The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-01-24
is THE CHARGE ON WHICH SHE
FACES JURY.
TRIAL OF MRS. RICHARDSON
Indicted for the Killing Of Her Hus-
band-Prisoner Shows No
Emotion in Court.

Plattsburg, Mo-, Jan. 21.-Mrs. Adj
die L. Richardson faced a jury of
farmers in the circuit court here to-
day. Her trial for the murder, a-year
ago last December, or her husband,
Frank w. Richardson, a merchant, at
their home in Savannah, Mo-, is now
on in earnest. Mrs. Richardson was
surrounded by her three youthful sons
and several other members of her
family and that of. the MAI whom she
is charged with numbering, including
his brother, John D. Richardson of
Chicago.
The prosecution is under an indict-
ment for murder in the first degree,
and is based on the proposition that
the prisoner either killed her hus-
band or knows who did.
The belief that all the members of
the Richardson family have all along
expressed in the innocence of the
widow seems to be mistaken by the
arrest Of Stewart Fife, a former bus
mess associate Of Richardson, or any
information that may have developed
in the last year
Mrs. Richardson still adheres to her
story, made at the time of the shoot
ing, that she was alone in the house
when she heard a buggy drive up and
her husband enter the hall; that she
heard some one say "has it come to
this" and that the pistol shot was
fired by some one. unknown to her as
he entered the door to the parlor bed
room where she awaited him.
No one has p%rofessed to believe that
Mrs. Richardson fired the fatal shot
but the state has expected that in de-
Tending herself against the charge
she would be compelled to tell who
did. c
Mrs. Richardson has aged percepti-
bly, in the last year and when she en-
tered court today her features showed
plainly the result of the strain she
has undergone.
Mrs. Richardson held her youngest
boy in her lap during the session of
court today. When the indictment,
charging her with "maliciously and
deliberately numbering her husband .
was read she displayed no emotion,
nor later when Attorney C. F. Booher,
in q statement of &h1 49, s.. IL.
state, said: "As a motive we will
try to show that Mrs. Richardson was
unduly intimate with Stewart Fife and
we expect to show that Fife was in
the house that night"
Plattsburg, Mo-, Jan. 22.-The name
of Stewart Fife, the young society
man arrested recently at North va
kima, Washington, on a charge of
numbering Frank w. Richardson, the
Savannah merchant, was brought in
frequently today at the trial of Mrs.
Addie L. Richardson, widow of the
dead man.
Judge Burnes decioed an important
point for the state by admitting evil
dence that might tend to show Mrs.
Richardson's relations with Fife,
which the defense had yesterday
sought to keep out, and K. A. Morris
testified to seeing the couple together
on different occasions.
The most important witness of the
day was Bruce Stanton, a clerk in the
F1fe-Richardson store, who told of a
quarrel between Richardson and Fife
in the presence of witness and Mrs.
Richardson, when all four were walk
ing toward the Richardson home.
"R~ichardson,", said the witness. "who
had been cursing Fife, turned on him
finally and told him he would have
to keep away from Mrs. Richardson.
Fife told him to shut up his mouth or
ne would shut it for him. Richardson
and Fife started toward each other
and | told Richardson to go into the
house..
Charles Glasier, also a clerk in the
store, was shown a revolver found
five blocks from the scene of the muir
der and believed to be the Weapon
with which Richardson was killed. It
looked like Flies revolver. he said.