The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-09-30

the stand, and District Attorney Buck
master had a warm tussle with him.
He proved to be a hostile witness and
seemed to be disposed to shield the de-
PENDANT. He said that Mrs. Pleva
told him that she had put the coffee
pots on the table and remarked that
if he took it all right and if not al
right. She was talking about having
| fixed the dose for herself. She made
confession of her own free will, but
could not say that she would swear to
( it. She said she wanted to tell il
before the court. She felt better after
having made the confession, she said.
She stated that John Trenowski and
John Devetzcka were innocent the
evening before the confession. She
said she had dumped the poison into
the coffee and cooked it.
J The cross-examination developed
nothing new, but on e-direct he stated
that the night of the confession she
had asked for a pastor.
John Korbel was recalled for the
purpose of telling the exact position
of the various coffee pots on the table.
He said the big pot was very close to
Pleva's plate. Juror Middlecamp
asked which of the pots were usually
on the table. The witness replied that
both we're there. There was never
but one pot on the table for the Plevas,
but cannot say which was the one usu-
ally used by them.
Joseph Kruzic was called. Said he
was lawyer of Milwaukee. Saw Mrs.
Pleva about June l as an interpreter
at the preliminary examination. He
was not allowed to testify further until
Mrs. Pleva had been put on the stand
to swear that Mr.. Xruozic had led her
to believe that he was present as an
attorney for her. She said he did not
tell her he was merely an interpreter
until after the examination.
John Devetzcka was called to cor
roborate Mrs. Pleva. He said he had
addressed Mr.. Kruzic as lawyer"
Mr.. Kruzic was then allowed to tes-
tify. He stated that there was no con-
versation between him and Mrs Pleva
in his capacity as a lawyer, therefore
what she might have said was not con-
fidential and privileged. On this point
there was legal battle, in which both
attorneys took part. 1t all concerned
the relations of client and attorney.
The jury was withdrawn from the court
room during the discussion. Before
this closed witnesses were put on the
stand by the state to prove that Mr..
Kruzic told Mrs. Pleva he was an in
terpreter merely and not there as an
attorney.
Thursday Afternoon Session.
The battle lasted we'll along into the
afternoon and consisted of alternate
examination Of witnesses and of citing
cases in support of one side or the 9TH
er concerning whether Kruzic could be
considered in the relation of an attor-
ney to Mrs. Pleva at the time of the
preliminary hearing inetead of as an in
terpreter only. The judge decided
that the attorney and client relation
ship did not exist and that therefore
Mr.. Kruzic could testify on the stand
as to anything Mrs. Pleva may have
said to him.
Mr.. KruZic again took the stand to
say that he saw Mrs. Pleva in Justice
Slater's office June l and had a con-
versation with her. Told her that he
was present as an interpreter. Mrs.
Pleva at once began telling the witness
that she wanted to clear her conscience,
that she knew her life was blasted,
that she only wished she could have
some one take care of her children.
She was told that she need not tell her
story unless voluntarily, that the pun
ishment was life imprisonment. She
declared that she wanted to tell all she
had done. Life had become unbear-
able. She had had frequent quarrels
with her husband. He accused her of
being untrue to him. He complained
bitterly of Devetzcka's attentions to
her. She made up her mind chat
either he or she must die. She could
not stand the accusations of her hus-
band. She said that Danika was sent
to the drug store to get two boxes of
rat poison. She had used two and a
half boxes of it. She was on the point
Of doing this two or three days. On
the night before May % Pleva had
called her opprobrious names. She
was made very angry and said she
could stand this no longer. On May %
she got up before her husband. She
made coffee for the boarders and then
made coffee in two other pots. In one
of the latter pots she threw in the half
box of poison, giving the poisoned cof-
fee to her husband. When he took his
breakfast she staid in the kitchen and
saw him pour out his coffee. She said
nothing, but watched him. After few
moments he got up and remarked that