Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-01-10
MRS. RICHARDSON ACCUSED.
Einding of the Coroner's Jury In the Rich
ardson Murder Case at sa-
vmuuah.M Mo.

vannah, Mo.
Savannah, Mo-, Jan. s.-The ccron-
er's jury investigating the death OF
Frank Richardson, who was killed IN
his own house, Christmas eve, heard
the testimony of Mrs. Richardson
yesterday morning, and subsequently
| found that Richardson came to his
death by a pistol shot fired by his
wife, Addie L. Richardson. or by
some one known TO the said Addie l.
! Richardson, but unknown to the
jury"
| The convened his court and
waited for the arrival of the lmpor-
tant witness. In a few minutes 1T was
| announced to Coroner Berer that Mrs.
Richardson was too ill to come to the
| court house. but that h was anxious
! to tell all she knew. Her counsel, At
torney A. w. Brewster, of st. Joseph,
asked that the coroner and his six
iurymen proceed to the Richardson
home and thai there the widow wouid
tell her story.
AT 1o:40 the jury proceeded to the
Richardson residence, five blocks from
, the court house, followed by a vast
crowd of people. When the officers or
the court arrived at the Richardson
house fully 100 men and women
crowded into the grounds.
Prosecuting Attorney Booher stand
ing on the front porch. addressed the
people, requesting all to go away, as
only the coroner and those immedi-
ately connected with the hearing and
three representatives of the after
noon press would be admitted.
please go away now" said Mr..
Booher. In the name of the Richard
son family and the authorities I re-
quest it."
The first step of the was to
take the measurements of the hall
and bedroom where the murder oc-
Cured. This occupied some time, and
while it was proceeding Mrs. Richard
son remained in the parlor, under the
ear OF her physician and relatives.
Finally the corner convened his
court and called upon MRS. Richard
SON to testify. She was permitted to
rehearse the events of the tragedy in
her own way and was not interrupted
with questions until she finished. She
told her story, much as it has been
printed heretofore, in a straightfor-
ward manner 1t shed no new light
on the mystery.
Then, in answer to questions, Mrs.
Richardson denied every important
statement in the testimony of Bessie
Phyllis, the servant girl, alleging that
she (Mrs. Richardson) had frequently
received the visits of men, who stayed
late at night, in the absence of her
husband. She testified that she was
so years old. She was in her bedroom,
she said, when her husband entered
the house about $40 o'clock.
She continued:
81 heard footsteps of two people on
the walk leading to the house and on
the front porch. heard a buggy just
a few minutes before Frank came in.
MIR. Richardson was walking natural
ly. / did not hear voices outside. As
Frank came to the door / stood up.
I had been lying upon a couch in the
bedroom, and l leaned against the
wall, preparatory to saying boo to
scare Frank n Mr.. Crowley, as l
supposed it to be. When the door
opened 1 only heard one footstep in
the hallway. The door to the sitting
room was open. He seemed to be
walking in, and he said that he had
come, or come on, or come in, or
something like that, when a shot rang
out. My recollection is that the body
fell in the hallway.
cat first I did not know he was
shot. / did not hear a word or any
other noise. My first thought was
that he had committed suicide. / tried
to get him on a couch, but could not.
I opened his clothes and felt for his
heart. While I was doing this 1 re-
member hearing a door or window
slam in the real of the house.
Il lighted a lamp and looked for a
revolver. When / could not find one
l knew someone else must have shot
him. / suppose 1 was very much ex-
cited at the time. / had no suspicious
at hat time of anyone but Goldie
Whitehead. / do not know of an
enemy of Franks in Savannah or else
where.
III told me several times that he
was afraid of Goldie Whitehead.
Several days before he was
killed he said he was going to get
a revolver, as his life was in constant.
canger, but to my knowledge, he had
not got one. Charles Stanton told me
the difficulty between Goldie White.
head and Frank was settled. 1t was
several weeks before the shooting
that Frank had last accused me of be.
ing intimate with other men,"
Mrs. Richardson gave the names of
men with whom her husband accused
her of improper intimacy. She did not
falter or waver in any statement.
Mrs. Richardson was arrested at
her home last night. She gave bond
for $1,000. signed by her brother-in.
law, John ID. Richardson, of Chicago;
w. s. Wells, cashier of the State Bank
of Savannah, and her attorney, II. K.
White, of st. Joseph.
The preliminary hearing is set for
January 16