The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-01

woman's face, hands and body. and said
that Jessie MorrfSOn'S hands We're cut
She was not asked to tell what Mrs.
Castle wrote on the paper. Mrs Mober-
~ told her story in straightforward
manner. When she was in the midst of
the details Of~the murder, Jessie Morri-
son, who sat facing the witness, wiped
tears from her eyes with a white hand
kerchief she carried.
On cross-examination Mrs. Moberly
was mistaken in her testimony. AttOr-
ney Schumacher conducted the exam
nation In answer to several Of his
questions as regarding her statements
in comparison with those given by her
at the preliminary, Mrs. Moberly show
ed some spunk, the attorney seeming to
be striving to mix her. Her decisive
Noes and "Yeses'' brought out the ap-
prevail Of the audience Of her course
against the attorneys banter. Her tes-
timOny was remarkable for the fact
that she gave such definite descriptions
of the appearance inside of the house,
how the window shades were hung, the
lace curtains draped and the directions
In which the screen and outside doors
swung when she opened them to go to
the aid OF Mrs Castle.
She wavered only when Mr.. Schu-
macher asked her the color of Miss
Norrison's shoes. ''They were black,
think said Mrs. Moberly. The attorney
had just before tried to draw from Mrs.
Moberly that at the preliminary she
had stated that she did not know
whether Miss Morrison wore high or
low cut shoes Her determined NO
had caused Mr. Schumacher to take an
other tack, but he was so completely
blocked by the witness that he gave it
up.
Did you see Miss horrison's back as
she left the room after you had gone
in?" asked Mr.. Schumacher, land what
kind of a collar did she wear"
Yes, did," replied Mrs. Moberly.
she wore a white standing collar"
Then Mrs. Moberly described the entire
M AL rn-1ITn of ffafsf tn a
minutest detail. She said there was
nothing ON the back of the collar of
Jessie Morrison, which the defense
claims was the one thing that saved
her life when the dead woman first at
tackled her.
Mrs. Moberly's description of the in
terror of the room where the murder
occurred and the arrangement of the
furniture was minute. She told Of the
exact height to which one window was
raised, where the rugs lay. where the
lounge stood and where a table stood.
Mrs Castle lay upon the floor, accord
ing to Mrs MOberly, her feet a few
inches from the lounge. She had pre-
viously testified to hearing a sound as
Of breaking glass when she went toward
the house.
Did you see what had made that
noise when you got into the room?''
asked Mr. Schumacher.
1T had been made by a lamp being
pushed from the table, she said.
The lamp lay across the table The
chimney and shade were in broken frag-
mentS upon the floor
She described the expression on Mrs.
Castles face when she reached the
room as the worst thing she had ever
seen.
1T keeps me dreaming for weeks"
she said. Her face was drawn and
pale, her eyes were staring and her
teeth were exposed by tightly drawn
lips, indicating she was in great pain
There was a broadside of objections
from the defense's attorney at the con-
clusiOn, but it had reached the jury, and
Notwithstanding the court told the jul
rors to disregard it, the states attor-
neys smiled. Mrs. Moberly proved
strong witness for the state. She is
middle-aged and what would be called
good looking.
Mrs. Emma r. Spangler was the Sec
ond witness called by the state She
lives twenty-seven feet north of where
Mrs Castle lived. On the morning Of
the tragedy she was seated in her house
and heard someone go up the walk lead
ing to the front door of the Castle house.
1T was Jessie Morrison, and she walk
ed with great rapidity," said Mrs Span
what first attracted your attention
to the Castle house2" asked Mr.. Brum-
back.
Il heard loud talking"
Gould you distinguish anything?"
Il heard, No, / never wrote that let
ter 1 heard more talk, but could only
distinguish the word letter There was
roon," and at this point Judge Redden
as to what Mrs. Spangler said
she heard, as there were two walls and
twenty seven feet Of ground between her
and the room in which the trouble was
going on. The objection was overruled
and Mrs. Spangler continued:
There was a sound as if some one was
pounding on the floor with her feet and
more screaming. I ran out to the Castle
house I tried the front door, but it was
locked I shouted to them to let me in.
I heard some one say. Jessie Morrison,
get of OF me. you are killing me- I then
went around the house and saw two
women on the floor through a side win
dow. I saw the woman on the floor
writhing and struggling, while the other
was bending over her. The latter saw
me and I heard her say to the other:
She saw me in here; she saw us Jessie
Morrison saw me and knew me-" con-
tinued the witness.
At this point she knelt before her chair
and explained to the jury what she saw
through the window. In a graphic man
ner she illustrated how, when Jessie
Morrison saw her at the window, she
drew her head to one side to avoid rec
ognition, and in doing so crawled on
her knees around the feet of the woman
on the floor to the south side, shielding
her face as best she could. Mrs Spang-
Ter reached the door, found it locked,
and was there when Mrs. Moberly ar
rived. She followed into the house be-
hind Mrs. Moberly, and Jessie Morrison
to the rear door after Mrs. Moberly.
She had pulled her back from Mrs.
Castle.
Mrs. spangler testified that she asked
Miss Morrison what she had done. II
have killed Mrs. Castle replied Miss
Morrison ''She tried to kill me first
with a razor
Il had hold of her arm" said Mrs
Spangler. g You are hurting me- said
Jessie. took hold at the wrist and
she said she guessed she would go home
At the gate she said she wanted me
to go back and get some things of hers
in the house, including a letter. A boy
stood near and asked him to do this. |
Miss Morrison would not permit this. |
and when I asked a man to get them |
she was satisfied. The man stood on