The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-07

Alexander at Cantrell's suggestion. Can
trell frequently got rigs for his private
use and often ordered phaetons and stan
hopes from different parts Of town. The
money paid was for all the rigs. j am
still owed SO for rigs Alexander hired
my rigs for professional purposes He and
Cantrell left the barn together several
times.
Deputy Prosecutor Benedict on re-exam-
ination secured the following statement:
Il judge DIR. Alexander went profession
al visits sometimes but as far as i know
l am not sure whether he did or not.
oral Miller, No. 916 Wright street book
keeper for w. X. Beard & Co, dealers IN
household supplies and jewelry. testified; 1
saw DR. Alexander once or twice; l called
a due bill. He has the bill now, presume,
as | gave il to him."
Have you got the bill now?" he was
asked.
mo, sir. j receipted il and gave it TO DR..
Alexander" replied Miller.
What was on the due bill?"
An objection was made 10 this question
and questions from the judge on same sub
Ject secured the information and he over
ruled objection.
1.-The bill was a halfway order signed by
DIR. Alexander for S.. the witness said: "A
kind of note. Nothing was on the bill to
show what ii was for. DR.. Alexander paid
il. We sold a diamond ring to Rufus Can't
rell on payments. He couldn't make the
first payment and we accepted DR.. AleXan-
der's due bill as guarantee
The witness was excused without cross
examination by the defense.
Arthur Mckee. clerk at the gun store OF
Gus Habich, No. los West Market street,
was the next witness. In the examinations
in-chief he testified: II know both DIR.
Alexander and Cantrell when / see them.
Cantrel came to the store last summer
several times. He came and rented two
guns the first time, one the second and an
other later. On his first visit he came
alone, but we demanded reference and he
went away and returned with gentle
man."
"Who was the gentleman
1--WE object to that question:" said Mr..
intend TO prove by that
IL sustain the objection" ruled the court.
THE negro returned with DIR. Alexander
card later, continued Mckee: 1T said
something about a. medical college in the
| lower left-hand corner. L have not seen
him since. He was a young man, not very
, tall, and had dark mustache. They said
| they were going camping and L was struck
| with the fact that he was dressed for an
| evening affair rather than for roughing ii.
1 cannot remember what color his hair
/ was"
Objections as to manner of questioning
| interrupted the witness. He continued after
| the ruling, which was adverse to the de-
| Tense: LAS near as can recollect he (Alex-
ander) stated that the man was all right
| and it would be all right to rent him the
| guns. 1t was the 30th OF August, and the
second gun was rented on Sept. O..
| There was cross-examination of the
| witness.
W. H. MCPHERSON CALLED.
Justice w. III. Nickerson was the next
| witness and said: 81 have been a justice of
the peace for some time in Center township.
| Marion county. / saw DR.. Alexander once
| at the Central College of Physicians and
| Surgeons, Pennsylvania and South streets.
| On Sept. IS, 1902, talked with him by tele-
phone and he came promptly at my call.
| told him I had a search warrant for the
| body of Stella Middleton"
The point of law as to the competency OF
| the testimony of witnesses tending to show
against DIR. Alexander a guilty knowledge
| was raised here again and the objection of
counsel for the defense was overruled by
Judge Bailey.
HE asked me to show the affidavit"
| continued Nickerson. II told him that the
| girls mother was with me to identify the
body should it be found. We went to the
| cellar and found, lying on a board support
| ed by two barrels, two bodies-a colored
| mans and a colored girls. In the south
| east corner of the room were six or seven
/ barrels. / expressed the hope that the body
/ was on the table, as L didn't want to go
in the barrels. The old lady was not GER
4 tain as to the identity of the girl at first.
| She said it looked like her daughter, but
| she needed the assistance of her two daugh-
| tiers in the identification. DR.. Alexander
| asked the old lady how long the girl had
| been dead, and she said two weeks. He
| said the body had been in the cellar for
/ four weeks. We sent young colored man
/
DIR. Alexander went to Irvington. The body
lay there until the daughters came. think
| Alexander was there when the daughters
came. The janitor was there also, and iden-
titled the body at once L can now say that
| Alexander was there because the old lady
| said: Turn the head over i did II and
| the old lady exclaimed: It's her; there's
no doubt about it now. I plated her hair
that way the day before she died I au-
| thorized the old lady to take possession of
the body. Edgar T. Young, deputy consta-
m wi d.
dleton."
1.-The only attempt at concealment was
the cloth covering it, wasn't it?" asked
Attorney Spaan in croSs-examinatlon.
l. Nothing but darkness, and we had no
diff Guilty in looking at the body. DIR. Alex
ander uncovered it," replied the witness
Nickerson further said that DR.. Alexan-
der escorted them to the cellar and un-
| locked the door. He said ii was necessary
to get lamp to see in the darkness.
FOREMAN AT HOTEL DE HOSS.
Frank Jones. a hostler, formerly employed
at the Hotel De Hoss, testified for the
State. at worked for Douglass Case last
summer. I was the foreman at the barn,
and worked in the day time. I know Can
trell and Alexander both. They came to
the stable often-sometimes together.
have been at the stable at night. They
came there after rigs-always a horse and
buggy. Other colored men came there with
Cantrell. Isom Donnell used to loaf around
| the barn.
did you ever see Rufus Cantrell come
| down there at night and get spring wagon
or surrey and go out?" asked Benedict.
Yes. sir; L saw this several times"
| How many times?" was the next ques-
ton.
MY best impression now is that II was
| a half dozen times-early in the evening,
all the way from to o'clock. / never
saw him come back" said the witness 81
! was foreman there" he said land when a
rig went out had to put the name of the
man and description Of the rig on Slip
Cross questions of the witness related to
the frequency of Alexander's calls for rigs
| for business purposes The witness said
| he knew nothing of what use the rigs were
put to when they left the barn.
John +. Barnett hostler, said he was
| night foreman of. the livery barn, said he
! had seen Cantrell. sometimes alone and
| sometimes In company with other negroes,
at night around the barn. He said he
would get a surrey spring wagon and
leave at 8 or 10 o'clock and return along
after midnight. Once he saw Cantrell put
shotgun case, which he carried, into the
wagon. Cross-examination failed to- shake
his positive testimony. He said under
questioning that he had known Cantrell
TO go out in rigs for pleasure, but knew
| nothing specific OF this.
William Patty, of Clermont. said he went
to the Central College of Physicians and
Surgeons about OCT. / with Turpin and
/ Manning.
An exhibit of shrouds and a white cloth
was identified by the witness as being
found in the cellar. He said he remembered
IL because hair had been fastened to ii