Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-27
play in proving the innocence Of th
accused.
Testimony is Tedious.

testimony Is TEDIOUS.
The taking Of testimony Is tedious
work, now that the main points Of the
states case are known, and one wit
ness only tells his version of what has
already been told by others. A touch
|of life was added to the humdrum
course on Saturday afternoon, how
ever, when Joshua Robieson, one of
the witnesses, engaged in a wordy tilt
with Attorney Sewers, who is defend
ing Whistler. Robieson is the man who
unbuttoned the coat and found the
wound, according to his evidence. He
is sure the coat was buttoned, but
when he was cross examined he told
the jury that he unbuttoned vest
also in barring Ogden's breast to locate
the bullet hole. When Attorney
Sewers pointed out the fact that Og-
den wore no vest on the night he was
shot Robieson became somewhat angry
and when his questioner recalled a
quarrel the witness had with Whistler
shortly before the Ogden affair he
shook his fist at Sewers and demanded
to be allowed to tell his story without
interference. All the lengthy cross
examining, however, cannot shake the
testimony to the effect that the coat
was buttoned, and can only establish
the witnesses forgetfulness about
minor features of the occurrence in
which they took part year ago.
Jurynen Like Prisoners.
It Is somewhat odd to see defend
ant in murder case perfectly free to
go and come as he will while the jury
men who are to decide his case are
kept within bounds as strict as those
that control convict's movements.
Since the trial began the m embers of
the jury have been compelled to re-
main together and have been allowed
to converse with absolutely no one,
even each other, about the case. They
cannot read the newspaper reports of
| the progress of the trial and are COM
PEELED to observe, in addition, all the
usual mandates of the court with re-
gard to jury service Whistler, mean
time, is accountable to no one except
his bondsmen, having furnished bond
for $4,000
Large Crowd In Attendance.
Every session of the court attracts
a large attendance to the court room.
During the morning sessions the attend
ance about half fills the room, but in
the afternoons there are enough spec
tators to take every seat. Many wo-
men are in attendance at the trial and
great interest is taken in all the de-
velopments by the people of Bloom
| field and also by the farmers residing
in the vicinity of the scene of the
shooting. There is little likelihood
that the case will end before the last
of the present week, if indeed it can
be entirely closed up by this time. 1t
will cause considerable delay in the
Davis county courts, as the present
term is scheduled to last only until
one week from next Saturday. The
. cost will run very high, most Of the
witnesses, of whom there are nearly
/ fifty, being brought several miles.
This morning Loren and Ross Og
den, brothers of the dead man, told OF
the finding of the body and corroborat
ed the evidence of the other states
witnesses who were present at the
Whistler home at the time. Logan
Shuck and Abe Paris told of finding
the button from Ogden's oyeralls or
the ground alta point which the state
contends was in line from the barn
to the place where Ogden's body was
found and also told of the discovery
of the belt strap from Ogdens trous
ers in the barn. The evidence is obvi
ously introduced to strengthen the
theory of the prosecution that Ogder
was killed in the barn and his body
carried to the place where it was
found.
!. Case Is Being Hurried.
The case is being hurried along nov
|, and the examination and cross ex
animation of the witnesses is being
conducted with all possible speed
Some of the attorneys interested mus
leave Bloomfield soon to attend cour
at FIT. Madison. and an effort is beinl
made to finish the Whistler case befor
the interruption occurs.