The herald., 1897-12-28
An Unsatisfactory Witness
for Both Sides
TESTIMONY IN THE WEBB TRIAL
THE DEFENDANT BOLDLY DE
MES ALL ACCUSATION
Taking Of Evidence Concluded and
Argument Begun-May Go to the
Jury This Afternoon !.

l.
Yesterday at the resumption OF the
Webb trial in Department four Of the su-
perior court there was a noticeable in
crease in the audience. although at no
time during the day was there such
number of people as is wont to be found
in the criminal department across the
way when case Of more than usual in
terest is being tried.
1t is safe to say that those who wit
messed yesterdays forenoon session
never saw in a court of justice more
abject and pitiful spectacle than the one
presented by a whining, trembling.
cowed individually who seemed to be afraid
to call his very soul his own; who fioun-
! dered from one falsehood into another;
whose appealing eyes blinked from coun-
sci to jury, all the while devising an
swers that would conciliate both the
prosecution and defense This was the
spectacle presented by ]. F. Adams
When finally released from the ordeal
| on the witness stand he tottered out of
| the room on his cane, broken in body and
in spirit.
| Webb took the stand defiant and out
wardly cool, and never fiinched while
he denied everything of which he stands
accused. His piercing eyes stared
out straight at those whom he addressed
and his hawklike face never blanched or
redeemed at the questions that were pro-
pounded to him. His interest in assist
| ing and prompting his counsel never
Jagged and to the last he fought his bat
tie coolly and deliberately.
| At the time that court convened AK
tell was recalled at his own request.
He had testified on Friday that he had
not written, dictated or signed letter
releasing his attorney before tn board of
education, Frank F. Davis, of the silence
which the latter, in his professional ca
pacity, must keep concerning any of the
communications which had passed from
the witness to his counsel with refer
ence to the misdoings of Webb, Adams
and Axtell He desired to say that he
remembered that such letter had been
| written by T. E. Gibbon and signed by
| him.
| ]. F. Adams then took the stand. He
| looked sick and scared and made the
most of his temporary indisposition to
excite compassion and sympathy. He
| leaned heavily upon his cane as he
wended his way to the witness chair.
| On direct examination he narrated the
conversation which took place between
himself and Webb, in which the plot
was Matched to hold up the Sentous
street janitor for months pay. When
he was asked the question whether
| Webb had received the money or not.
the witness squirmed and hemmed and
hawed but finally made up his mind.
Then he said: "Well. yes, he did. He
said he got the money from Axtell."
| Mr.. Meserve now took the witness in
hand. The learned counsel was evil
IDENTIFY preoccupied, but it was not till
the afternoon that the cause of it was
learned. when he told the court that
Mrs Meserve had been stricken very Sc
riously i'll. The attorney frequently in
terrupted the witness in his intermina-
BILE statements, and did not appear to
care so much for Adams answers as he
was to put to him questions based upon
the testimony given by him before the
grand jury the second time he met that
| body at his own request to make COR
rections to what he had stated on the
| first occasion Of his visit there. Meserve
read to Adams nearly all of it and fire.
|
true. The witness squirmed in his seat
and referred to his impaired memory
and finally said: IT was mistaken, and
am sorry that made the mistake" Then
| he started off again into a disquisition
about his ailments and wound up with
the statement that if he had made mis-
takes they were of the head and not of
| the heart.
WI, }a11 lit ~
| a younger man than I, and begged him
not to get me into trouble He was the
chairman, he was the chairman. I like
Mr.. Webb. I always liked Mr.. Webb.
No, he never told lie to me. I always
found him a very reliable young man."
he whined
"Well then" queried Mr.. Meserve, 'if
Mr.. Webb never told you lie, might you
not have been mistaken when you said
that he had told you he got the $50, end
he positively denies having said so?"
Adams admitted that here, too, he
might have made a mistake.
On redirect examination he told how
he had gone voluntarily before the grand
jury at the instance of his wife. 1t will
be recollected that Axtell told the same
story before the board. Being asked if
| he expected to get share of the $50, he
claimed not, and then he volunteered
the statement that he had suspicion.
1t did not need much coaxing to make
him give the jury the benefit Of his
opinion. 81 did not expect to get share
out of that $780, I have always had a
suspicion that Pitman kept the money
| BY Major Donnell-"Did not Webb say
that the money was for you, but that, as
he had to go to the Milwaukee educa-
tional convention and he had been re-
fused $500 appropriation, that he would
Ineed the money!"
| Adams tried to fence. He could not
remember the talk. But being pinned