The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-09
HE PLEADS FOR HIMSELF
THE DEFENDANT WAS FORMERLY A
BAPTIST PREACHER.
Domestic Relations Involved in the
Case-Judge Allen Will Decide
To-MOrrOw-Court Cases.

1
len, of the Circuit Court. De Poy lives in
Irvington. Last Tuesday he was arrested
| on complaint of his wife, who charged that
he had assaulted her and threatened her
| life. Wednesday he was arrested on
| charge of being insane and committed to
| Jail, and Thursday morning was adjudged
| insane before Justice Lockman, Mrs. De
| Poy making the affidavit. The affidavit set
| out that he was addicted to the use Of CO.
| caine Friday John w. Hoffman filed
| habeas corpus proceedings for his release
and the hearing yesterday took up a great
| er part of the day.
During the hearing De Poy was quiet but
at times exhibited signs of nervousness.
On the witness stand he used the best of
English in speaking and readily recalled
all dates and matters on which he was
questioned. Gradually the testimony drifted
into family matters and he finally said he
would tell the court all. He said that he
and his wife have lived unhappily together
for thirty-four years and that she had re-
peatedly charged him with being a cocaine
fend. He said the principal contention was
over money matters and that to keep peace
he had given her all of his money, and
when he was a travelling salesman sent
her 500 a month. He also said he decided
her all of his property and was never al
lowed to have any of his own money I'M
less he had a quarrel over it. He finally
! made more serious charges against his
wife, said that she had vilified his own
| mother who is now an invalid living with
them, and refused to cook his meals. He
asserted that the whole trouble resulted
| over money matters and charged his wife
| with attempting to place him in the In
| sane Hospital TO secure his property. The
| domestic relations were exploited until
| Judge Allen stopped the testimony, telling
| De Poy TO bring his wife into dsrepute was
| not helping his case any and that he saw
| no particular point I'm it. De Poy explained
| that he wanted the court to know all since
| he was now deprived of his liberty on COM
| plant of his wife, and that while he used
cocaine before he was arrested to allay
| pain caused by an liberated tooth, his eX
| IRENE nervous condition was aggravated
by his wifeS conduct and business mat
| tiers that were weighing on him.
SAW YOUNG GIRL DIE.
When questioned about the alleged habit
| he said the first time he ever took cocaine
was after seeing a young girl die from the
| effects of the drug administered in the eyes.
J He said he took very small dose at that
| time to ascertain the effect it had on the
| human system. He said he did not use the
| drug after that units he began to have
| trouble with an liberated tooth. The last
| time he used cocaine for that purpose prior
| 10 few days ago, was in 1895. De Poy also
| stated that the bottle from which he took
| the first dose has been in his grip ever since
| that time and was never touched. Last
| week he began TO have trouble with his
| tooth again, IL being liberated from the
| effects of a cold contracted by getting his
| feet wet He said he used no more cocaine
| than the size of the point of a pinhead,
which he inserted in hollow tooth. Be
| sides this trouble he said he had business
| TO the amount of about $4,000 weighing
| upon him that needed to be adjusted, and
/ he had to do something TO compose himself
| before meeting the parties. Regarding the
! threats he made against his wife and his
arrest he said he knew nothing; that it was
| all q blank until he awoke in the Jail the
| next morning after MS arrest.
HAD BEEN A PREACHER.
De Poy said he had been a minister of the
gospel and had preached in various locali-
ties. After leaving the ministry he became
a travelling salesman and worked for two
| leading machine companies as special col
| lector and handled about $4,000 year for
each. In addition 10 the charges relating to
money and property he said he recently
1 decided his wife 1862 acres of land to keep
| peace and stated that the books of the
Indiana National Bank would verify his
statement about money being sent to her.
Referring TO the alleged assault and bat
| terry, on which charge he was arrested
| Tuesday, he said his wife aroused him in
| the night and said I'll know WHY Won
| lay there and snore," and al the same time
| struck him. He says he finally became so
angered that he did take hold of his wife
and shake her. He said he did this after
| she scratched him, and he showed marks
on his face to the judge which, he said,
were the result of his wife's attack.
| The testimony of Mrs. De POy differed
| from that of her husband in nearly all par
| ticulars. She denied all of the charges he
/ but 1t was for the purpose Of keeping il
away from his creditors, and against her
| gan 10 use cocaine he was kind and loving
| and continued so after the habit was con-
/ tracted, except at such times as he was
under the influence of the drug AT those
| times she said, he abused her struck her
| and at one time attempted to smother her
! cries with a pillow. She said the drug fairly
| crazed him and that the times of using it
| We're becoming more frequent and each
| time he was more violent. She corroborated
| the statement that he had learned to use
| the drug by experimenting on himself and
| said his method of administering it was by
| removing a plug from a hollow tooth and
| inserting piece of cotton moistened with
cocaine into the cavity and replacing the
| plug. She asserted that he had told her he
| had the cavity enlarged so that he could get
| more OF the drug into it, and that she knew
| or no other way he administered the poison.
| JUDGE TAKES a HAND.
| Judge Allen frequently took hand in the
| case. questioning the witnesses or making
| suggestions to the attorneys. AT one time
| he said he thought witnesses should be in
troduced who had seen De Poy at times
when he was not under the influence of the
| drug. While he was making this statement
a party Of six living along the proposed line
| of the Indianapolis & Martinsvlle Rapid
| Transit Company came into the courtroom
to receive their payment on claims for
damages against the company for right of
way. They came from West Newton. and
| all OF them recognized De Poy as their for
mer pastor of the Mount Pleasant Baptist
| Church, near West Newton. one of them
| said: 'Why. there Is Brother De Poy /
| wonder what he can be doing in here" Mr.
| Hoffman was told of the former members
| OF De Pov's congregation, and one OF the
| older women was asked TO take the witness
stand As she passed De Poy she shook
| hands with him, and when she reached
| Mrs De Pow who was sitting near the wit
| ness stand she shook hands with her and
| kissed her The witness testified that she
+, had never heard of De Poy using cocaine.
! and that so far as she knew. their domestic
| relations were amlabe-
| Nearly a half-dozen physicians, including
| those present IN the insanity proceedings,
testified that De Poy was undoubtedly In
sane at the time he was arrested, put ala