The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-05-02
VSNOERWEIDE TAKES THE WIT
NESS STAND IN HIS OWN
BEHALF.
STORY OF SHOOTING
MOST DAMAGING EVIDENCE ON
oART OF PROSECUTION GIVEN
BY PHYSICIANS.

seph Nanderweide and William Mason,
charged with the murder of Secret
Service Agent Walker last November,
Tuesday morning and evidence for the
defense was introduced the principal
witness being Vanderweide, one of the
deieudants. who occupied nearly the
entire afternoon in giving a connected
stofy OF the killing.
Probably the most damaging evi-
demo by the state was given by the
PHI siytans who conducted the autopsy
am 'nstiiied that from the nature of
the wounds two shots were fired at
Waller.
The first witnesses Tuesday We're
DR.. John Haggart and A. l.. Davis,
who performed the autopsy on Walk
er's body. Their evidence was prac-
ticaill the same. being in substance
that TWO shots entered Walkers neck,
RAJ eing downward about an inch.
Three shot entered the back between
the left shoulder and the spinal col
umn, also ranging downward. The
anslrs Of the shot in the back We're
greatrr than those in the neck, thus
showing that two shots had been fired
and both physicians agreed upon this.
Dr Haggart was of opinion that
Walker could not have moved aftef
falling to the ground. Both doctors il
luslrated their evidence by the use of
the dummy which had already been
produced in court.
The defense opened by calling J. f.
Tiffauy. IA surveyor who made maps of
the scene of the shooting and explained
the same to the jury,
Nanderweide then took the stand
and said that he had been employed at
the Hesperus coal mine for the three
year preceding the tragedy and had
known Mason year previous to this
time
Nanderweide told about going over
the hills with Mason on the day of the
TRAGEDY They started early in the
morning and Vanderweide took his
shotgun, thinking that he might see
rabbits or coyotes. Mason had no gun
Vanderweide said he took some, pos
sibly ten shells, loaded with buckshot
and several loaded with smaller shot
He and Mason went to the top of the
gulch, where Mason stopped and be-
gan looking toward the rocks He
asked Mason what was the matter and
he replied: Some one is blasting, but
| can't tell where they are" Wander
weide continued:
We then started home, riding over
the broken country. Mason some forty
or fifty feet ahead of me. After going
some distance Mason called back,
There goes coyote | slipped two
shells into the gun and Travelled around
a little, but could not find the coyote.
Coming to the brink of the hill Mason
said he saw a man near the SHAFT.
Mason started down the steep hill,
getting off and walking. | also got off
| was still behind him fifteen or twenty
feet. Further down the hill Mason
said that he saw rope tied to shaft.
] saw it too. We also saw man sit
ting at the northeast corner OF the
shaft.
The hill was so steep here that Ma
son said il l would hold his horse he
would go and see what the man was
doing there. l held the horse and Ma
son went on across the gulch on run
and started up the dump. The man
got up and started around the left side
of the shaft He called to Mason to
stop, but Mason kept on going and
Walker fired, having the revolver in
his right hand. When Walker fired at
Mason 1 fired at Walker and then ]
in the act Of firing at Mason again.
When I fired the second time Walker
was standing sidewise to me. Walker
fill backward; his head resting over
the brink of the dump.
Mason then united the rope and
let it fall to the bottom of the shaft.
Mason did not go around Walker or
touch him. Returning to me he said:
'YOu have saved nv life
Then We went to the mouth OF the
tunnel and I put another shell in my
gun and watched a short time. Then |
gave my gun to Jim Struthers and he
and others stood guard. so if the gov
ernment men came out of the mine,
we expected to hold them up until the
officers came"
Vanderweide denied telling Sheriff
Clark that he was rabbit hunting. He
denied the story Of Gardunio. the con
vict, who said that he heard the de-
PENDANTS talking in Jail about shooting
Walker in the back and moving the
body. He denied having taken any
drinks the night previous to the trag-
edy. or the next morning before the
shooting. He said that he asked
Crawford and Dennison to go up to
the shaft and watch the body.
Vanderweide further testified that
he had never heard of the government
agents being there and that he did not
know that at the time Mason went to
Denver last fall the government was
making an investigation.
Vanderweide further testified that
he did not know Walker at the time
the shooting took place and that he
did not 60 near the body.
He said that when in the sheriff's
office, following the shooting, German,
one Of the government agents. was
given admittance to the office and
tried to get a statement from Mason;
that he saw German shake his fist In
Mason's face and heard him say that
the government would spend 81 900, 600