The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-04-07
BULLET HOLES WILL
Be Chief EVIDENCE
Defense Will Argue Shooting
Of Wife Was Not
Intentional
(By Associated Press,)

" S''ihotNh, Nao', Apill e. ne pre-
l'minary trial of June Vandervoort,
who is charged with the murder of
his young wife, Cora, while she was
holding in her aims their infant, has
been postponed until next Monday.
1t was originally planned imme-
d.ately after the coroners Jury re-
ported its verdict TO hold this trial
today. It has developed, how
ever, that the case is to be desperate
ly fought. County Attorney Herrick,
assisted by Sheriff G. u, Holiday,
are working diligently to disproye
the young husbands original eXpla-
nation that he shot his wife beliey-
ing that he was attacking a burglar
III the house
Vandervoorts father, who is a
wealthy farmer at Caldwell. is plan
ming to spare no expense in freeing
his son from the terrible accusation.
He has engaged w. W. Schwinn TO
defend the prisoner.
At the trial very much of the ev.
dence win depend upon the technic
al explanation of the bullet holes in
the walls of the little cottage, on
the farm at Perth, where the tragedy
occurred last Sunday night
The defense will argue that these
silent witnesses explain the youths
story that he was, so far as he knew.
firing the revolver at a midnight rob
Der. They will emphasize the terri
bic accident, as they will call it,
whereby young husband, believing
that he was defending his wife and
babe from harm, actually killed the
wife. who was walking the floor with
the tiny infant
They will argue that the last thing
il. the wo Id Vandervoort intended
was harm to his little family, ant
that he fired in protection of his
home.
Vandervoort's original story is bas-
cd upon the statement that the wo-
man was walking the floor when she
was struck bv the fatal bullets. In
working I'D the evidence. the prosecu-
tion Is not sure that the woman met
her death while walking the floor,
They examined carefully the wounds
in the body. an5 the bullet holes IN
the wall and claim that these mute
witnesses do not verify such a the
orv of the tragedy
They viii claim, on the other hand
that the wife was in bed when the
fatal bullets were fired at her, and
that the bullet holes in the wall NAV
have been fired merely 10 strength
en the story of the midnight robber
Had only one shot been fired, the
prosecution would find il easier to UNI
derstan9 the young mans explana-
tion. They cite that there have
been cases when some member of 2
household has been accidentally shot
down during a burglar scare. They
reason, however. that the holes in
the wall made by the bullets. if fired
before the fatal shot. would have
warned the wife to make some ont
cry warning the husband that the
figure he claims to have seen was
rot burglar They reason also that
il the holes IN the wall we're made
after the wife fell MORALLY wounded.
that they Woo unnecessarily fired
that If the first shots struck down
the supposed robber, these randem
shots in the wall would have been Sli-
perfluous Their theory that the
Young man murdered his wife, how
ever, takes into account that he may
have shot tie woman, and then fired
these shots 10 carry cut the impress
sien Of burglar scare.
The position of the bed in The III
tle fern house and the direction OF
tie bullets will play an important
part In the circumsiantial evidence.
7 he head oi The bod wag against the
south wall of the little room and The
three bullet holes are in the north
wall They are from three and one
half to five feet from the floor. From
The course OF these bullets both sides
will need to base their theories and
will show whether il was possible
ior the shoote- to lie in bed and fire
the bullets at the angles in which
tiev struck the wall
From the wounds on the victim
viii also be demonstrated whether
the Young woman was in bed when
she was shot. or whether she was
walking the floor
The innocent little infant. which
was splashed with its mothers life
blood, has been taken TO the home Of
flie victims parents.
When the case is opened on Mon
day Il promises to be stubb0rnly con-