The Topeka state journal., 1900-12-14
CALLED ST.PETER
Damaging Testimony Against
Peter Sells.
Witness Relates a Kansas City
Episode.
WOMAN TELLS STORY.
Says She Was Promised Position
of Private Secretary.
Peter Sells Failed to Return For
Her However.

Columbus, o., Dec. 14.-Some spice was
injected in the Sells case when the de-
position of Grace Beall of Kellyville, 1.
T., formerly of Kansas City, was read,
and Mary Watts, a colored woman, gave
her testimony. The deposition of Grace
Bean was taken last summer. In it
Grace says she was an innocent girl of
IL years, who went from Mcdonald
county Missouri, to Kansas City to learn
the dressmaHing trade. She met Peter
Sells in July, 1892. in the Kansas City
postoffice.
She said she dropped a small package
in the letter drop by mistake. Mr.. Sells
was standing by and lifted his hat and
said: Good morning" The usual con-
versatIon in such cases followed, and de-
ponent said that Peter asked her if there
wasn't something she liked better than
sewing. She said she told him she didn't
like sewing and was looking for some
thing better She said Peter then wanted
her to take a position as his private
secretary. An appointment to meet that
afternoon was made. Grace Beau said
that at this time she was going under
the name Of Grace Belmont In the af-
ternoon she said Peter came after her
in a cab. She entered the cab with Peter
and they drove away.
He asked her how she would like to
travel. and she said: "Oh so much''
They drove around the city for an hour
or more She said that Peter told her
all about the show and the new baby
elephant She said he then said they
would go and get something cold to
drink. They stopped at a brick house
and Peter entered, leaving her alone
Peter then returned and took her into
the house. They went upstairs to a
room, she said and had something to
drink They drank champagne, and
al he so T0afc
He again offered Grace the post of pri-
vate secretary Grace said by this time
she had drank too much wine and felt
very dizzy and strange. Grace was
game, however, and drank more cham
payne. She lay down on the bed and
dropped asleep.
Grace said she told Mr.. Sells she was
very forgetful and might not remember
his name. ''Oh, if you read your Bible
Peter"
oh" said Grace; ..st Peter. you carry
the keys to the golden gate
The witness was shown a photograph
Of Peter Sells, which she identified
Feter took her back to her room and
promised to come again on the next
day and give her the post of private sec
retary, but she watched in vain She
soon after married, but she and her
husband separated before the year was
out The attorneys for the plaintiff did
not succeed in breaking down Marys
story on cross examination, but they say
they have some dispositions to offer in
rebuttal that will make it look like 80
cents" Mary seems to have led a wan
dering life, as she was in almost every
town in the middle west and southwest.
Mary Watts was a hairdresser who
cared for the hair of Mrs. Sells for four
years. 1t is doubtless the intention of
the attorneys for the defense to claim
that the watchers who said that they
saw men visiting the house by the side
door were mistaken and that the sup
posed man was the hairdresser
The appearance of Rev. E. Willis Sou
der. the old pastor of Mrs Sells, on the
witness stand, was an affecting sight
He had come from Clinton, Ind, to tes-
tify in regard to the character Of the
daughter of his old friend who had also
been the closest companion of his own
daughter, now dead. At times the voice
of the old minister would CULVER as he
spoke of Mamie and it was easy to
see that he still believed in her He
was in charge of the church at Clinton,
Ind, when Mrs. Sells resided there. He
never saw anything out of the way.
Harry Lyons called at the minister's
home to see his daughter, Miss Ella
Souder. He understood that Lyons had
also visited Clinton to call upon a Miss
Gibler.
More of the cross examination of Mon
gar was read by Attorney Peters. In 1t
MonSar said that the names of the wit
nesses who were to testify for Mrs. Sells
were Sol Geismore, Jim Harper, Joe
White. MYRTLE Osborn, John Gissip, Doc
Spaulding, himself, A. J. Daniels. Will
Brooks, Ella Mays and a girl named
Ella Vandergrift was to act as go-be-
tween for Phipps & Holland to the wit
nesses.
Vandergrift, whom Mongar says was
the go-between, was formerly superin-
tendent of the Chattanooga workhouse.
Phipps Of the detective firm was for
five years on the Chattanooga police
force.