The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-26
IN ISN'T STRONG.
State Fails % Brding Out Much Evil
dspes Touching the
MURDER OF LOUIS DITTMORE.
l[ra. Emma =PaTksr's Testimony Did
Not Ada to the Strength Of the
States Case : Several Other Wit
nsssss Were Examined yesterday.
It Is believed the Trial WIN End
This Afternoon.
This Afternoon

The trial of Joseph Drilier. charged
With the murder Of Louis Dlttinore on
the house boat at West Wheeling, last
summer, began yesterday morning In
the crimianl court, Judge Hugus on the
bench. After long legal tussle In the
afternoon, in which Attorney Boyce en-
deayored to prevent Mrs. Emma Parker
from testifying, Mrs. Parker was sub
mitted to a searching examination by
Mr.. Bernie Handlan. for the state, but
she did not make the admittedly weak
case of the state stronger. And she is
the only person alleged to have wit
messed the murder whom the state has
been able to bring to the witness stand,
1t is believed the state win be unable to
convict Driller. The attorneys for the
state said last night that the trial
would not likely extend beyond this at
ternoon.
The case came up at the morning
session Of the court, and a very large
crowd Of spectators was on hand.
When the hour for noon adjournment
had arrived, the Jury was completed. as
follows: Louis 3. Loeffier. Robert
voehl, D. w, Miller, NJ. H. Martin,
Herman Rolf. Charles Gaus, Alfred
orth, II. L. Hoffman, Thomas B.
Moore, James Merge, R. B. Wyatt, Jesse
Mccausland.
At the opening Of the afternoon sess-
ion, the statements to the Jury were
made BY Prosecuting Attorney Meyer
for the state, and Mr.. S. o. BOyce for
the defense.
Then came the taking OF testimony,
and the frst witness was Bernard
Metzger, brother-in-law of the muir
dered man, who testified to having iden-
titled the body shortly after 1t was dis
covered in the water below Benwood,
last summer,
William Powell, an assistant at the
undertaking establishment OF Becker 6
Zimmerman, in Benwood, testified to
having taken the body from the river,
and that he had prepared It for burial.
DR.. Alley, of Benwood, testified to
having conducted the autopsy at Ben
wood. He said Dlttmore's death was
caused by blows from a bludgeou that
broke the wlndpIpe. The body went
into the water. he said. Immediately af-
ter death, and before there was any
bleeding. The body was stil1 bleeding
when he made the examination. There
was long cross-examinatlon.
Mr.. Wolf, pilot of the West Wheeling
ferry boat, testified to having seen
DIttmore on the 3rd of July, the day of
his death. This was between Z and s
O'clock a. M, and the man was coming
across the river from Wheeling In a
Skin to the house boat. He had with
him a number OF packages of provis-
ions. Before this the witness had seen
Dlttmore as many as fifteen or twenty
times day. fishing near the ferry
landing,
Mrs Emma Parker.
Mrs. Emma Parker was next placed
on the stand. She is the woman over
whom it has been alleged Driller and
Dittmore quarreled. She was an occu-
pant OF the house boat, owned by Dit
more, and which Driller claimed Dit
more sold to him. She stated that she
knew the defendant. She was next
asked whether she had seen Driller
and pIttmore on the houseboat on July
. or 3. She declined to answer the
question, on advice that she might in
crimlnate herself. At this point Mr..
Boyce arose and objected to other
questions along this line. He followed
UP his objection by quoting from Wiz
glnla cases in support OF his argument
Mr.. Meyer, for the state said no in
terminating evidence would be forced
from the witness by the state. Judge
tHugus overruied the objection of the
defense, and said the witness could re-
fuse to answer any questions which
she believed would lncriminate herself
Then the question, whether she had
seen DrIller and DIttmore on the house
boat July or 3. was repeated.
YES" responded the witness.
what was the latest day you saw
them?" inquired Mr.. Handlan.
objection by the defense overruled.
what was the question:" inquired
the witness. 1t was repeated and her
answer was:
"The third of July"
what time of the day; the latest
hour2"
Early in the evening"
About what time2"
.T suppose 1t was about supper timei
I didn't know what time 1t was"
"Do you know j, r. watkinS7"
II seen a man called watkinS."
"when7"
~ seen him on the fourth of July"
was Not Assaulted.
II will ask you. on the evening of the
third Of July what was the condition
of your face. as to being beaten upS"
Objection by defense; overruled; ex-
eeptlon.
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