The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-11
CRIME STILL A MYSTERY
POLICE CLAIM STRONG EVIDENCE
AGAINST JOHN MOORE.
No Blood on 1he WeapOn-Time Moore
Left His House an ImpOr-
tant Point.

seem on the face of them TO De IaNCraDle
to the accused, while the others may be
safely assumed to initiate against him.
The feeling at police headquarters, where
it is claimed that there is exclusive in
formation bearing on the case. is distinctly
against Moore. The latest development IN
the case is a new attempt by Moore's warm
friends to divert suspicion from him by
means of the branding iron with which it is
probable that Mrs. Moore met her death
1t was popularity supposed that the brand
ing iron was in the house for some time,
being knocked around with other household
accommodations, but the theory OF Moore S
friends is that this is impossible from the
fact that the letters ID. II, which represent
the firm title of DE Ruiter & Trusler. must,
of necessity have been made since the or
ganization of the firm and the copartnership
has been in existence only since Mr.. De
Ruter changed his residence. Therefore,
from the Moore point of view. the fatal iron
could not have been a Request from the DE
Ruter family when the Moores and Mr..
Post took up their residence at the Merid-
ian-street house. but was brought there re-
Gently Another feature of the case favor
able to Moore, from his standpoint, is that
while there is 10 proof to show serious
quarrel between his wife and himself re-
Gently, there may be found proof that others
who disliked Mrs Moore might have found
a personal motive for assaulting her.
All these attempts to divert suspicion
from Moore to anothers shoulders are met
by the police with the assurance that their
evidence will be found at the right time TO
be sufficient for all purposes.
The only one Moores fr1ends mlg1I Seek
TO cast suspicion OH Is Derk De Ru1ter
and the police are perfectly sausneo WITH
his clear and minute alibi. and give the ugly
rumors afoat neither attention nor ere
dence.
FAMILY's DOMESTIC QUARRELS,
According to those who claim to know the
circumstances. Mrs. Moore and her sister
were always arrayed against De Ruiter on
all questions, with John Moore as the ,in-
certain quantity, his vacillating nature be-
ing enlisted first on one side and then an
other, although his influence in these inter-
family affairs was neither considered nor
propitiated. These troubles tended to make
DE Ruiter and Mrs. Moore cordial enemies,
they say, so much so that when Mrs. De
Ruiters nervous condition demanded the
treatment of a sanitarium she left her
father in possession of her home Jointly with
the Moores in order to keep her husband
from it. She also they aIlege, Entrusted
Mrs. Moore with a considerable sum of
money to be used for her benefit while I'M
der treatment, and the 500 which has so
suddenly disappeared is a residue OF the
amount
Concerning the domestic relations of the
Moores, his friends allege that since the
summer of 1896 they have been pleasant.
At the time Mrs. Moore was admitted to the
Thomas Post Women's Relief Corps,
short time ago, an investigating committee,
whose duty it was to keep the membership
as desirable as possible, called on Mrs.
Moore and shrewdly Questioned her regard
ing her family relations. These ladies. at
the conclusion, were united in the opinion
that the Moores lived happily together. His
friends further maintain that any letters he
infidelity were received two years ago. and
since that time they have been reconciled.
Against all this the police assert that the
facts bear out the belief that Moore has
up until quite recently struck his wife sew
eral times, blackening her eyes on several
occasions, while not more than year ago
he cut her while in a Jealous frenzy.
DOWN TOWN AT 2 O'CLOCK.
Concerning the statement made by Moore
to Chief Colbert relating to his whereabouts
after dinner on Friday, a reporter called on
William Weiss, a down town saloon keeper,
to whose place Moore claimed he went as
soon as he came down town Friday after
noon. Weiss stated that he remembered
perfectly Moore coming into his place Fri
day afternoon and that he is positive that
it was earlier than Moore stated 1t could
saw him, as business engagements of his
own helped to fix the time in his own mind.
He made no display of money in any guam
tity while present, and his natU~a manner
betrayed no evidence of guilty conscience.
Attorney Harmon Everett. when ques-
toned regarding Moore's alleged visit to
him, stated that it was true that he had
called and Moore acted in perfectly nat
ural manner. Moore told him at the time
that he had made Up his mind to accept 81
position with his (Everett's) brother. After
a Drfn cfrI fOaf- &c oil hnfh
adjourned to take a drink together Moore
paid for one round, laying down dollar
He then remarked to Everett: I'm going
to pay you every cent / owe you before
long, Everett, just as soon as 1 am able.
Now to start the thing 1 want you to ac-
cept this seVenty-fve cents on account"
Everett took the money and they separa-
ted. They were together probably an hour
leaving him about o'clock. In conclusion,
he stated that he felt positive that Moore
was not the guilty party. Questioned con-
corning the possession of money by Moore,
he said he was almost positive that he had
no sum with him of any consequence.
One of the. strongest pieces Of evidence
in support of the theory that the murder
was committed somewhere near 2 o'clock
Friday afternoon is the fact that the autop-
in the murdered woman's stomach. 1t is
supposed she ate her dinner between IL and
l o'clock Friday The physicians who held
the autopsy found in the examination of
the stomach that the food Mrs. Moore had
eaten had not vet gone through the process
of digestion. Coroner Brayton says this is
unmstakable evidence that Mrs Moore
was killed shortly after her dinner Moore
has said that he left the Meridian-street
house between and 2:30 o'clock Friday
afternoon.
TIME MOORE LEFT HOME.
Yesterday afternoon at police headquar-
ters it was claimed that information had
been received during the day which tends
to seriously conflict with the statement
made by Moore and others concerning the
time he left the house. Although not yet
verified, this information was to the effect
that Moore was seen leaving the Meridian
street house between and $3.50 O'Clock Fri
day. Men who knew Moore have stated
that they saw him down town at o'clock
Saloon Keeper Weiss thinks he was in his
saloon about o'clock. The information re-
ceiVed by Superintendent Quigley came
from a source which he said he could not
diVulge- The department seemed satisfied
who would testify to having seen Moore
come from the house at > o'clock or even
later. This person. it Is claimed, lives in
the immediate neighborhood or the house
went out to the Meridian-street neighbOr-
hood last night, but were not able to To-
cate the person who saw Moore. They are
confident of being more successful this
morning.
Detectives Colbert. Kinney and Gerber
put in most of the day yesterday working
on the case Early in the morning the de-
tectiVes went to the home of the Moores
on Ludlow avenue, to secure the package
of anonymous letters which it has been
claimed were received by Moore touching
the reputation of his wife. The house was
thoroughly searched but no letters were