The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-18
william and Belle Caldwell, Husband
and Wife, Now on Trial Charged
with the Crime.
LITTLE GIRLS IMMORAL DANCE
FORCED TO EXHIBIT THEMSELVES
AGAINST THEIR WILL.
Progress of the Trial in the Criminal
COurt-Other Cases i'm the Lo-
cal Courts.

Inc trial or william Caldwell and Belle
Caldwell, accused of the murder of Daniel
Sullivan on Oct. II. was begun in the
Criminal Court yesterday. Pleas of not
guilty were entered by the defendants
through their attorneys, Frank McCray
and Charles McGroarty. The work of Sc
Letting a jury was of short duration. BY
IL o'clock the fo-llowing-named men had
been chosen as jurors and were sworn in:
Jacob j. Loves, Edward j. Starkey, Sam
uel Pfendler, William c. Miles, Albert
Parsley. David L. Shipley, Richard Haley.
Lincoln Foltz, Charles Ringer, Robert Ir-
vim, j. N. Downey and Tilford Antrim.
Prosecutor Ruckelshaus, in the opening
statement for the prosecution, related the
facts of the murder. From the story 1t
seems that after a drunken orgy in the
house of William Caldwell, at 2511 Law
renee street. Oak Hill, near Brightwood, in
which Daniel Sullivan, the murdered man,
and Nathan Hunter, Edward Campbell and
A. w. Williams. with Caldwells wife,
Belle, participated, a fight was started.
The immediate cause of the row seems to
have been the actions of one of the men in
assauiting a little twelve-y ear-old girl who
was in the house. The little girl, Edith
Cant, $40 East New York street, and Orie
Garrett, age ten. of the rear OF 200 North
Liberty street. had been dancing for the
amusement of the men. it is said. They
were forced to dance many minutes In an
immoral fashion, both against their will
and understanding, and were at the house,
1t is claimed by the defense. to attend a
party which was to be given there.
OBJECTS OF COARSE JOKES.
Aftar fpiSbipr thu aan1ypo in The want
part of the house. the children went into
the kitchen and were made the objects of
many coarse Jokes there by the drunken
men and woman. When something oc-
Cured which did not please one of the men
the light was blown out. and a free-for-all
fight ensued, in which Mrs. C'ldwell WELD
ed a heavy cane. he husband a spade or
some other instrument of the sort, and the
other men their fists. In the fight Sullivan
was struck twice. and after a hasty ex-
change of blows the man and woman. Cald-
well and his wife, locked the doors and
went inside.
The gang dispersed. and Edward Camp
bell went TO SullivaE's home, at zo3 Kath-
| crime street. and, not finding Sullivan there.
went back to the Caldwell home, accom-
| panied by Sullivan's wife. On the way
back they found Caldwell leaning over Sui
livan, who was lying on a vacant lot in a
half-conscious condition. He was picked
up, his wounds dressed and the police noti-
fsa; a arre 81 she a men he Tdo in wt the az ;a ihe s sasie
van was taken to the City Hospital, and
died Oct. IA.
The testimony for the prosecution at the
trial yesterday was that of Nathan Hunter.
one of the men implicated in the ARRAY
which ended in the murder; Edward Camp
bell, another one Of the crowd. and Arthur
at the Caldwell home on the night of the
murder. Hunter, in his testimony, said
! that after the men had been locked in the
Jail Caldwell approached him with the sug-
| gestion that If all of the men implicated
in the crime would get together. employ
the same attorney and each testify the
same as the other, there would be no
conviction and no one could be held for
the crime. He suggested that the story
be made up that Sullivan met his death
| from an accidental fall.
MURDERED MANS WIDOW.
Another witness was Mrs. Daniel Sulli-
| van, the widow of the murdered man. She
| told the jury that she is the mother Of
| three children and lives on Katherine
street. Sullivan was her only means Of
| support, she said. She testified that he
was of a peaceable nature, unassuming.
and a man of small stature and one not
| likely to provoke a fight with Caldwell.
| DIR. Brayton, son of the coroner, was a
witness and said he had made an anterior
examination of Sullivan's body and found
two wounds. One of them. on the frontal
region OF the head. was caused by a blunt
instrument, which had cut the scalp. The
| other wound, on the back of the head,
caused a depression of the skull, an an
terror fracture and, undoubtedly, the death
of Sullivan. Detectives Lancaster and
| Dugan and Bicycle Patrolmen Trimpe and
Lowe were the States other witnesses, ard
their testimony ended shortly before 5
o'clock.
Frank McCray chief counsel for the de-
Tense, made the opening argument for his
client. in which he sought to show that
the killing of Sullivan was accidental, I'M
premeditated, and the blows causing Sulli-
| vans death inflicted in self-defense by Mr..
and Mrs. Caldwell
During the trial. Mrs. CALDWELL, twenty
nine years old, sat in the courtroom and
complacently showed her interest in the
trial. She did not show any nervousness
and neither did her husband, a man thirty
six years OF age, neatly dressed and uncon-
| cerned in appearance. The evidence will all
have been submitted to-day and after the
| arguments tomorrow the case will go to
| the jury.