road TO the Keller house. Dan
Keller had accused the girl with having ac-
cepted his vile proposals and this so stung
the girl that Ii is claimed by the prosecution
she went over TO the Kellers TO declare
her innocence and that they then murdered
her. Sunday morning Dan Shanks went TO
the Wolf creek pool and, wading in it,
touched his sisters body. He ran home and
told his mother and. taking his shotgun,
went to the Keller house, where he called
Dan Keller to the door, fired at him and
missed him. The Keller women went over
to the Rice house for breakfast and the
Rices will tell how suspiciously they acted.
Dan went to Rockville to file an affidavit
against Dan Shanks He afterward met
DR.. Mickey and asked if Clara's body was
bruised and when the Doctor said 1t was
he turned white and said that his wife
was Jealous OF Clara and that he (Keller)
had told his wife TO ''go anead and he
would stand by her to the end.'
When the court adjourned at noon Judge
Taylor gave orders that none of the jury
men should drink intoxicating liquors. In
in the afternoon John f. Lamb made the
statement for the defense. He said it was
an outrage that the sister, Maggie Keller
should have been indicted and that 1t was
done to diScredit her testimony in the case
against her brother and his wife. He said
the girl committed suicide by drowning
When her body was first taken from Wolf
creek pool fwo physicians examined it and
they found no external evidences that she
had met with violence at the hands of any
one. The next day two other physicians
examined the body and they made like
report. 1t was twelve days later when the
body was exhumed and the evidence of q
crushed skull and broken neck were found
The defendants will go on the stand. he
said and tell their story.
The taking of evidence began with the
testimony of Mrs. Elizabeth Shanks the
mother of the girl. She told of Clara's
complaint to her that Mrs. Keller wa.
treating her coldly. The witness said she
went to Mrs. Keller and asked for an ex
PLANTATION and was told that Clara was tot
thick with Dan Keller, her husband. The
mother would not believe il and Mrs
Keller made Dan say ii was true. He would
not do so until the wife told him he mus
or make her out liar. The last tn,
mother saw of her daughter alive was wher
she left the dinner table July and started
for the Keller house to make Dan tell III,
| truth