The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-10

49, Os ohoaSy1 "AAN 10
fee engineer OF the Street Department, IN
dicates that the State Will attempt to show
that Mrs. Cummings and her husband did
not occupy the positions In the room where
he was killed at the time he was shot which
she has said they did. The question was:
"Supposing the initial point to be feet
inches. the terminus feet 81. inches. the
grade Of the incline 1 inch in inches.
what would be the distance of the initial
point from the point of ternlinus?"
Two feet four inches" replied the wit
ness.
BY this answer the State will attempt to
show that Cummings was looking out the
window at the time he was shot This Is
regarded by the State as material point.
and IL proven will be in direct contradiction
of Mrs. Cummings former statements.
Measurements of the room have been
taken by Special Officer Thomas j. Kiely,
who had already testified to them, and 1t
was these measurements to which Assistant
Circuit Attorney Maroney alluded when he
asked Travilla the technical question above
mentioned.
Mrs. Cummings entered the courtroom
about 10 o'clock. She wore black dress.
black hat and white gloves. She carried a
palm leaf fan. She recognized one or two
friends in the large crowd that had gathered
to hear the case and took her seat next to
her counsel Martin and Thomas.
MRS. CUMMINGS IS
A CHANGED WOMAN.
While the Jurors were being called IN 10
the box she looked around the courtroom
unconcernedly. She Is much paler and not
nearly so full in the face as she was when
arrested. Confinement in the city jail for
nearly four months has added many gray
hairs to her dark tresses. Her eyes no
longer have the bright CLEAN. She seems
changed woman.
The Jurors selected from the venire OF
thirty-fve by counsel for State and defense
are: Alvin ]. Allen. Albert A. Auchtel.
Henry ]. Albers. John Boyle. Joseph E.
Bray, Charles Colgrave. Frank F. Flick.
James ". Headen. Peter II. Hemminghaus.
Henry Herwick Herman jacobson. and
Jules Rouveyrol Assistant Circuit Attorney
Maroney made a strong opening statement
, to the jury and was answered by Colonel
Martin.
Doctor Daniel F. Hochdoerfer. the coro-
ner's post-mortem physician. was the first
witness. Doctor Hochdoerfers testimony
was about the wounds that caused tine
death of Dennis Cummings.
Special Officer Kelly then testified an 70
| the measurements of the room at No. 2sl4
Locust street. where Cummings was killed
| George C. Barr. employed at Dunn's
pawnshop. No. a12 Franklin avenue. testified
\ that he sold pistol to Mrs. Cummings on
! the morning of April IS. the day Cummings
| was killed.
W. T. Cambron. the next witness. testi-
| fed that Mrs. Cummings had talked with
| him about her husband stealing her jewelry
! from her.
/ PHOTOGRAPHS OF ROOM
OFFERED AS EVIDENCE.
| George E. Baker, the Police Department
photographer. identified two photographs Of
the room where Cummings was killed
which he had taken and were introduced in
| evidence as exhibits and E.
| H. E. Culver. a newspaper reporter for an
! afternoon paper. told of finding fragments
! OF letter in the CRATE in the room. He
! had put the pieces together and found them
! ID be letter from Mrs. Cummings to her
| husband asking him to come to the house.
Then it was that Night Morguekeeper
| Walter Graham took the stand and the
| bic od-sta!ned garments were introduced in
| evidence.
| Doctor John B. Rule Of No. 272s Wash
| ington avenue stated that negro had sum-
moned him to Mrs. Dufr's home. stating
| that man had been shot. He told of the
position in which he found Cummings
| body when he entered the room, and de-
| clared that Mrs. Cummings told him that
| she shot her husband in self-defense. He
stated that Mrs. Cummings told him that
\ her husband threatened her with tho scis-
sors and reached into his pocket for his
knife before she shot. and when her hus-
| band fell the open knife dropped to the
F.! floor.
Nellie Morgan Of No. s0o1 Lawton avenue
| was one OF the most important of the
| States witnesses. She stated that she once
heard Mrs. Cummings plead with her hus-
band to return to her. and heard Cummings
| reply:
"oh. know that you love mo all right,
| but Just want to get me back so you can
get the drop on me. Ike you did on Har-
! ris -
| SAYS MRS CUMMINGS WAS
| JEALOUS OF HUSBAND.
The witness stated that Mrs Cummings
| was Jealous of her husband, and once. when
| she found hair on lace curtain, she said
it was evidence that some other woman
| had been in the room with Cummings.
Mrs l.. B. Harris and Miss Blanche Har-
| ris, Of No. cS10 Locust street, testified that
| Mrs. Cummings was cool and collected after
shooting her husband. and that before going
| to the Four Courts to give herself up ate
! supper.
/, Policeman Nally corroborated the testi-
mony Of Mrs. Duff Doctor Rule and other
! witnesses as to the position of the body.
! which is to be strong point in the argu-
! ment of the State.
Assistant Chief Of Detectives Kelly told
| Of the statement made by Mrs Cummings
to him two days after she killed Cummings.
In that statement. which the State admits,
/ Mrs Cummings said that her husband had
! dena nded money from her, and when she
refused threatened to have 1t or her life.
! She said she had secreted the revolver at
| the foot of the bed and when he reached
into his pocket she shot him.
Special Officer McQuillen of the Ninth
| District testified that he had seen Mrs.
| Cummings chase her husband from the