Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-15
DETAILS OF. LILLE TRAGEDY
Examination Of Witnesses Brings Out Little
New Information.
LleHT ATTENDANCE At THE TRIAL
Estella Dawson 1estfhes that Mr..
Lille Locked Kitchen Door Night
Before Murder-TweIve-Year-
old Girl on the stand.

DAVID CITY. Neb., Feb. IA-(special
Telegram.)-The examination Of witnesses
In the Lille murder trial was continued
today. The circumstances attending the
tragedy we're narrated by various witnesses
VINO were sleeping in the house at the
time, or were on the scene early in the
morning. Little new information was
brought out. however. The attendance was
not heavy.
The direct examination Of Bert NJ. Hall
was concluded last night, a large number
OF persons listening to the testimony. The
cross-examination by Mr.. Miller was severe
and thorough. but elected nothing new and
did not weaken his evidence in the least.
The testimony of Mr.. Hall was substan-
TALLY the same as at the preliminary hear
Ing. The defence attempted to show by
this witness that the telephone in the
Lille home was not in working condition
that morning and that 1t was necessarily TO
go to Mr.. Halls livery barn to call DR..
Beede. The cross-examination of Mr. Hall
materially strengthened the states case.
Jury Vie VS. the House.
When court convened This afternoo, the
jury requested that they be permitted to
view the Lille residence and the room
where the crime was committed. The re-
quest was granted and the jury, in charge
OF Sheriff West and Bailiff Hichworth. in.
spected the premises.
Agnes Hall. wife of Bert NJ. Hall. was
the first witness. She said: Mae Lille.
Edna Lille. Estella Dawson and Julia
Ficke called us on the morning OF the
shooting. l opened the door and they came
IN. l dressed and said to the girls we
mad better go over there. They were
AFRAID to go, but finally we vent I went
upstairs and Into the room where Mr.. Lille
was. DR.. Stewart and Mrs. Lille we're in
the room. A light was burning at this
time. Dr. Stewart was sitting on the he'd
and Mrs. Lille was standing near him.
witness described the room and bed as
was testified to by other witnesses At the
preliminary hearing. II noticed Mr.. Lille
lying on the west side Of the bed, head 70
the south. His head was turned slightly
to the west. ! would say his face was one
third OF the way down from perpendicular.
when l first went into the room Mrs. Lii
lie was wringing her hands and CRYING ana
MRS Lille said to DR.. Stewart: oh, doc
tor is he dying, is he dying?' The doctor
did not answer. In a little while she said.
l wonder II my pocketbook is gone and
she stepped TO the dresser and opened the
ura"er and said: Yes, It is gone, and
there was $500 in It, She then told about
seeing a man. She said something woke
her and she saw a man standing bv the
ped pointing a revolver at her and she
rolled on the bed and the man shot and
pointed at the hole In the window. Either
DR.. Stewart or myself asked IL Mr.. Lille
had any money. She picked up his pants
and said there was not a cent there"
The cross-examination elected NOTHING
new, only made the evidence decidedly
stronger for the state.
That Open Kitchen Door.
Estella Dawson. who was boarding at the
Lille home at the time OF the murder
said; Julia Ficke and I slept IN the
bedroom upstairs on the night OF
October 20. I saw Mr.. Lille lock the
Kltcnen door just before we all went up
stairs to bed"
This is the door the defense maintains
was open on the morning OF the murder.
On the morning Of October "a heard
. noise, which partly woke me up, and
heard Mrs. Lille scream. She said: ooh.
girls, get up quick; someone has been
IN our room and shot at US From the
Of her voice / thought she was in the
hall. as we were getting up. l do not
know where Mrs. Lille was, but think
she was downstairs. After we four girls
got UP we went to the door and looked at
Mr.. Lille. Mrs, Lille was not there. We
went downstairs and Mrs. Lille was stand
ing at the telephone. 1 did not hear any
one say anything about help, but one of the
girls suggested that we 90 20 DR.. Stew
arts. We went to Bert Halls first. and
Edna went to DR.. Stewards. She then
came back to Halls and we all went in.
Mrs. Hall dressed and we all went back
to Mr.. Lilies. TIL door leading from the
hall into the bedroom occupied by Mae
and Edna was always kept open by a book
lying against 1t. On the morning of the
murder 1t was shut. 1t would swing shut
IL there was not Something against IL.
Do not remember II the door was shut the
before or not"
Julia Ficke said in part: II and Estella
Dawson slept in the northwest upstairs
bedroom. We ali went upstairs together