The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-08
The State Introduces the Testimony Oh
Eyewitnesses to the killing
of Copenhaver's Wife.
DEFENsE's PLEA OF INSANITY
MOTHER n BROTHER SAY HE WAS
A CHANGED Man.
Taking of Evidence VIII Be Conclud-
ed To-Day and Arguments
VIII BE Heard.

TIL introduction Of evidence In the case
of ora Copenhaver, accused of murder in
the first degree for the killing Of his wife
at her home, sos North Davidson street,
on Sept. 8, began in the Criminal Court
yesterday morning when a jury acceptable
TO the prosecution and defense and to
Judge Afford had been secured.
A venire of 104 men was necessary TO
choose the jury that will decide the fate
Of Copenhaver. After the State and de-
Tense, closely watching the jury. and ques-
tioning each member of It as to his senti-
mental reasons for opposing the infiction
OF the death penalty by Prosecutor RucKel-
shaus and Deputy Charles Benedict, and as
to the susceptibility of the minds OF the
jurors to evidence as to the insanity OIL
the prisoner, by his attorneys, Marshal
Seyfried and McGroarty, had selected the
jury IT was nearly n:3O o'clock. The men
composing Copenhavers jury are Wills
Metcalfe, Decatur township; FREDERICK
Hartman, Warren township; Albert
Weatherly, Decatur township; William E.
Lovett, city; Charles Copeland, n
township; William e. Miles, Franklin
township; Joseph yesterday, Center own
ship; r. G.. Allen, city; Lincoln Foltz,
Wayne township; William Guian. city; AS
bury CUBAN, Pike township; Henderson
Turpin, city.
After the jury had been sworn by the
clerk of the court, Prosecutor Ruckeisnaus
made the opening statement for the State,
in which he told of the brutality OF
C~openhaver's crime and summarized the
evidence with which the State intended to
prove its commission. That the murder OF
his wife was premeditated by Copenhaver
and committed in his right mind and that
he was fully cognizant of the seriousness
of the crime Mr.. Ruckelshaus promised
would be proven.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
The first witness of the prosecution was
DR.. Norman Jobes, superintendent of the
City Hospital, who testified to the bring
ing of Mrs. Copenhaver to the hospital in
the ambulance suffering from three bullet
wounds in the breast and abdomen from
which she died later in the day. He testi-
fed also TO powder burns found on the
neck of the woman and as to the size and
character of her wounds.
Bicycle PatroImen Trimpe and Lowe.
who arrested Copenhaver shortly after he
had done the shooting. testified as to their
CALL 10 mltnlkdH anu OdNNQoOu
and their arrest of Copenhaver. The pa
troimen stated that Copenhaver, when
found. delivered himself up TO them and
told them that he was the man they were
the scene of the shooting and asked them
TO axe him into custody. While they
were talking. Dan Quinn; a friend Of
asked the murderer II he realized what he
had done and Copenhaver replied that he
did and IL his wife was not then dead ne
O aaI -. a~1 - Nv IN End tho aha
would die. The revolver with which
@Copenhaver shot his wife was identified
by the police.
Frank stevenson, telephone operator at
the police station. testified that he received
two calls from the vicinity of the murder
both from the same man 10 send the police
and he afterward learned that it was
Copenhayer who had done the calling.
William Schortemier. the grocer at whose
place Copenhaver used the telephone, said
In his testimony that the accused man
was cool and collected when he entered
the grocery store and replied to common
place remarks OF the witness while he
stood in the store waiting for the police.
superintendent Tane testified to Copen-
haver's arrest and deliverance at the po-
lice station by Sergeant Giblin. and the
Ferguson, the latter the mother OF the
murdered woman. ~eyewitnesses to the
crime. completed the evidence for the State.
Fergascn and Mrs. Taylor did not differ
from that printed at the time of and since
the murder
OPENING OF THE DEFENSE.
In opening the defense for Copenhaver
Chief Counsel Henry Seyfried stated that
the defense intended to establish clearly to
the jury that Copenhaver at the time of
the commission of the crime was and is
now insane. He spoke of the testimony
which. the defense intended to introduce
and stated that it would clearly demon
strate that no sane man would have COM
mitted the crime. The cause of his in
sanity and the events preceding the crime
substanitating II would be told in the evil
dence OF the witnesses, so Mr.. Seyfried
said
Mrs. Elizabeth C~openhaver, mother of the
accused man, was the first witness Of i'm
haver. she said hat ora was her nth
child, and that until he reached the age of
fifteen he lived with her on a farm near
Whitestown. During his life previous to
the marriage to Ellen Ferguson, in Chicago,
he was a studious. quiet and thoughtful
boy, devoted to her and her interests and
always of a kindly disposition. She did not
know of his domestic troubles until his
visit to her at Whitestown shortly before
the tragedy that made her a witness in
his behalf. During this visit he seemed
TO her To be Respondent and worried and
showed that his mind was affected. she
said. He had a habit of going away by
himself ana frequently was discovered by
her sitting in the woods apparently
obiivious to everything around him. She
heard groans and means from his bedroom
when he was supposed to be sleeping. She
noticed a change in him that she ascrfbed
to the effects OF a bad case Of tyrhoid
fever, from which he nearly died a short
time before the visit. She said that his
father was a drinking man and that in
sanity was common in the family. A
cousin OF his fathers was an inmate OF an
insane asylum and another Copenhayer
had died while confined in the Central
Hospital for the Insane. she testified.
John Copenhaver. a son of Mrs. Copen-
the same vein. and said that his brother.
during the visit mentioned by his mother
seemed TO be a different man from the one
he had known before the marriage to the
Ferguson girl.
EVIDENCE OF ASSOCIATES.
Two employees of the indianapolis water
works, and at one time fellow-workmen of
Copenhayer. testified TO his actions, while
associated with them. John Halfrick, an
engineer. said that ~Copenhaver was a good
3 friend until he had some trouble i'm the
plant. and when he left IL was because of
q~uarrels with other employees. Joe Blair.
another empIoye. stated that Copenhayer
had trouble with the engineer once. but
otherwise seemed 10 be a quiet person ana
attended 10 his own business.
To-day the evidence In the case will he
finished and the argument OF both sides
will be heard. BY Tomorrow IL Is expected
Jury. which viii receive instructions from
Iudge Afford after the of the
attorneys. In to-day's testimony the evil
: dence OF the experts employed by the de-