The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-09-27
THE MURDER TRIAL.
A Pen Picture of the Defendant and
Full Proceedings of the Trial.

There was but little of importance
developed in the evidence late Thurs
day afternoon, but the following
notes vii be of interest.
While the two revolvers used by
Rettinger were being exhibited and
identified and witnesses were demon
strating before the jury how Retting
er carried and used them, the scene
no doubt brought before his mind,
more wildly than anything else had
done, the moments of the tragic
scene of May IL. The prisoner was
silent and his eyes downcast, but he
betrayed no emotion.
The defense naturally obpjected TO
the guns being brandished before the
jury and as soon as the manner was
discovered in which they were used
they were returned to the lawyers
table under the guarded care Ut
Judge Hess.
DIR. Stevens did not make star
witness. He had not held a postmor-
tenn on the body of Mr.. Bates, the
cause of death being self-evident, and
was unable to say that deceased met
death by a bullet shot. He had not
probed the wound and could not
swear to what he did not know
The members of the jury were
granted their request to go to their
homes after court adjourned Thurs
day evening While this permission is
a departure from the rule in trials OF
this nature, it was a favor to the
members OF the jury, who are farm
ers and needed to be at home to
make arrangements for their work.
A face picture OF the prisoner was
an interesting study. He is not a,
all the Indifferent, stolid and uncon-
cerned character that, while in jail
he was represented to be. On the
contrary he devotes every moment
to The case in which he is the CHIEF
factor. He studiously regards all
that is said and done, but the lines
of his face give no reading of his
thoughts. There is no outward ex-
preston that tends to interpret the
thoughts of his miEd Through all
the damaging testimony of Thursday
he was the same self-controlled, sob
er but not serious, well-mannered,
perfect and easy-acting man. He has
no mannerisms, exhibits no curios-
ity, never looks around at the crowd
and rests his eyes upon no one exceps
his attorneys. His face is at all times
sober but pleasant He was the best
dressed and best-looking man in the
"bullpen." In both face and shape
OF head the. likeness to our Vern
Miller, is remarkably striking, excep
that his eyes and eyebrows are dark
er than are Miller's. His face from
the frontal bones down to the jaws
and extremity of the chin, is well
set out and deep, the jaws exception
ally prominent; the eyebrows heavy
and the bridge of the nose large Al.
betokening bravery. resolution and
courage in high degree.
If stern fate condemns him to the
scaffold, there will probably be at the
last moment no scene, no collapse
but he will walk ohis fate with a
soldiers tread. His face shows in
tie igence, inventive genius, con-
struction- He employs no methods
to attract sympathy Of the jury. His
wife and two small children sit il
the rear of the courtroom, and his
mother, little black-eyed and black
haired woman, nearby dressed in
black silk, sits with them, unobservec
and probably unknown to the jury
Once Thursday, the Oldest of tho
little children broke away from its
mother and ran to its father. The
prisoner took it up for moment and
adjusted its hat, but it soon climbe
down and returned to its mother.
When court convened Friday
morning the witnesses were asked
to describe boundaries and location.
and to fix the time and place @
events connected with the shooting
Ray Fribley, sonof the owner OF
meat market, testified to hearing the
shooting, and going out, saw Ret
f,roer run<,,on ,,d fc,d;ro =. ~ox,<s1
yer as he ran, who shouted to Fribley
to get out of his way or he would
shoot him.
Adam Lucas testified to seeing
VIM. Bates in Fribley's meat market
and moment later saw Bates lying
in the gutter dead.
Memo Sarber, of Bourbon, testifc,
that he knew Rettinger and Bates
was III Bourbon the 18th day of May
saw Rettinger running north will
two revolvers in his hands; saw Mr.
Plant going north in a buggy an,
when he overlook Rettinger Plant or
dered Rettinger to stop.
VIM Kessinger was in Bourbon
May IL last; saw Rettinger on tha
day running with revolver in boil
hards.
Jerry Brilliant, John E. johnson
and Marshall Burns were on the wit
ness stand Marshal Burns testi
mony was drawn out at some length
Deputy John Plant, who had par
in the capture of Rettinger, was o;
the stand in the afternoon as tn,
first witness.
c. c. Wink identified two revolver.
and box of cartridges that had beer
received from Deputy Sheriff Johr
Plant, but on cross-examinatior
could not swear that these were tn:
the same revolvers.
John Hibbets saw the shooting
cou Ra<<,,Da~ f,~a <ba 6~ex 49, ii