The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-11

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its reburial j did nothing 10 conccai tnst
body and made no attempt 10 preNent fS
IDENTIFICATION. The alteration 81 the no -
er OF the dead girl and myself over m
body grew out OF my statement that the
body had been In the college FOR three
weeks which was true
EXPERIENCE WITH REPORTER.
Dr. Alexander related his experience with
NJ f. Donnelly, a Journal reporter. and
said that he declined 20 talk with him
for publication when asked about the Neid-
Iinger body There was no body prepared
for dissection in that college which had a
broken limb" said Dr. Alexander. II never
saw the shroud introduced In evidence be-
fore it was shown 20 the jury. The last
body brought TO the college was that OF
Estelle Middleton"
Alexander denied that he had gone TO the
/ gunstore of Gus Habich and vouched for
! Rufus CantreIl when he rented shotguns;
/ He denied a conversation with CantrSh
/ about the change OF arms of the ghouis
/ and that he advised Cantrell not to shoot
/ unless he was in danger of being arrested
He said he was not in evening dress on
! the night of Aug. 81. He repeated his de-
NAL of the visit to the gunstore when
| asked direct question. DIR. Alexander
said he had worn dress suit on the night
/ of June q and also at the time OF the dedl-
| cation Of the hospital for insane sick
| DIR. Alexander said he has had no use
for livery rigs recently because his motto.
| often called on for medical advice or treat
ment The witness admitted that he had
| paid William Jones (another ghouD 81 on
| an order of Rufus Cantrell, TO whom ne
owed money for services. Alexander sald
that after the newspapers began 10 make
| public the developments I'm the invesciga-
| ton Cantren came up to see him. The negro
asked help and said he was In trouble. the
i witness said. FINALLY i ordered him OUT
| of the office and haven't talked TO him since
| then" said Alexander. DIR. Alexander told
| where he kept his professional cards In or
der 10 substantiate the defense tnat hufus
| Cantrell may have stolen some or them
| and used the one given TO the clerk in Gus
| Habichs store.
DIR. Alexander said that there was no
| nroft for him In the sale of the bodies to
Cross-examination of ten minutes before
the adjournment of court Tor the noon re-
! cess was intended TO shake the testimony
| of the witness as TO the places OF entrance
to the cellar of the college, but amounted
| TO little
sumed at 2 o'clock with the defendant
| nhysician still in the witness chair. A ques-
tIon addressed him by his attorney, Henry
Snaan, asked him specifically If he had
known of the illegitimate taking or hu-
man corpse from its grave without the con-
sent of the husband or nearest OF Eln. Inc
witness replied emphatically In the Mega
The witness was turned over to the State
for cross-examnation after the question
and Mr.. Brown asked DIR. Alexander how
many bodies were in the college at the time
of the Identification OF the body OF Estelle
Middleton DIR. Alexander said so far as he
knew Cantrel had supplied all or the bodies
brought to the college. He said In reply
to questions that he had never secured any
| hodies from his examination OF the death
returns in the Office of the Board of Health
in search of bodies of paupers, suicides and
the like. Mr.. Brown cross-examined the
Witness over his firsx interview with Can't
rell and secured from him the information
that he talked with DIR. Butz about Can't
rell securing material for him.
|
rell at any time where he got the bodies he
brought YOU" asked Mr. Brown.
mo, sir" replied the doctor
Mr.. Brown then asked the same question
as to each Of the bodies supposed TO have
been taken to the Central College of Physi-
clans and Surgeons. The argument over
objections to these questions caused an al
tercation between William i. Brown and
Henry Span which showed the antagonism
of the opposing lawyers. The dispute was
finally stopped by Judge Bailey, who adj
monished the attorneys, as he said. fol the
last time. Mr.. Brown secured from Alex
ander the confession that he had made little
or no effort to find out from whence the
bodies had come. Alexander said he had
| furnished names TO Cantrell OF bodies
available for dissection regardless of the
fact that he had visited the Health Board
three or four times week for two months.
| DIR. Alexander said Ii was true that he had
gone to the police station one night when
| Cantrell was arrested. He denied that the
negro had told him that night that he had
been out to the German Catholic Gene
terry to get the body of Catherine Doehring.
He also denied that he advised Cantrell To
| be careful. as the police might learn some
thing of his actions If he was not more
OBJECTIONS MADE.
William T. Brown argued in support OF
) his Interrogation, which was objected TO by
the defense the answer to which
pected to secure from Alexander the con-
, fession that he did not i'm the performance
of his duties know what the legal necessi-
ties in securing dead bodies were. He said
he wanted to show that Alexander never
got body legally and that he did not know
: how to get a body legally. Henry Spaan
, answered the argument by saying he en-
ployed a man who did know how to get a
body legally.
what, a crazy man?" interrupted Mr..
r Brown.
4 | man before you're dead that you'll wish
you were never born" retorted Span.
I Judge Bailey sustained objections OF the
defense, and his ruling provoked another
| argument and spat among the lawyers, to
: the discontinue of the judge and the
amusement of the auditors. Alexander was
3 asked if he thought Cantrell insane when
he made the contract with him. Alexander
replied that brain diseases were not his spe-
cialty. When IL was asked again he re-
You never discovered anything in his
; actions to make you question his sanity,
, ~ don't recall anything" said the wit
| ness.
L Alexander admitted that Cantrell and
[ Walter Daniels, another negro, called on
7 | him at his Office after the Dr. Maxwell in
terview was printed In the newspapers,
) but denied that he had ordered them from
= his office for fear newspaper reporters
{ might happen in.
= doctor how long was IL until you only
had one body left in the college after the
: first discovery" asked Brown.
I II don't know" answered the witness.
Questions to the number of bodies in
I the cellar of the college at the time DIR.
a | Alexander was talked TO about the discov-
I | cry of the Neidlinger body by NJ. +. Dom
Z nelly. reporter on the Journal. brought
out little information, because OF frequent
I objection of the defense.
: DR.. Alexander was excused from the Wit
ness stand after examination FOR three
a hours and fifteen minutes.
Mrs. Alexander took the witness stand
a in defense of her husband and testified that
S her husband wore negligee shirts last sum
a mer and never white shirts. She said that
l. to her recollection her husband had never
worn evening dress but twice during August
) and September.
The defense rested it's case at $40 D. m.
| and the State offered some testimony In
3 rebuttal
Former Deputy Sheriff ]. G. Conner said
that he had talked with and seen Rufus
: CantreII but did not believe that he was
t insane ! J. Schleicher, foreman of the
n grand Jury which indicted CantreIl. Alex
ander and the others, said ne had listened
10 CantrelTs testimony before the grand
! Jury and had no reason to believe that ne