The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-15

was ON the o'clock trip toward town.
The defense was some time in getting ITS
forces together for the case. While Detec-
tive Gerber the last witness offered by the
state. was on the stand they were very busy
with preparation, and hardly cross-eNam-
Ined him at all. He simply told of the po-
lice view of the case as already published.
SERGEANT CLAWSON'S OBSERVATION
AS soon as he was done Sergeant VIM.
w. Clawson of the Cincinnati police force,
took the stand for the defense He testi-
fled to thirteen years police service, six of
which has been as sergeant He stated
that since he has been here there has been
a rear door which it was impossible to
open, because the key had disappeared
some time ago. He started to tell of Mr.
Posts story of the disappearance of the
key when Mr.. Wltsie interposed and OBJ
lection to the introduction of hearsay evil
dence. He then said that. as he was sleep
ing in the Meridan-street house, he made
1t a practice to- lock up the place every
Eight and had asked Mr.. Post for the keys
and was told about the missing key. This
key. he found by investigation, would lit the
back door opening from the kitchen to the
porch, and so one key did double duty.
With purpose in view he said he had
arranged a trap at the back door. which
was broom propped up against the out
side screen door, which. il tempered with
would fall and thus betray the presence of
any one who might be sneaking around. as
he had been told of such prowling. He slept
any unusual noise Although he heard
nothing suspicious during Wednesday night
on Thursday morning he found the broom
down and the door ajar. Later in the
morning his daughter-in-law, while in the
back yard. found key in an almost dry
and disused water tub which he heard had
been emptied by Mrs. Moore the day before
her death The key, although lying in a
s snail Of water was not Sr rusted but
few hours. This evidence was only extract
ed after prolonged wrangling:,
The witness was asked If he had eK-
pressed am opinion on the case before he
had made any investigation of it, and he
promptly replied that he had not, because
he began investigating as soon as he
reached the city. His informants We're, he
said, Mr.. and Mrs. Gardner and Mrs.
Twineham, all neighbors of the De Ruiter
family and Mr. Post
DE RUITER ON THE STAND.
Failing in getting Mrs. Clawson in time,
Mr. Harding put De Ruter ON the stand.
He told, at the request of Mr.. Harding, OF
his visit to his lawyers Office on Friday at
IL o'clock. and Mr.. Harding quickly asked
him what he went to see Mr.. Hawkins
about. Mr.. Wiltsie promptly objected to
this, and being sustained by the court after
a long wrangle. Mr.. Harding said that he
intended to show that the witness went to
inquire as to his lawyers efforts to have
his wife adiudged insane. This while ir-
relevant, he proposed to connect, before he
closed, with the case at issue. to the salts
faction of the court, with the alternative
of having it stricken from the records in
case he failed to do so. He was, accord
ingly, allowed to ask De Ruiter If it was
not with the above purpose that he called
on Mr.. Hawkins De Ruiter answered that
1T was.
In response to objection from Mr.. Wiltsie.
Mr.. Harding briefly outlined what he intend
ed to show by his method of procedure.
Finally the court decided that in the most
liberal ruling, if the defense desired to show
ark nf mo on nal ,f
motive in some one else, they must single
out De Ruiter or some other one man and
attempt to hasten II on him, ana not general
ize. This the defense refused to do at this
time. and passed to the question of whether
witness had a key made about q week ago.
KEY DE RUITER HAD.
De Ruiter, after some denial, admitted
that two three weeks ago he had a key
to his Office made, and produced the key in
evidence The key found by Mrs. Clawson
was produced, and he asked what key
it was. Witness replied that he could not
say accurately, as he had not seen any of
the keys TO the Meridian-street house for
long time. He said that he always had a
key to the house. and took it away with him
when he left the house last September.
Mr.. Harding then asked him If he had
gone to his house on Meridian street re-
Gently to get some abstracts that were in
the safe there, and he denied that he had
He was then asked if he did not tell po-
lice OElceT, VINO HNeS III JfldJ nelSnDOfnOOQ
and whom he met on street car that he
had thought of going to the house for the
papers, but had thought better of it and
had paid SIS Tor new set of abstracts in
stead. Before he could reply Mr. Wiltsie
objected, saying that he would not allow
the defense to impeach their own witness
and in the wrangle that ensued court was
adjourned until to-day. The reason given
by the defense for the questions as to the
abstracts is that the safe in the house in
which they were kept bears the appearance
in the mind of the defense, of having been
opened or tempered with. The mark of a
mans arm was found in the dust on it and
also marks of recent origin around the COM
bination.
MOORE HAD A REVOLVER.
The police last night made public the fact
that when Moore was arrested an old bull
dog pattern revolver, loaded, was taken
from him. 1t showed the marks of old rust,
but looked as though it had been just
cleaned and polished for some occasion. AS
the actual weapon of death has not been
decided on, this find is now looked on as
important.
Another weapon which may be traced to
Moore by the police is a hammer found by
the wife of Patrolman Hoffbauer in her
front yard the morning after the murder.
Hoffbauer lives on Hill avenue and says it
is necessary for Moore, when going from
the Meridian-street house to his Ludlow
clew will be also worked up by the police.