The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-13


to Little Purpose,
BUFFALO, Mimi, July 12-(special.)-
The whole day in the Boxell murder case
was taken up by the cross-examination
of the defendant, Joseph Roxen Assist
ant County Attorney Wendell conducted
the examination and pressed the defend
ant hard upon every point where it was
believed his direct story could be shaken.
but made little impression. The whole
day of severe cross-questioning failed to
bring out any material point that was
new, and the impression that BoxelI has
made an excellent witness in his own
behalf was stronger than ever when the
court adjourned this evening.
Perhaps the nearest BoxelI came to be-
ing tangled up in his testimony was when
he was asked to describe his fathers
watch He said that he did not think
he could as he was not familiar enough
with it, but when shown a watch and
asked whether or not that was the one,
he stated that he did not think it was,
as he thought the crystal was not as thick
as the one one on his fathers watch
Boxell will go on the stand again to-
morrow for further cross-examination,
but if the state does not get any more
out of him than it did today nothing ma
terial will be gained.
The attendance this morning when court
reconvened was very light, owing to the
storm and the darkness. The latter was
the cause of a short recess. When Joe
finally took the stand his attention was
IT.
house the day of the funeral and to a
conversation between sJoe's wife and Mrs.
Oliver in his presence in regard to Mrs.
Joe BoxelI's doings the night of the MUIR
der. Witness was asked if his wife did
not say to Mrs oliver that she sat up
waiting for Joe that night reading book
which Joe's step-mother had let her take.
Witness denied in part this conversation.
In answer to another question BoxeIl
stated that when VogeI came to his house
and placed him under arrest he went up
stairs, Vogel following, while there he
was looking around, and the constable
asked him what he was looking for, and
he said he was looking to see if the
overalls which McVeety asked him for
were there, but he could not find them.
They then went to Howard Lake, where
there was conversation between him
self, Eye and McVeety in Wooley's office
They tried to have him tell who did
the murder, but he told them then that
he knew nothing about it. He also stat
ed that he never said that he thought
that George Taylor or John BoxeH were
guilty of the crime"
The states attorney asked If BoXell did
not tell some one that the overalls which
he had on were not hung up behind the
horses in Ferrelrs barn, and that they
fell down and were thrown out in the
hog-pen by one of his brothers, and torn
up, and he swore positively that he made
no such statement.
In reference to the scratches on his
hands the witness was put through a
very rigid cross-examination. He ad-
mitted there were scratches on his hands
a week following the murder, and that
Eye talked with him about that. He also
admitted telling Eye that two of these
scratches were made by a COW kicking
him, and that one of them was reopened
after 1T had nearly healed by a calf
bunting his pail when he was feeding it.
Questioned in reference TO his bloody
coat BoXell admitted that he never told
anybody before he told McVeety that, If
there was human blood found on his coat
that 1t undoubtedly came from his wiping
his nose on his sleeve while 1t was bleed
ing. Questioned in reference to whether
McVeety had ever told him that experts
could tell the difference between animal
and human blood. he said he did not re-
member whether he had been so told.
Mr.. and Mrs. Oliver, the parents of the
murdered Mrs. Boxell,- have attended the
trial from day to. day, and are taking
the greatest interest Mrs. Oliver, as well
as Mr.. Robinson, Joe's father-in-law, will
be a witness for the state in rebuttal. 1t
is rather noteworthy that neither Joes
wife nor his children have attended the
trial and given him that moral support
and sympathy at this time which would
ordinarily be expected