The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-24
MRS. MCDONALD SAYS
HUSBAND WAS At HOME
ON NIGHT OF MURDER
Wife of Accused Man Testifes i'll
Schafer Murder Trial at
Bedford.
STATEMENT OF PALMER
Attorney Declares There Was Rot
tenness in the Conducting of
Investigation.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

, Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
BEDFORD, Ind. May 2S.-"The state
rests was the announcement made by the
prosecutor about II o'clock this morning in
the Schafer murder case after half dozen
witnesses had been on the stand to testify
in behalf of the state.
Mr.. Palmer, for the defense, in his open
ing statement at 10 o'clock, said he would
be brief. that most of the evidence of the
state had been unnecessarily long and that
he would not recall any witnesses He said
they would prove that James Mcdonald is
not guilty of the murder of Sarah Schafer.
1--WE will account for every hour of Nc
Donald's time on the night of Jan. 21," he
declared. Palmer claimed the last statement
Mcdonald made to Reed i'm the Bloomington
Jail, and which was the last evidence in
troduced by the state, is absolutely the
truth, and the attorney said it would be
backed up by proof indisputable.
1--WE will prove that several perslns placed
their feet in these tracks of which: the state
has plaster cast said Mr.. Palrher. "even
one who wore a pair of rubber boots We
will show the alley is only twelve, feet wide
and that hundreds of people. men. women
and children, passed down that alley. 1t
rents that date, and big snow went off
with rush. Even Reed said the clay from
about the pole ran through the fepce cracks
There is no evidence here who aid make
that track We will prove that james Nc
Donald is of an excitable condition and of
the same temperament as Hickson Smith,
who walked back and forth the stand.
We will prove that any man charged with
such a crime would appear nervous when
bounded by detectives and rigidly cross
examined for days.
The man who killed Sarah Schafer has
not been apprehended. There is something
wrong, something rotten with the investi-
cation. From what Hickson Smith said
while he the stand 1t Leaked out
the only thing there was to do was to
get as much as possible out of the county
and city and let it go Gallagher
He testified that sl.425 was expended in
the examination" Mr.. Lowe at this point
objected to Mr.. Palmer arguing the case.
Mr.. Palmer closed his statement as follows:
we will ask you to and for the defendant's s
Harvey Freeman, the first witness for
the defense. said he had lived in Bedford
two years and knew James Mcdonald He
said he worked for Lawrence Cosner Jan.
II. He was at the Cosner scale office on
the morning of Jan. % about 7:3O. ne said
when Cosner came in after Mcdonald and
Fisher. Cosner asked If they had heard
of the murder and they said yes McDon-
aid and Fisher left first. saying they were
going home Mcdonald returned in about
three minutes, opened the door and said
some boys down on the crossing said in
was Sarah Schafer, Latin teacher, who
was killed.
Nose Koplan said he was eleven years
old. He said he went TO school and got out
earlier than usual the morning of rhe
murder. He first heard who il was about
S o'clock. He said he saw Mcdonald and
Fisher on his way home near Cosner's coal
murder And they replied Yes They
asked who IL and / told them 7
heard Mcdonald say he was going back and
tell Lawrence Cosner. School had been dis
missed for the day and IL was raining
On cross-examination koplan said he was
story at that time
Mrs. Mcdonald testified that she. her hus-
band and Jennie were at her mothers un-
til 4:30. She told of their trip home and OF
the purchase Of groceries They arrived
home about o'clock. Mrs. Clark accom-
panying them. Her husband went 10 pr
Smiths and returned about 5:45. After SUM-
per he went TO town and she went 10 her
mothers 10 nurse her sick son. who was
there. Mcdonald returned from town an
said she remained at her mothers all
night. She named seven persons who were
in the house. On cross-examnation Mrs
Mcdonald said her husband had no occasion
TO go to down town. that she did not notice
ANYTHING unusual in his actions the davI
before or after the murder and that he az
peared in good spirits She denied ha
said her husband went 10 Cosner's 4
money Sh" admitted that Il was "a
dark when her husband came home 20