The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-17
A WEAK DEFENSE
THE BOssCHIETER BURDERERS
TELL THEIR STORY.
WERE ACTING AS FRIENDS.
JENNIE WAS DRUNK AND THEY
WE'RE sOBERING HER UP.

She Became Dead Drunk After TAX
ing AbSinthe, and They Thought a
Drive Would Do Her Good-They
Deny Dragging the Girl or Making
ANY AssauIt-Their Meeting with
Her Was Only Accidental, They
Claim-Acted as They Did to Avoid
"a Scandal.
Paterson, N. j., Jan. 16.-Counsel for the
defense in the Jennie Bosschieter mur-
der trial to-day practically closed their
case. William A. Death, Walter l.. Neal
lister and Andrew Campbell, the three
men on trial for the murder. told their
versions of the events of the night Jen-
ME Bosschieter met her death while In
but little as to details. The plea set up
by counsel for the three defendants was
a general and specific denial of all the
accusations made against the men He
opened with an attack on the moral char
acter of the dead girl and claimed that
the prisoners were in no way responsible
for the death of Jennie Bosscheter He
denied that she had been drugged. and he
denied that she had been il-treated and
assaulted.
McAlister, Death and Campbell wee
each on the stand. Their testimony was
on the line that they were acting on
generous impulse when they took the Rirl
out of the saioon to the hack. They
claimed that she was "jo.ly drunk" for
time in the back room of Saal's sa-
LOOM said she was joking and laughing
after The first drink; that she became
'dopey' after taking the absinthe and
then became dead drunk. They had
thought drive in the fresh air would do
her good and mad taken her across the
river out into the country. The assault
was denied. They had lifted the girl out
OF the hack because she was sick and they
had conducted themselves like humani
tartans in their efforts to bring her back
to her senses. They had taken her to
the brook to obtain water They would !
nave taken her home after she was
dead but when they reached the neigh
borhood they saw persons about
They were frightened at 'the dead
girl' and did not want 70 get mixed en-
IN the scandal. They maintained that thew
had no evil intentions against the girl
The meeting in the saloon was uninten-
tionai so far as McAllister was concern
| ed, and he had drawn his friend Kerr.
| came mixed up in 1t because Death lid
not want to be seen on the street wi.h
the girl, lest some one tell his wife The
hack It would appear from the state
ments made by the prisoners was not in
tended for the party at first. but for Me-
Alister, Kerr and two young women
whose names McAlister refused TO di-
vulge, on the ground that their names had
not been mentioned before, and he did
not want to GAUGE them annoyance. The
stop intended at Lees was not con-
nected with the girl they had
with them but because, although she hal
had enough to drink the men had fur
ther capacity The story as tod by each
was plausible. eXplana tory and reason
able, but confiicted with the testimony Of
the haclSman and the alleged confessions
of Death and Campbell as introduced by
the state and admitted evidence. The
state, which was beaten yesterday In the
effort to introduce the confession said to
have been made by Campbell succeeded
in getting It all in In even more detailed
manner than would have been possible
yesterday
DR.. Charles ]. Loffer of New York city.
who was called by the defense, said he
had seen persons knocked out" by
absinthe.
Prosecutor Emley asked him the hy-
pothetical question:
"If a person had died after having
taken absinthe, and choral was found in
the stomach, what would you say she died
Of?
From chloral poison" was the reply.
Tomorrow the summing up will occur
and probably the case will be left with
the jury about sundown. although 1t may
be that Judge Dixon will defer the charge
to the jury until Friday
Walter G. McAlister, one of the defend
ants, testified he had known Jennie Boss
chieter two and half years and had
made no effort to go with her On the
eventful night he and Kerr had gone to
the saloon. He saw Death and he asked
TO join the party, which he was invited
to do efter the girl had been spoken TO.
Subsequently the witness ordered a bot
tie of champagne. The girl drank two
glasses of the wine and then appeared to
be pretty full. There was a hack outside
of the saloon and IL was thought that a
drive would do the girl good. They ell
drove up the Goffie road, intending to stop
at Lees place. but turned around to
drive home. The girl complained
OF feeling Ill., She asked to be
taken out of the carriage They
accordingly took the girl out of the hack
and laid her upon the hackmans blanket.
They tried in every way to revive her.
but without avail. and they finally took
her back to the hack and drove to the
brook in the vicinity where they took her
out OF the hack again and bathed her
face and temples with water. They thea
put her back into the hack and drove to
DR. Wiley's office. and as he was not at
home they hurried to DIR. Townsend's
house.
Continuing, McAlster said he gave the
hackman $40 to say nothing. The witness
denied that ne or any one else had put
anything in the girls drink. He also
denied that he or any Of the others had
taken liberties with the girl. The other
defendants made the same denals.