The Washington times., 1910-10-01

] Coroner and the Assistant District At
/ toTney show that they were deeply in
| teresjed in the suicide theory
/ Sts:1meitz was called 10 identify the
/ gsln mat IS supposed to have been Har-
! TiS'- de positively refused TO do so.
/ ard declared TO The Jury that in his
mind It was not the gun
! SIeinmeitz declared that he believed
/ il was not the gun. because he felt
| confident that the gun that Norval Har-
ris owned had mark on the handle
] To the jury he said that Harris had
! on one occasion but a few months ago
/ pointed 70 spot on the gun and said:
| This VIII tell whose gun this is
/ Coroner hewitt interrupted the wit
| ness right here, and, apparently for
! getting that he was still on the stand.
/ called Detective Weldon, and had him
| while Steinmetz waited on the stand
/ Weldon stood in front OF the COrO-
ner's bench, and; in answer to the
| Steinmetz had refused TO identify the
gun. that he did not know what the
mark was. and that he said that Har-
ris had said to him, This VIII tell"
and that and nothing more
! Steinmetz despite the insistent
queries OF the Coroner. declared that
| his and not Weedon's version was the
The idea Of the detectives. the Cor
! oner and kthe Assistant District AttOr-
ney evidently was to attach some mys-
ferrous import to Harris alleged state
ment This viii tell
Combating the Testimony.
To combat this. Attorney Lambert
Immediately called Street Inspector
Shaw, who had accompanied Stein
meitZ TO headqua rters, and he declared
70 the jury that Steinmaitz had repeat
ed Harris statement as This will tell
whose gun this is" and I'm this way
aeain-t that Of Weldon
steinme II then declared that he could
not identity the gun, but he was posi-
tive Is was not the gun, as he felt sure
tat there was mark on the handle
A. Harris had attempted TO show him,
/ and had wanted him to look at the
alleged mark
Throughout this entire inquest runs
the unavoidable impression that one IS
attending a hearing Of the police trial
board, with Officer Spencer. Roberts on
I trial for neglect of duty and mendaci-y.
I Sergeant Lake was called as a witness.
and policeman +. b Breeder was a 20
brought forward TO locate on the night
OF August q the policeman who dared
70 come forward and make public The
fact that the body OF Harris was not
on ! street. between Eighth and Ninth
streets. at II 80. or even $3.50. on the
night OF the death
Sergeant Lake proved a good witness
for the officer who now has few open
admirers at the Fourth precinct sta
ton he remembered that Roberts was
on the beat in question rtat night. and
reported that he had met him about
also said that he was near the scene (
Of the crime around the hour OF MO
night. and that he did not hear PTS
toll shot
Officer Loses His Nerve.
With Oficer Breeder, however, II was
different. This policeman in the first
place did not care TO be called, and
and saw his captain and lieutenant sit
ting in the audience in front OF him.
he completely lost his nerve
With the first question the young
officer grew red in the face and It was
hard, painfully hard, for him to swallow
IS he attempted TO answer the questions
Breeder was called TO assist the COrO-
Ter and the Assistant District Attorney
IN discovering that Roberts was really
on that beat that night. and that he did
not neglect his duty BY refusing TO re-
knew something relating TO the crime
Just what any failure on the part OF
Roberts TO tell Lieutenant Fathers
that the body was not there at 1850
or 1880 O'Clock that night has 20 90
with determining how Harris came TO
hls death has not Yet been brought
out at the Inquest, and Breeder did
not clear matters Up
In all ne was a most unsatisfactory
witness He refused. to remember
hearing any Official reports, and
when asked as 10 unofficial reports he
suddenly suffered a complete loss OF
TaH5.Ory, which appeared TO increase
ton Of Lieutenant Fathers
Breeder. between gulps. did admit
under cross-eXamlnatiO that ne Cld
hear some general ak and that ROD
erts might have Joined in the CONVEX .
SaTion, and he thought that ne might E
have told this to Captain Williams
when the commander of the station 3
attempted to discover II Roberts had {
told any one anything, but, all IN all .
Breeder, with the superiors watch 1
ing him, did not care to take any
chances, and told little or nothing Of
value
Admits Body Not There
Private Cole, another policeman Of
the Fourth precinct. also showed the T.
feeling Of the station toward the police 4
man who talked cut and spoiled the I.
appearance Of the police theory Of sui 4
Cole admitted that he walked over I
the spot where the body was found +.
about 11-45 O'Clock On the night OF Au-
gust p. and that the body was not .
there at that time.
Cole then went on to say that the !
neighborhood was not a dangerous one. (
and that he had never considered II .
such. Under cross-examination he ad- 4
alitted, however. that there had been q 1
hOld-up one year ago one block from 4
the spot in question, and that the rob
Der was sent to prison for ten years
Cole was asked II he did not know F.
that Roberts had made a number of I
= RESTS in this district and then again
police against the fellOw-member Of the I
department who talked out and spoiled
police plans
Hes made a number Of arrests
wherever he has been" answered Cole.
And the policemen in the courtroom
gTinned-
How about the convictions?'' asked
Attorney Lambert
Cole was forced TO admit that the ar
rests Of the officer were generally fol-
lowed by convictions, and then the
policemen IN the courtroom stopped
grfnning-
The connection between the gun sold
on July g, 1910, by William Wagner, 4
gun dealer, and the revolver now in
the hands Of the police looked broken +
yesterday, when Wagner was called
and declared that the gun he sold was
not the gun in the hands of the police
The gun he sold had the same number,
but Wagner felt pretty confident thar
the name Of the maEeT was on the gun
he sold, and the revolver in the hands
of the police Is gun without a name.
Several other witnesses were called to
tell as to the disposition Of Harris J
". Ladd. a street inspector. told the
police that there was nothing queer or
suspicious about Harris actions on the
afternoon of Saturday, August -.
u