The Van Buren press., 1901-01-19
THE DEFENSE OUTLINED.
Council for the Alleged Murderers Of
Jennie Bosschieter Construct
an Ingenious Defense.
SAYS THE GIRL MADE FIRST ADVANCES.
He Denies thnt She was Drugged or
Assaulted, and Claims TINT Her
Death wns Due to OOverindulgence
in Cocktails and Absinthe in Com
pany of Defendants.

Paterson, n. j., Jan. 17.-lnterested
crowds filed the approaches to ard
the room in which the court of oyer
and terminer is sitting for the trial
of three of the alleged murderers OF
Jennie Bosschieter, the mill girl The
state having rested its case Tuesday
night the days proceedings began
with the presentation by counsel OF
the case for the defense. OF the three
men accused, Death showed most the
effects of the strain through which
they are passing and detection md en-
treme nervousness were depicted in
his countenance and movements. Nc
Alister, on the other hand, was cor'
paratively self-possessed, but Camp
bell was evidently troubled and anX-
ious. There is possibility of the de-
fense closing ITS case and the trial
being concluded Thursday with the
summing up and the judges charge.
A Request Overruled.
When Judge Dixon opened court
counsel for the accused asked that
Sculthorpe, the hackman, be recalled
so that he might be confronted with
the record of his conviction of u
crime of which he had previously been
found guilty,
Judge DixoH denied the request, on
the ground that the point sought to
be made against Sculthorpe was i'm
material.
Defcnsc's Opening Address.
Michael Dunn then delivered his ad.
dress opening the case for the de-
fense. Counsel promised to prove that
the death of Jennie Bosschieter was
not caused in the commission of a
criminal assault, and also that the
charge of wiful murder could not
stand against the defendants.
Trying 10 blame the Girl.
Mr.. Dunn proceeded with nara.
tive of the events preceding the
death Of Jennie Bosschieter, the pur-
pose Of il being to show that the
meeting Of the four men, McAlistcr,
Campbell, Death and Kerr, was not
prcarranged and that the girl made
the first advances that opened the
way for the meeting at Saal's saloon,
Cocktails and AbSinthc.
In the saloon, according to counsel,
the girl drank freely, taking cock
tails and absinthe. She became
drowsy. Then she was escorted from
the saloon TO the hack, McAlister and
Death walking on either side of her.
She was not carried, the attorney
said.
The Ride In the Hack.
The narrative of counsel for the de-
fense proceeded with the ride IN the
hack to the place where the girl diet
She had become unconscious. and the
men lifted her from the hack to the
ground, where they, knceling around
her. She was taken with nausea nm
the men used their pocket handlter
chiefs TO wipe her face. The hack.
man, counsel said, was mistaken when
h' ''N'''NN 'HbN VIC hNNuS'u iitH uS-
saultcd the girl.
Deny thnt She was Assaulted.
DcspalrinP of succeeding IN restor-
Ing the girl TO consciousness, the men
put her back In the hack and drove
for aid TO the house Of the nearest
physician. The death OF Jennie Bos.
fchciter, counsel said, was accidental,
her drink was not drugged and her
Ierson was not violated by the de-
PENDANTS.
The misfortune that bcfcll her
might, counsel said, fall to any other
girl under similar circumstances.
Undertakcr's Testimony.
David Vcrmullcn. an undertaken,
who buried The body Of the girl, was
thc first witness called for the dc.
fense. He testified that he assisted
in embnlming the body and that two
quarts OF cmbalming fluid were used,
Witness was not present ut either OF
the au,opslcs, After the funeral hr
was directed TO reopen the grave, and
n small box Winch he supposed con-
tnincd parts of the girls remains
were taken out and delivered to the
authorities.
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