Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-29
DEFENSE
OPENS CASE
WITNESSES FOR w. A. RICHARDS
CALLED TO STAND AT IN.
DlANOLA.
sOTTuMWAN TESTIFY
vouch For Character of Defendant
During His Residence in ottumwa
Mrs. Richards Called to Stand
late Yesterday.

Indianola. Sept. 26. Especially -
Mayor T. H. Picker, Chief of Police
j. w. Gray and T. j. Miller of Ottum-
wa were among the first witnesses in
tfDduced by the defense in the case of
the state VS. w. A. Richards, whose
trial is now in progress here. These
Ottumwans were called by the attor-
neys for the defense late yesterday
afternoon to testify in regard to the
character of the defendant while he
was a resident of UItumwa The cross
examination of these witnesses failed
70 alter the testimony first given
though the state made a forcible con-
tention that these men did not know
the character of Richards since he had
resided in Creston.
State Closes Case.
At $500 yesterday afternoon the state
closed it's case in the Richards trial
and the testimony for the defense was
Immediately taken up.
Accepted Testimony Presented.
The last testimony offered by the
defense was that of the witness who
could not be present, but whose testi-
mony, when the motion for a contin--
nance was argued, the state had agreed
to accept as presented by the defen-.
sdant's counsel The first offered was
that of J. Wiley, OF Des Mofnes, who
stated that on the night of January @,
he. in company with a man named
Young. had been passengers on the
south bound Wabash train which pass.
ed through Hamilton aboutt1O o'clock.
Stated that at Hamilton two men got
on the train dressed as the Sullivan
robbers are described; that one of the
men wore a cap pulled down over his
eyes; that they went into the water
closet of the smoking car, and that
when they came out the man had on a
light hat. They were in the closet sew
eral minutes, stayed on the train until
IL reached Moberly, and seemed to be
trying to hide themselves by crouching
down in separate seats
The next written testimony was that
of VIM. Boze, for many years superin-
tendent of telephone lines in this part
,of Iowa. and now of Moberly, Mo. He
stated that he had been in Hamilton
shortly after the alleged robbery and
had heard Sarah Sullivan say that at
first she had thought one of the rob-
bers was Jim Broden, of Eddyville, her
cousin. But she had changed her mind
after talking of the affair with E. P.
Sullivan. She said the tall man had
two fingers gone from his right hand,
and it was by that she thought she had
identified Broden.
Mrs. Richards On the Stand.
i tI,D 10, IL
defense. introduced to date, was Mrs.
w. A. Richards, the last witness of
the day. She said:
i Il am the wife of the defendant and
live in Creston, where / have lived for
two years. / lived there on January
1, and the defendant was at home all
that day. Between 5 and 6 O'Clock
he laid down for nap and told me
to call him at Z, for he wanted to go
away on the 1880 train. He went to
sleep and called him at z exactly.
He ate lunch and took his coat and
grip and went away about ten OF
fifteen minutes after Z. He was at
home from o'clock until then and
no one called him over the phone,
although we had a phone in the
house."
BY this, the defense hoped to prove
that Richards could not have had the
conference with Baird between the
hours of 6 and Z, and that Baird had
Cross Exanination
The cross.examination seemed 70 ba
q victory for the stale. If devaloneS
no change until If came To tba tima
when witness awakened tbe dafendant
on that night. - >''''- :
seI,id Mr. Richards take non in tho
forenoon % asked Mr. HAYES
81 halieva ha did .
snid he take another non .fter din.
ner9,, n
az heIieye be did"
.Ana than be law Down ho+noan Z
md and said to waLe hi,o ~
n'cIock9o -'n az