The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-23
MRS. RICHARDSON'S TRIAL
WITNESSES CONNECT HER NAME
WITH THAT OF STEWART FIFE.
Latter Is N Young Society Man Who
Was often Seen in the Defend
ants Company.

PLATTSBURG, Mo-, Jan. 22.-The name
of Stewart Fife. the young society man ar
rested recently at North Yakima, Wash,
on a charge of numbering Frank w. Rich
ardson, the Savannah (Mo.) merchant, was
brought in frequently to-day at the trial of
Mrs. Addie L. Richardson, widow of the
dead man. Judge Burnes decided an i'm
portant point for the State by admitting
evidence that might tend to show Mrs
Richardson's relations with Fife, which the
defense had sought to keep out, and X. A.
Morris testified to seeing the couple to-
gether different occasions.
The most important witness of the day
was Bruce Stanton, a clerk in the Fife
Richardson store, who told of a quarrel be-
tween Richardson and Fife in the presence
of the witness and Mrs. Richardson, when
all four were walking toward the Richard
son home Richardson" 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
10 shut up his mouth or he would shut il up
for him. Richardson and Fife started to-
ward each other, and told Richardson to
go into the house."
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
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 Stew
art Fife told of conversation with Mrs.
Richardson after the murder, when she told
him she heard some one approaching the
house with Mr.. Richardson. 1t was knick-
erbockers impression at the time that
Richardson had shot himself.
Nora Terhune was at the Richardson
house soon after the murder. Mrs. Richard
son had told her that her husband dropped
halfway 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 hus-
band lay dead, she had said: Il know more
about this than anyone else" The witness
identified an Overcoat as that worn by Rich
ardson at the time. She did not notice
that 1t was rumpled. The oVercoat Is
expected by the defense to afford proof Of
Mrs. Richardson's statement that she drag
ged the body into the hall.
Frank Gotten testified that Fife had come
to Richardson's store an hour after the
murder and that his shoes We're wet
The State rested its case this afternoon
when the prosecuting attorney announced
mat ne had no turther efloence 10 oner IN
support Of the charge against Mrs. Richard
son. The defense Immediately thereafter
filed demurrer to the States evidence and
asked that the case be taken out OF the
hands of the jury. 1t was contended by the
attorneys for defense that the States evil
dence was meager and had failed TO prove
that Mrs. Richardson fired the shot or aided
abetted the act. Judge Burns held that
while there had not been enough evidence
regarding the relations between Mrs. Rich
ardson and Stewart Fife to show a motive
for the crime, there was enough evidence to
| justify him in allowing the case TO go 10
the jury.
Leonard Mcdaniel, Carl Guenther and
| Otto Byers were the last witnesses to tes-
| tify for the State. They were reserved for
the last the strongest witnesses of the
prosecution, as their testimony was relied
upon to support the claim that Mrs. Rich
ardson's relations with Stewart Fife consti-
tuted motive for the crime. They all testi-
! fled that they had seen the defendant with
Fife at various times late at night.