The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-07
Walter Daniels. an Educated Ghoul,
Gives Testimony Damaging To
the Defendant.
SOME PATHETIC INCIDENTS
RELATIVES OF PERSONS WHOSE
GRAVES WERE DESIGNATED.
Attorneys Indulge i'm Many Quibbles
During the Day-Trend of the
Testimony.

The State of Indiana nearly completed its
Introduction Of evidence against Dr. Jo-
seph c. Alexander. on trial for aiding and
abetting ghous i'm disturbing graves and
for concealing stolen human corpses. I'm the
Criminal Court yesterday. With the last
witness examined at nearly o'clock. Pros
ecutor John C. Ruckelshaus and Deputy
Charles Benedict asked that their side be
not closed until this morning although the
testimony was all in. They said that over
night something might. develop needing att
tention and they did not wish TO embar-
rass their by closing at the time.
The request was agreed to by the attorneys
for the defense and court adjourned until
9 o'clock this morning
This morning Henry n. Spaan will make
the opening statement for his client. i'm
which he will explain what the jury may
expect. He will make lengthy statement
and will carefully go over the case estab-
lished by the prosecution, taking each part
OF IL as the basis for evidence I'm con-
tradiction to be introduced. Mr.. Spans ar
| gument will probably be concluded about II
O'Clock, and IL is not unlikely that the
court will adjourn at that time to resume
the trial Monday morning.
GREAT DAY FOR STATE.
! Yesterday was great day for the State
and the testimony introduced served to es-
tablish strong case against the defend
ant. Some of the evidence adduced wax
startling to the court and spectators and
some Of 1t sensational. The exhibition OF
a common shroud, described I'm an evening
paper as 'silken shroud." was sensational
and after it had been Identified as the gar
ment in which Catherine Doehring. an old
German woman, was buried I'm at the Ger
man Catholic Cemetery, renewed interest
caused craning of necks among the spec
tators for better view of It, Other testi-
mony furnished dramatic incidents. all OF
them calculated to increase the curiosity
of the great crowd in the courtroom DUR
ing the day.
There was no room for more people in
the Criminal Court room after the doors
| had been opened five minutes at the begin
ming of the afternoon session. The chairs
i'm the rear part of the courtroom floor. the
gallery and the inclosed space around the
bench were jammed tight with people.
among them being several women The
women's portion Of the gallery was crowded.
The first woman witness during the trial
was called during the afternoon and was
Mrs. Phoebe Mock. who was sworn by the
| state. MIS- MOCK was cailed to identify the
shroud as the one she had dressed Mrs.
Doehring in before that wosnan's burial.
| Other women witnesses were Marcia Me-
Mullen, sister of Meredith McMullen. whose
grave was desecrated, and Mary Doehrine.
daughter of the old German woman
whose body stolen from its grave. but
later reburied after being claimed from the
morgue at the police station. Miss Doeh-
tvf,e wofra
who heard her tearfully relate the circum-
stances of her mothers burial and later
sorrowfully identify the stained ga, ment
as the shroud she had sewn togethe- for
her mothers lifeless body.
WITNESSES FOR THE STATE. /.
During the day the State introduced the
following witnesses: DIR. j. +. Barnhiu.
secretary of the faculty OF the Central Col
lege of Physicians and Surgeons; NJ L.
Donnelly. a reporter on the indianapolis
Journal; E. r. Gates. a brother ot Glendora
Gates. whose body was stolen: George III.
Stiltz, grandson of Johanna Stiltz, whose
body was stolen from the Ebenezer Gene
terry: Frank II. Duncan. a policeman:
Frank Doehring son of Catherine Doeh-
ring; Samuel Martin and Walter Daniels,
two of the ghouls: Douglass Case, proprie-
tor of the Hotel De Hoss. who rented the
wagons to the ghouls in which were trans
ported the stolen cadavsrs, Oral Miller,
bookkeeper for the w. r.. Beard instaliment
firm: Arthur Mckee, assistant TO Gus Ha-
bich in the gun business; William H. Nick
erson. Justice of the peace of Marion coun-
ty: Frank Jones and John +. Barnett. two
employees of the Hotel De Hoss livery barn;
William Patty. OF Cormont, who was -
| dianapoIis detectives: Herb Green. "A clerk
in the Board of Health cf.ice. and w. A.
Rushtin. embalmer
The most important facts brought out in
the testimony during the ,lay follow I'm the
testimony OF the witnesses Two important
facts which IL was sought TO have admitted
were impossible to secure in evidence. one
was TO prove that Alexander was demon
strator of anatomy In the Central College
of Physicians and Surgeons and the other
that il was his duty 10 secure dissection
material The defense succeeded on legal
technicalities in keeping thssesfacts ss TO out % OF
Alexander was the director OF the anatou-
icaI laboratory of the college
WALTER DANIELS ON STAND.
Walter Daniels, colored. member OF the
ehoul band who Is said TO have attended
the Tuskegee Institute. institution OF
learning founded by Booker 7. Washing
ton was a witness for the State I'm the
morning. Daniels. tight colored negro.
/ testified that he had worked in Indian
polis In several plsces-the Hotel Denison
as bell boy. the Oneida Hotel. Fred
Rrandts. DIR. Aliens Surgical Institute. and
had borne a good reputation. as far as he
, knew I'm the city. He said he first met DIR.
Alexander I'm his Office I'm June. 1902. and
was introduced TO him by Rufus Cantrell
as "a man from Chicago who would stick"
s.(,antrell told the doctor that had worked
FOR Thornton j. Barnes. demonstrator Of
, anatomy I'm the Northwestern College In
: chicago" said Daniels DIR. Alexander said
, he was glad some one who would stick
was available for the boys had been fall.
ing down" with their work. He and
Cantren talked Of the price OF bodies y