Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1902-02-20
JURY D|SACREES.
Alfred Buff Comes Near
Being Acquitted.
Jury Considers His Case for
Twenty-Five Hours.

Jury Considers His Case for
Twenty-Five Hours.
The trial of Alfred Buff, in this
city last week, charged with the
killing of his wife at Nandalia
last September, began Wednesday
morning before the following jury:
II. M. Long.
l.. 7. Paisley.
Ed. Tuggle.
w. G.. Sims.
o. F. House.
E. A. Lewton.
R. H. Beam.
W. j. Baker.
Elmer Cunningham.
j. p. Powell.
Ira Miller.
VIM. Kendall.
The evidence, for both sides,
was all in at the end of the day
Thursday. All day Friday was
consumed in argument by the at
torneys. Prosecuting Attorney
Ii. l.. Buckley plead for the State
and w. w. Bolts, of Vandalia,
and P. II. Cullen, of this city,
plead for the defense.
The State surprised the defense
by placing upon the stand
daughter of the accused, Lou B uff L.
said to have been the only eye
witness to the killing. She had
left the State some time ago, and
it was thought that she could not
be secured to testify, but an officer
brought her back, and she was on
the stand for for some time.
The girl, in brief, testified that
her father followed her and her
mother after she (the daughter)
had pushed him away from her
PROSTATE mother, and that he shot
his wife near the front gate. The
daughter said that the father was
stamping her mo theirs head when
she pushed him away.
The bloody bonnet, the under
clothes and the calico dress of the
dead woman and the blood stained
gun were produced in evidence.
Thirty-three witnesses for both
sides were summoned for the trial
but the most important were Lot
Buff, the daughter, and ALFRED {
Buff himself. Buff weighs bu
about l20 pounds and his wife
was at least 100 pounds heavier,
Buff was put on the stand Thurs
day afternoon in his own behalf
He testified of many abuses u
the hands of his wife. Swore tina
his wife was accidentally killed
that she had him by the hair an(
was dragging him from the house
when he reached out and grabbed
his gun from the corner of tn
porch, that his wife grabbed thu
barrel of the gun with one hand
and held his hair with the other
He stated both had hold of tn
weapon, he struck her with it owe
the head and as they rolled from
the porch the gun went off an,
she was killed.
AS stated above, Lou Buff, th'
daughter, testified that she wa
present at the shooting, and tina
her father shot her mother as sh
was going away from him-i
fact, that he followed her and sho
her.
Buff in his testimony stated ths
his daughter was not present, an
that he did not see her. Tbi
statement was substantiated b.
the evidence of Mrs. Rose, re
porter for the Vandalia Leader
who was put on the stand. Mrs
Rose stated that she had gone t
the Buff home soon after tn
shooting to get the story, an
when she questioned Lou Buff ,tha
young woman stated that she ha
not seen the shooting; that 81
was not at home at the time.
One of the most damaging thing
to the defendant was letter rea
in evidence written by Lou Bu
to her sister, Mrs. Saline Belk, d
Troy. Ill. 1t tells of the strugg|
between the father aud mother an
was in the following words:
vThey struggled out till they G
to that stump in the south pa
aof the yard by the clothes line al