The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-12-03
MRS. RuST|N..I IS
CLEVER WITNESS
WIDOW ON STAND IN TRIAL OF
c. e. DAVIS AT OMAHA.
TELLS or DOCTORS DEATH
he Told Her Man Shot HIm---Prose.
s0s eutlon Aided by Those Who
Want the Insurance 4
Collected. sr,,4

Omaha, Neb., Dec. 2.--The second
day of the trial of Charles E. Davis,
charged with the murder of DR.. Fred
erick Rustin, developed that the prose.
cution will be ably assisted by those
interested in the dead mans widow
collecting all of the $4,000 insurance
carried on the dead physicians life,
and that the defense will leave no
stone unturned to prevent much Of the
testimony given at the coroner's in
quest and the preliminary hearing go
ing before the Jury. u -.
1t took less than an hour to COM
plete the jury after court convened
Tuesday morning and a presentation
OF the case was finished by the attor-
neys on both sides at three O'Clock in
the afternoon. Two witnesses, both
women, one the widow of the dead
physician, were placed on the stand
in the afternoon. Mrs. r. f. Archer,
who lives directly across the street
from the Rustin home, and who heard
the shot and witnessed from her win.
dow the struggle of Mrs. Rustin to
get her husband from the porch into
the house, developed nothing. new, al;
thoughashe testified that her husband,
who also heard the shot. has since
been stficken with aBoplexy and will
be unable to testify at the trial "a. -
Mrs. Rustin a Good Witness. ~
Mrs Rustin made an interesting
witness Attired in widows garb,
with long flowing veil, which formed
a background for her pale face, she
showed alertness in replying to ques.
tons in a manner which would tend
to disprove the suicide theory, and
gave her evidence in an impressive
and convincing way. She was frank
in her explanations, and while telling
Of her husbands success as a physi-
cian and surgeon, smiled with salts
faction. 49,; .4,,,r -.,ll o.. s,..
.uDuring her examination she easily
avoided falling into traps set for her
by counsel for the defense and was
still under his searching examination
when court adjourned for the day. 1t
lRl Creditors Were Pressing Him. j,
n States Attorney English asked her
about the physicians financial ,af,
fairs at the time of his death and she
admitted that creditors were press
ing him. 80 %srrv. ,...
She said Dr. Rustin left her at
seven o'clock in the evening, "a block
from their hcme, where he kissed
their nine.year-old daughter goodby.
She then. recitsd the events of the
evening up to the time she retired.
Il heard a pistol shot," she said in
explanation of what awakened her.
She quickly looked out of her own
and other windows of the house and
then remembered that her husband
was not at home. She went down
stairs, where, as she opened the door
she saw the doctor reclining on a
steamer chair on the porch.
...... Said Man Shot Him.
my husband was huddled in a
steamer chair" she said. Il went up
to him and said: Fred, what has
happened TO you?'' He said; A man
shot me- .;.,..lsr5 ,-.-.,.3.. .-.
III placed my arms around him and
tried to assist him into The house"
said the witness. "Of course l could
not carry him. half carried him.
however, and as we reached the door
] could not longer sustain his weight
aud he fell across the door sill. Then
| screamed for Hannah, my servant
We got Tim into the hallway. He was
still conscious and told me. to call DR..
Lord. which did. also summoned
Dr. Langfeldt, who was a near neigh
Dor
Mrs. Rustin then recited the events
which followed, of how the physicians
came, examined the wound, decided on
an operation and took the injured man