The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-23
WHO'S GUN IS IT.?
THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MAIN
QUESTION IN TRIAL OF MRS.
RICHARDSON
LOOKS LIKE FIFE's REVOLVER
The Testimony Indicates a Warm
Friendship Between the Young
Society Man and the Wom-
an on Trial.

PLATTSRURG, Mo-, Jan. 22-The
name Of Stewart Fife, the young society
man arrested recently at North Yakima
Wash, on 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 decided
an important point for the state by ad-
hitting evidence thatomight tend to show
Mrs. Richardson's relations with Fife,
which the defense has sought to keep
out, and r. A. Morris testified to seeing
the couple together on different occa-
sions.
The most important witness of the day
was Bruce Stanton, a clerk in the Fife
Richardson store, who told Of a quarrel
between Richardson and Fife in the
presence of the witness and Mrs. Rich
ardson, when all four were walking to-
ward the Richardson home Richard
son." said the witness, who lad 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 he would shut
It up for him. Richardson and Fife
started toward each other and I told
Richardson to go into the house."
Witnesses Tell Divers stories.
Charles Glazier, also a clerk in the
store, was shown a revolver found five
blocks from the scene Of the murder,
and believed it to be the weapon with
which Richardson was killed. 1t looked
like Flies revolver. he said, but he
could not be sure.
Frank Knickerbocker, mayor Of Savan-
nah, who is one Of the attorneys for
Stewart Fife, told of a conversation. with
Mrs. Richardson after the murder, when
she told him she heard some one ap-
preaching the house with Mr. Richard
son. 1t was Knickerbockers impression
at the time that Richardson had shot
himself
Nora Terhune was at the Richardson
house soon after the murder Mrs.
Richardson had told her that her hus-
band dropped half way In the hall, and
that she had dragged him into the
room. When an effort was made to
prevent Mrs. Richardson from returning
to the room where her husband lay dead,
she had said: IT know more about this
than anyone else The witness iden-
tilted an overcoat as that worn by
Richardson at the time. She did not no.
tice that it was rumpled The overcoat
is expected by the defense to afford
proof Of Mrs. Richardson's statement
that she dragged the body into the hall.
Frank Gotten testified that he had
come to Richardson's store an hour after
the murder, and that his shoes were wet.
Cannot Identify Revolver.
Charles GIazier, a clerk in Richardson's
store, was shown the revolver found five
blocks from the Richardson home, with
one chamber empty, but could not posi-
lively identify it as the property of
Fife At a distance it looked like the
weapon that Fife had owned. He said
that Richardson's clothes did not indi-
cate that he had been dragged into the
room.
Glazier admitted having found a carr
ridge in Flies desk after the murder,
and having given it to the sheriff. Gla-
zier said that when Mrs. Richardson
came to the store she talked with Fife
more than anyone else. He had never
heard Richardson complain of Flies re-
lations with Mrs, Richardson.
J. E. Vaughn, city marshal of Savan-
nah; J. B. Kennard and DR.. J. Lacey,
testified seeing Fife within a few blocks
of the Richardson home a short time
after the murder was committed.
Mrs. Caroline King testified that Fife
left ner house half an hour before Rich
ardson was shot, but was unable to
tell in what direction he went, The
state had counted much on her testi-
lnony, but it was disappointing.
Must Go to Jury.
The state rested it's case this afternoon
when the prosecuting attorney an
nounced that he had no further evidence
to offer in support of the charge against
Mrs. Richardson. The defense immedi-
ately thereafter filed q demurrer to the
states evidence and asked that the case
be taken from the hands of the jury.
1t was contended by the attorneys for
the defense that the states evidence was
meager and had failed to prove that Mrs.
Richardson fired the shot or aided or
abetted the act.
When the demurrer was filed the jury
was taken from the room. Judge Burnes
stated that while there had not been
enough evidence regarding the relations
between Mrs. Richardson and Stewart
Fife to show a motive for the crime,
there was enough evidence to justify him
in allowing the case to go to the jury.
Leonard Mcdaniel, Carl Guenther and
Otto Byers were the last witnesses to
testify for the state. They were reserved
for the last as the strongest witnesses
of the prosecution as their testimony
was relied upon to support the claim that
Mrs. Richardson's relations with Stewart
Fife constituted a motive for the crime.
They all testified that they had seen the
defendant with Fife at various times late
at night.