The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-07

Tho Kraus murder case. stIil on trial
A. The criminal department OF the SUI
,.erfar court was full OF surprises yester-
day ana rot altogether devoid OF serisa-
stonaI features. At one time IL looked
- II the court would grant the defend
ants motion TO direct a verdict IN his
e.vor: but in a few minutes later the
lancet OF the case had changed, and the
sxate. after having once rested it's case.
vas introducing additional testimony a.
20 the Identification Of the charred re-
roafus that had been found in the burned
cahin where the murder Is alleged to have
taken place. The motion TO direct q YER
dlrs Is ia reality stu pending. and will
rrobabiy be decided this morning. IL IL
should be decided adversely TO kraus.
the defense VIII at once begin the intro
ducfion Of It's testimony
The motion To direct verdict In the
Attendants favor. as presented by Thomas
A Gamble, was based on the argument
that the state had wholly failed TO prove
the corpus deficit. and In particular that
N had utterly failed To stablish the
1dentity Of the remains found In the burn
"a cabin as the body of voiski, or even
a. those of q human body at all.
Judge Jacobs appeared so far TO agree
With this view OF the case that he In
tlmafed that he would like to hear from
Esroy then stated that the state had re-
Gently come into the possession of add
tIonal evidence. which would have ma
teTial bearing on the question OF identiiica-
ron and he asked Mr.. Hart. who had con-
ferred personally with the witnesses. 20
make the offer OF evidence. This Mr.. Hart
ID stating that the prosecution could
6ew, II permitted TO do so. that there had
been found underneath the charred body
~ he h4trs sa1 sesfr atssf.
box purse. some keys and buttons,
which could be proved as having belonged
10 tolslSi. He stated that the state had
had possession of these things all along,
but had thought OF them as belonging 10
Kraus until yesterday. He asked leave TO
reopen the case so far as to introduce this
evidence. and the motion was granted.
Three witnesses were heard and the relics
were admitted In evidence.
As forecasted In yesterday mornings
issue, the FIRST witness for the state yes
ferday morning was Peterson. From him
the state drew kraus' story Of his doings
on the night of February IL. as told by
Kraus TO Peterson. who had acted as
kraus' Interpreter at the preliminary
hearing. The details of the story need not
be repeated here. On cross-examination
by Mr.. Gamble. Peterson admitted that
h. had seen az the new place, across the
river. a bundle containing a new hammer
and some bread and doughnuts. which
kraus claimed TO have brought from SEE
attic the day before; had also seen the
hay on which Kraus claimed to have slept
and some of the I've stook which Kraus
claimed TO have been feeding.
Sheriff Meyer, the last witness for the
state. told of his visit to Renton, the Sc
Fiction or the coruner's hiry. and their
visit TO the burned cabin and what they
found there. the tracks approaching and
having the cabin. the bloodstains and the
ak. lie also told OF his measurement OF
The tracks. stating that the single foot
Wints leaving the cabin correspondent
nore nearly TO the larger of the two APP
pspaching the cabin. In one important
nlnt he differed from other witnesses as
. the position OF the charred body In the
cabin. he stated that the body lay with
the head towards the door.
At the close of Sheriff Meyers testi-
mony the state rested, and Mr. Gamble be-
Ean his argument Ia support of q motion
~ direct verdict for the defendant.
which was not concluded however, until
after the noon recess of court.
On obtaining permission OF court 10 re-
open the defense. the state introduced
James Flynn, Ernest Barseii and r. J.
Elliott. and put In evidence the match
box. the purse and It's contents and some
buttons. The witnesses were introduced
for the purpose OF Identifying these things
as belonging 30 volski. The most strik-
ing feature in the supplemental evidence
was the statement OF BarselI. who identI-
Fed little scrap OF paper found in the
purse as having been given yoiski by him
on the day before the alleged murder.
he described his meeting with Volski In
Seattle; said Solski had asked him for
his address and he had given II to him
On this scrap OF paper. He said the pa
per was scrap of brown MANILA, but
when MIR Gamble directed his attention
te two lines ruled on the exhibit he was
rot No positive on this point as he had
been before.