The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1908-04-29

Durango, Colo.-The jury in whose
hands the fate of Joseph Vanderweide
and William Mason, charged with the
murder of Secret Service Agent 10
seph A. Walker of Denver last Novem-
her. near the Hesperus mine, will rest,
was secured Friday afternoon at 3
o'clock after fully $50 yeniremen had
been examined.
The opening statements of the attor-
neys were made before adjournment
of court and the hearing of evidence
set to begin Saturday.
The jury as chosen includes Virgil
Hammer, John JUDY, farmer: w. j.
Boyle, mine operator; Al Bernard, ex-
pressman; James Dennison, mine OPP
orator; Jacob Hargeshimer. butcher;
Martin Bushnell, barber; L. " Clarke,
ranchman; NJ. b. Conley, ranchman;
Marion Drury. blacksmith. and wagon
maker; A. e. Knapp and Thomas Far
ley, laborers.
or these Bernard, Dennison, Harge-
sinner and Bushnell are residents of
Durango The others are from differ
ent parts of the county
District Attorney Pulliam opened
the case for the prosecution. He be-
gan by saying that the prosecution
would attempt to show that Joseph A.
Walker, United States secret service
agent, was shot and killed by William
Mason and Joseph Vanderweide while
he was in the discharge of his duty,
and that the killing was cold-blooded
murder.
He said the prosecution will also
show that Walker, in company with j.
E. Chapson, geological expert, Thorn
as Harper, a practical coal man, and
]. Callaghan, a special employe of the
government, were making an examina-
ton of the underground workings be
meath the air shaft of the Porter Fuel
Company's mine near Hesperus. Nov.
8, 1907, to secure evidence to be used
by the government in the prosecution
of certain land fraud cases; that Walk
err remained at the top Of the air shat,
while his companions, by means of Il
rope ladder. went into the mine by the
air shaft; that Walker was killed while
these men were in the bottom
of the shaft and that the defendants
then cut the rope ladder and dropped
1t to the bottom of the air shaft.
The men in the shaft after investi'
eating the workings of the mine. re-
turned to the air shaft and found the
ladder at the bottom. Harper. having
worked in mines. was able to climb to
the top of the shaft and carried the
ladder with him. which was made Sc
cure and the other men climbed to the
top of the shaft, where they found
Walker. lying dead. Harper. before
letting the rope down. examined Walk
ers body and found none of his per
sonal effects missing. Callaghan then
started for town and Chapson and
Harper remained with the body.
He declared that Mason and Wander
weide ordered men to guard the mouth
of the tunnel, they believing that after
the men in the mine found that tn,
ladder had been cut they would b'
forced to leave the mine by that en-
trance.
Much stress, he said, will be laid OF
evidence that Mason borrowed re
vOlver from bartender In n saloon
the night before the tragedy, and tina
the two defendants were present IL
this saloon the night before the killini
and were drinking.
Mr.. Pulliam said that Walkers re
volver was lying about foot and ;
half away from Walkers body. tina
the trigger was resting on an emptl
shell which had not been recently emp
tied, and that the revolver was no
placed there by Walker.
Mr.. Pulliam described how the bod.
lay, the finding of blood clots sevei
feet away, which will prove that thu
body had been moved: that Walker
was struck with six buckshot fire,
sidewise from him, and that two o
them struck him in the neck, one strik
ing the jugular vein. and three of the
shot struck him in the side and back. s;