Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-03
Attorneys For Defendant In
Wcighman Case Attempt to
lmpcach States Witnesses
PINKERToN MAN ON STAND
Described the Manner in Which Thcy
Went About to Capture the Man
Who Had Written the Threatening
Lotter-The Testimony in Detail
State News in General.

Spencer, Feb 3-rhe defense In the
weiyl,inan murder case attempted to
impeach the testimony of the states
witnesses by placing, on the stand rom
Allen, a drayman and constable %
Graettinger. who arrested Wcighman
after the shooting and had MN III
charge until he was released on bonds.
Allen said that he took Conrad Weigh
man from the tail to Camron's office
a. 4 o'clock in the afternoon ara tha'
neither Jack Mollison Jack Wilson nor
Il. S. George had any conversation
with him.
This testimony was rather startling
inasmuch as Messrs. Wilson George
and Mollison are we'll known ana re-
stated on the stand that they had held
conversations with Weighman.
Hon. w. w. Cornwall, Ackley Hub
bard, reporter Of the supreme court
T. G.; Morgan, Il banker: ii. Z. Chaln-
berlain, attorney and e. r.. Strawh, u
teacher in penmanship. all tesllhea
that the letters found in Deeter's house
and the one received by Spies. were
written by one and the same hand.
An interesting portion of the trial
was heard yesterday upon the tesu-
mony of w. w. Farmer, Pinkerton
detective. who worked on the case al
ter the letter hao been received by
Spies.
He said he went to Deeter's house
in the morning CT April 2 with Mr.
Spies. DIR. Maze was there" he said,
and DR.. Burdick came while we were
there. We were in the room with MI.
Deter Spies went out and While ne
was gone l asked for some stationery.
DR.. Maze took pad from shelf ana
handed it to me. ] raised the flap of
the pad and saw that the paper was
the same as that on which the threat
ening letter was written to j. a. Spies
1 could see the Impression on the Top
sheet Of the words j. A. Spies, Dear
SIR DR.. Maze looked and said ne
could see it plainly and that he could
make out other words contained IN
the threatening letter.
1--WE also found letter addressed to
commission firm concerning some
straw, which had not been mailed. Dee
ter said that he wrote the letter and
that the pad WIS his. When Spies
came back to the room l told him l
had evidence ] asked Deeter who else
was implicated, and he said, ! wrote
another letter since then, but ana
then he stopped. The imprint OF lhe
words, j. A. Spies on the top sheet
was in the same place as on the let
ter received by Mr.. Spies"
Nothing new was developed by the
cross examination.
| Preston Fahnestock, a merchant Oh
Graettinger, was called to the stand
and said: my wife is Mr.. Spies Sis
| ter. / heard q conversation on Aprll
| between Mr.. Spies and Deputy Sher-
| if Williams over our telephone. Mr..
| Williams was at Osgood. / could only
hear what Mr.. Spies said. heard him
| ask If he was prepared to go out and
watch, and if he had coat and blankets,
| and heard him say L don't know who
I can trust here; also, Money is no
object. I want TO catch the criminal.
1 will send a man in the morning with
out fall"
j. b. Lambe, cashier of the Ameri-
can Savings bank of Graettinger, who
served as county treasurer two terms
and has held minor offices, testified to
the same effect.
Ernest Peyton, farmer, testified
that he knew Deeter. and had talk
with him soon after July 4, 1903. Dee
| ter said that he did not like Spies and
would fix hiN before he got thru with
| him. He said that he did not owe
Mr.. Spies any money
| Noah Roberts, aged Is, testified as
follows: II live at Graettinger, and
| knew Deeter. He lived in the east side
of the same house we did and do now.
/ and my brother met Deeter coming
home from town Wednesday night be-
| fore the shooting
| John Graettinger, manager of the
| elevator and lumber yard at Osgood,
said:
There is a private phone in the
elevator at Osgood connected with the
Fahnestock's store in Graettinger. /
| talked with Mrs. Fahnestock over this
phone March 81 about the letter re-
| ceived by Mr.. Spies / telephoned the
sheriff's office in Emmetsburg to send
for Pinkerton detective and have him
report at Fahnestock's store as a trav-
cling man. l know Deputy Sheriff
Williams, and talked with him over
the phone April 1. 1 told him to come
to Osgood and get there by o'clock.
l told him what was wanted and about
the letter received by Mr. Spies. He
said that it would be well to have
something put on the package to stain
the hands of the man if he got away.
He came to Osgood little before 4.
l heard him talk to Mr.. Spies over the
private lines. He said that he was
prepared and that the man would not
get away. He said: Perhaps you
can get someone cheaper. This is not
official business. and l expect you to
pay me for watching He told me after
he hung up the receiver that Spies
said that morey was no object; he
wanted to catch the criminal. He also
told Spies over the phone that he
would have to have $40 ana expenses
for each night.
Il took Williams to near the stack
err that night and went on to Graet-
finger. Williams said going up that he
would watch tle place and arrest any
one who came.
IT took Weighman out next morning.
Williams had asked Spies to send a
man when talking over the phone.
whistled twice when we got near the
stacker. 1t WAS the signal We had
agreed on, Williams and l. told Will
Jams that this was the man sent to
relieve him. He told Weighman to