Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-03
Mrs. WHISPERS. Story.


Mrs. Whistler, the wife of the youth
full defendant, has not been allowed to
remain with him in the court room dur.
ing the trial, because of the ruling
made on the first day excluding all
witnesses except those testifying. Yes.
terday afternoon the young woman
was called from the. witness room and
placed up on the stand by the defend.
ants attorneys.
She said that on the day of the
shooting she had left the kitchen
where she was ironing to go out of
the house for water. There she saw
her husband cutting wood in the yard.
Frank Ogden was with him. Twenty
minutes later, she said, the two young
men entered the house and she saw
Ogden had been drinking. When she
lifted her baby from the rocking chair
where it had been lying, because she
feared Ogden would harm it, she says
Ogden exclaimed:
Take the d kid out of the way"
This and other similar actions, Mrs.
Whistler said. alarmed her, and when
her husband started to the barn she
had him take Ogden along. Meanwhile
she prepared supper for the three and
Ogden sat down at the table on his re.
turn from the barn with Claud. This
was shortly before 9 o'clock, the wit
ness said, and Ogden was intoxicated
to noticeable degree. At the supper
table, Mrs. Whistler declared, Ogden
raked the rice and eggs about on his
plate, splitting the victuals on the floor
and on the table cloth, turned over his
cup of tea and unused up" things
generally.
After supper, Mrs. Whistler contin'
ued, Ogden assailed the religious peo'
pie he knew, calling them hypocrites
ands using obscene and profane Ian
guage in Mrs. Whisler's presence
Whistler asked him not to talk in such
manner and suggested that they all re
tire for the night. At her husbands
request the witness said, she made {
pallet on the floor for use by Ogden as
a bed, but he refused to sleep there
Mrs. Whistler had retired in an adjoin
ing room meanwhile and Ogden, she
declares, entered the apartment an6
sprang into the bed where she and hel
child were. Claud seized Ogden ant
the two struggled through the bee
room door and to the rear porch. Og
den was forced out of the door, but
pushed his way into the house again
the witness declared, attacking Wits
Ter savagely. She heard a shot while
Claud was PROSTATE on the floor
knocked down by Ogden. Then She
heard Ogden say, "I'm going" ant
says he turned from the porch
and started around the house
This, the defense claims, was the
last time either Whistler or his wife
saw Ogden alive.
) Novel Point Of Law.
Judge Roberts ruled on a novel lega
phase of the caseSjust before adjourn
ment Friday and the ruling is a dis
tinct point for Whisler's side. The
states attorneys, in cross examining
Mrs. Whistler, attempted to make he
admit that her testimony at the cor
oner's inquest was different from tina
given by her yesterday. The defense
objected to all questions touching up
on the inquest, claiming as grounds
for objection that Mrs. Whistler wal
forced against her will to attend the
inquest and testify and citing the
Iowa statute that provides that wo
man can not be compelled to give ties
timony damaging to her husband ex
cept she be an aggrieved party in The
case. The objection was sustained b.
the court and the state was deprived
of a good opportunity to embarras'
the star witness for the defense.