The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-11

did he ever drink?''
srI do not know that he drank but two
years.
what was his disposition?"
He was very violent and nervous"
"How many times was he married?"
'"Three times.''
Mr.. Leach then told that the three
children of the third wife were idiots.
Did your father have a sister who
was insane?''
Yes. She was kept at st. Elizabeth's
asylum in Washington. She died about
two years ago, after being there 40
years.
What relation were you and your
wife When you were married?"
First cousins. Her mother and my
mother were sisters
How many children have you had?"
'tTen."
How many boys and how many
girls?'
The witness could not remember and
he had to stop to count up. While he
was doing that Mrs. Leach prompted
him.
-Four boys and six. girls" she said.
You had son who committed sui
eide, did you?"
Yes, SIR
''When was that?''
''In 1888, l believer
''How old was hep"
Eighteen"
How did he kill himself?"
He took Rough on Rats"
what did he do it for?''
He said he didn't want to live"
The witness was then told to tell the
history of the defendant, which he did
as great length. He said that Joe could
not learn anything at school and he
first began to notice that the boy was
not exactly bright when he was about
s or 8 years old, when his teacher COM
plained that she could not teach him
anything without taking too much time
from the other scholars, and he was
Ill ofx- -.E
school. He could not remember any
thing, and when he was sent on an
errand the thing that was wanted had
to be written on piece of paper. He
learned to smoke cigarettes and finally
got to smoking z or 8 packages a, day.
When he was II or IS years old he be-
gan to make assaults pn members of
the family He assaulted his sister and
his mother, and also the witness him.
self. At one time he threatened to kill
Bessie Ahart, a cousin of the witness
who lived with the family at the time,
and her baby, and would have done so
had not she got into her room with
the baby.
In describing the assaults that Joe
made on him, Mr.. Leach said:
He was at times a great eater, eat
ing an enormous quantity of some
kinds of food. I would some times re-
prove him for it. Then his eyes would
look as though they would pop out,
and his lips would get blue Aor about
Two L4luQl6S. 4n0I ne WOUlQ MAKE d
rush at me and 1 would have to leave
the house to get away from him.
"One time he got me by the throat
and chOked me until his mother and
sister came and helped me to get loose
from him. Another time he got my
head under his arm and pounded my
face until the skin was mostly off one
cheek. That time 1 had him arrested
and put in Jail and kept there for about
two weeks, until he got over his spell.
After he got out he did not know what
he had been in there for"
Mr.. Leach further said that Joe could
not write.
On cross examination Mr.. Lambert
asked concerning letters that Joe wrote
home when he was in the army, and
Mr.. Leach said the prisoner kept them
informed of his doings When Mr..
Lambert called the witness attention
to his testimony that Joe could not
write, Mr.. Leach said that the letters
were written by other parties for the
prisoner Mr.. Lambert produced some
documents on which were the prisoners
signature, and asked if the signatures
were not those of the defendant Mr..
Leach said that they looked like it
that Joe had learned to write his own
name.
1t further developed on cross-exam-
ination that the mother of the witness
idiotic half brothers had been confined
her life. Mr.. Leach was also not very
explicit as to the dates of the different
assaults made by the prisoner on MEM
bers of his family
Mrs. Leach, the mother, was placed
on the stand a little before noon, and
told substantially the same things as
were told by her husband, except that
she was much more explicit in regard to
them. She could remember more of
the details in regard to the boys pc
culiarities, as she had him more di-
recrly in her control than did her huS-
band. She also testified that her hus-
band drank in his earlier life.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TESTI-
MONY.
After the noon recess on Wednesday,
Private johnson Brown was placed on
the stand His testimony was entirely
corroborativ. of that of Corporal McKin-
fight between Fennell Leach and Riley,
but he slept all the night of the crime.
After & Br4wa TaS vas caIed from the
bert.
What is your employment?
II work in saloon at Junction City"
The witness told of Leach's coming into
! the saloon after the fight in the street
and Riley coming after him. Witness
stopped Riley at the door and told him
'sAfter the hack had left for the fort .
! continued Haddan, Leach remained in
| the saloon with me. He asked me to give
| and I gave him some more. He said I'm
| glad it happened. I'll get even with them
| After a while Irwin came in and Leach
repeated what he said before and added,
My ball bat is on my locker. and I'll get
| I'll get my saber and run it through
| them "
on cross-examination Haddan denied
| that he kept the saloon, but claimed that
| he only worked in it,
You were dishonorably discharged from
| the arny2' said Captain Waters.
| We'll, was discharged by order" an