Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-20
BARkER'S MOTIVE
Continued from page ~

Fifteen that If any man had commit
ted wrong such as Keller was accus-
ell under similar conditions. he. the
committee. would shoot him.
Barker said he felt justified in shoot
ing Keller because he said he had out
ragged his wife. In his confession to
Chief Totem. Barker said that he told
the chief that he believed the chief
would have shot Keller If his wife had
been treated in the same manner as
Mrs. Barker.
County Prosecutor Erwin continued
to make objections to this line of tes-
tmony ana much Of ii was ruled out
This. however. did not prevent Bar
ker's lawyers from continuing the
some line of questions to bring out
the relations between Mrs. Barker and
Mr.. Keller before the shooting.
Barker said that previous to Feb. 3
the relations Of his wife and himself
with Keller We're friendly ana were
based on the fact that Keller had Dor
rowcd So from Mrs. Barker in April.
1899 without the knowledge OF the wit
ness. After that. witness said Keller
stopped coming 10 Barker's house.
Keller often dincd there and at first
invited himself and then WAS always
welcome. The friendly feeling was very
strong for two weeks before the shoot
ing. but there was no dispute between
the witness and Keller. The money
which Keller had borrowed from Mrs
Barker was paid in installments BY
Keller.
AT this point there was heated ar
mission of this testimony. tho lawyers
FOR the state vigorously obicctinE.
The court allowed TIL" introduction
lf n letter written by Barker on Feb.
%, 1890. in which Barker told the cl,r-
gy man that he owed Mrs. BARKER $a3
and asked him to please return ii. Re
Ccivin= no answer to the letter, Bar
ker. on March s. wrote another letter
II Keller. Then Keller called at the
house ana paid the money. Barker said
he and mis- Wife ana Keller often went
bicycle riding together and that he had
given bicycle to Keller. Witness said
he did not know until January that his
wife had left Mr.. Keller's church.
Mr.. Barker then described what took
place at the house where Mr.. Keller
was lying when the witness was taken
there from Kearney. He said that he
asked MIR. Keller in a low voice if h..
| knew him. Mr.. Keller was unable to
recognize him.
Under CroGS-eNamination Mr.. Bar
ker went over again the story of his
meeting with Mr.. Keller on the morn
ing of the shooting. He said he left
his house at a quarter of O'Clock for
the purpose Of getting newspaper.
He saw Mr.. Keller coming up Beach
street. II waited for him." said Bar
ker. because | wanted to speak to
| him. He was coming toward me
on further cross-eXamination Barker
! said he knew Keller was in the habit
OF going to church on a Sunday morn
ing, but he did not have any intention
1 of meeting him on the morning Of the
shooting. He said that when he came
I W to Keller no one else was in sight.
! He had the revolver in the right hand
Cvercoat pocket and he began to shoot
after Keller said to him: Good morn
ing" and he had replied; You damned
villain, you outraged my wife" He
! fired four shots. After firing the first
| shot he got closer. He stood in front
of Keller all the time during the shoot
ing. He did not shoot Keller while he
was lying on the ground.
Here the revolver was shown to the
witness and he said it looked like the
! one he had used and which he bought
in New York in January He could
/ not account for his having two loaded
cartridges in his overcOat pocket after
the shooting and said he had carried
the revolver for several days previous
! to that time. He did not have Il per-
nit for carrying pistol. He fired the
second and third shots while Keller
was turning around and said, Don't
don't
All this time Barker said he was in
a dazed condition but when he saw
the blood flowing from Kellers wounds
he realized that he had done wrong
and he gave himself up. He said that
he had been unable to attend to any
business since the shooting.
Barker said he felt justified in shoot
ing Mr.. Keller. having in mind the
wrong done his wife. He did not know
whether or not he wanted to kill Kel-
Ter. After the first shot he took par
ticular aim.
Mrs. Barker was not permitted to
tell what she meant by the term "out-
rage" nor tell of a conversation she
had with her husband the day before
the shooting regarding the alleged as
sault or what she had told Mr..
Thompson, neighbor, some weeks be-
fore the shooting. She said Mr.. KEEL
Ter had not been to her house since the
shooting. although she had seen him in
the streets several times.
p. Here there was considerable argu-