The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-09
His Attorneys Will To-day Dissect
the Character of Witnesses for
Jury's Benefit.
DR.. ALEXANDER MAY TESTIFY
HE WILL EXPLAIN HIS RELATIONS
WITH RUFUS CANTRELL.
Fake story I'm Chicago Paper De-
nOunced by Judge and PrOsecu-
tor-Jury wearfed.


Court the defense of the accusations
against DIR. Joseph c. Alexander, director
of the anatomical laboratory of the Gen.
trail College of Physicians and Surgeons,
of completely in the robbing of graves and
the disposition of the stolen bodies, will
be opened. Henry Sraan, one of the at
torneys defending Alexander will open the
case for the defense with a statement of
what the defense will seek to prove in the
testimony to be submitted.
Mr.. SPANS statement will occupy at
least two hours in delivery, and after that
the evidence of the defense will be submit
ted to the jury. This evidence will con-
sst of testimony as to the good profess
sional and moral character of Alexander,
and his standing in the community. His
professional associates, men with whom
he has had business relations and his
personal acquaintance will be called to
the witness stand to tell the jury what they
know about the physician. After much of
this testimony has been submitted 1t is
more than likely that the characters of the
witnesses for the prosecution will be at
tackled. The self-confessed ghouls will need
little said in their disparagement to break
down the case of the State, the attorneys
for the defense think and this character
testimony will be general and will consist
principally of the statements made by the
witnesses themselves in court i'm which
they admitted that they had desecrated
graves, stolen bodies from them and finally
sold them to medical colleges for dissection
purposes.
ATTACK ON CANTRELL
Cantrell, the chief ghoul, admitted that
he had been arrested before on serious
charges and also that he had played his
alleged employer, DR.. Alexander. false in
several instances. He testified that he had
tried to defraud DR.. Alexander of money
by charging him more than the bill of the
liverymen for the wagons in which the
stolen bodies were transported from the
cemeteries to the medical colleges.
The attack on Cantrells sanity will be
renewed by the defense. The evidence of
the records of the War Department show
ing that Cantrell was discharged from the
army in 1898 for epilepsy followed by con-
fusional and suicidal insanity will be in
PRODUCED and the jury instructed in the
value of the testimony of insane man.
The point will then be brought out that
Cantrell has been confined with the other
ghouls at the county Jail for four months
and that i'm that time he may have in
structed school of witnesses. The SINH
larity in detail of the testimony of the
ghous will be cited as evidence of collu-
sion in testimony.
After this testimony it is expected that
DR.. Alexander will take the witness stand
in his own behalf. On the witness stand
he will tell of his relations with Cantrell
by explaining that the negro was employed
by him around the college and that his
trips to the Hotel DE Hoss for livery rigs
were under instructions of himself and that
the rigs were used for professional visits
to patients. He will also testify, in all
probability, that the rigs taken from
the stable at night by Cantrell may have
been for his own use and without his
(Alexander's) knowledge.
TO PROVE AN ALIBI
The defense. it is understood, will try to
prove an alibi of the assertions of the
ghoul witnesses that DIR. Alexander was
with them on grave robbing expedition TO
the Anderson cemetery. Although the
State did, not clearly define the date of the
alleged trip it is expected that the defense
will be able to prove Alexander's
whereabouts at all times questioned by the
testimony of the negroes. Alexander will
also testify that the money paid Cantrell
at various times and spent by him in taking
the negroes clothes out of pawn was in
payment of wages for services around the
college as custodian of the premises.
In Henry Spans opening statement it
is expected that the attorney will indulge
in an analysis of the witnesses for the
prosecution, particularly the ghouls. He
will arraign them bitterly and attack their
moral characters and sensibilities in his
statement, endeavoring in that manner to
show the july the quality of the evidence
against his client.
Yesterday the jury in the Alexander case
passed the time in card playing, reading
and lounging about the Criminal Court
room. The wives and families of the jurors
were permitted to call on them and every
thing possible was done to pass the time
for the worn out jurors. Bailiff Mendenhall
escorted them to their meals and after
each meal walked them around the city for
exercise. barber shaved the men during
the morning and bundles of laundry and
other toilet necessities permitted the Jurors
to don their Sunday best during the day.
All of the jurors are becoming tired of the
case and are hoping for the end.