The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-10-24
Testimony Relative to Powders to
Cure Drink Habit Is Entered
at This Mornings
sSession
WILL TRY TO PROVE SUICIDE
In Opening Remarks Attorney p. A.
O'Brien Says Defense Will Show
Stannard Ended Life Because
He Was Unhappy.

Ontonagon, Mich, oct. 24.-The de-
Tense opened its case for Mrs Laura
Stannard, charged with the murder OF
her husband this afternoon. Patrick
fense. presented the opening argument.
offering as the line of defense that
Charles Stannard committed suicide,
because OF brooding over his unhap-
py life. The opening statement of Mr..
O'Brien. was not long.
The prosecution announced at 1895
o'clock that IL rested its case and i'm
mediately Attorney O'Brlen asked per-
mission to argue motion to have
Judge Flanagan take the case from
the jury. While this motion was being
argued, the jury was excluded from
the court room, and when II was fin
ished. the court announced that II
would not be necessary for the prose-
cution 10 answer. as the motion was
overruled.
Before the prosecution closed its
case. four witnesses were recalled,
Elaine and Alvah Stannard, Dolly"
Hammes and DIR. N. h. Hanna.
Powders TO Cure Drink.
Both Elaine and Alvah Stannard tes-
titled that they had frequently heard
their father complain about the quail
ity of coffee made by dolly" Hammes,
claiming that on one occasion he said:
That's the damnest coffee / ever
tasted"
Both swore that from two to three
years ago, their mother had obtained
from Montgomery, Ward a Co. of Chi
cago. powders advertised 10 cure the
drink habit. Elaine testified that about
two weeks before her fathers death,
in a conversation between herself and
her mother. at which Dolly" Hammes
was present, she CIclaine) had said she
wished they had more powders and
had continued giving them to her fa-
ther
'Dolly"Hammes on being recalled
testified that she had never heard any
such conversation and had never heard
about the powders until the morning
OF Stannards death.
Asked Wife for Kiss.
Elaine testified that on the day her
father died:
Papa asked mamma to kiss him
and he said he had been pretty mean
to her. Mother kissed him and cried
but didn't say anything"
a large part Of this mornings ses-
sion was taken up with arguments as
to the admlssibility of dispositions of
witnesses at the inquest I'm evidence
at the trial. Judge Flanagan ruled
that such depositions could be produc
ed provided they could be proven.
Bert c. Hayes. court reporter. who
had taken the testimony of the wit
nesses at the inquest, Morris McCan-
ma, a stenographer, who has typewrit-
ten the testimony at IIoyes' dictation
from his own notes, rnd w. G. Van
Slyke OF the counsel for the prosecu
tion, who had read the testimony at
the inquest to Alvah Stannard before
Alvah had signed It, testified Identify
ing the testimony. after which 1t was
introduced In evidence.
strychnine in Coffee.
DIR. Hanna testified as to some ex-
periments he had made with strych-
nine In coffee. He stated that 1t was
so bitter, that while he believed n
man could swallow II. he did not be-
leve any sane man would, unless he
wanted to.
Both Elaine and Alva Stannard tes-
titled yesterday afternoon that their
father was abusive when he had been
drinking and on various occasions ex-
pressed wish he were dead, also that
Immediately after period Of intoXl-
cation he had taken tablets. The chill
dren testified their father and mother
lived happily. except when he was
drinking, when their mother would
take him to task for drinking and
squandering money
That the theory of suicide will be |
the line OF defense seemed to be clear
ly established by the cross-examina-
ton yesterday, so clearly that the pros
ecution asked time i'm which to pre-
pare to meet this line OF evidence. At |
torney Burritt was assured that he
would be given every opportunity.
Mrs. Stsnnard at Home.
The whereabouts of Mrs. Stannard
on the night previous to the day on
which Mr.. Stannard died was brought
out In the testimony Elaine Stannard
offered yesterday. Throughout the !
trial so far. there has been sus-
picipn that Mrs. Stannard was not at
home that night, a suspicion prompted
by the manner I'm which the question
when put directly TO Dolly" Hammes
by Attorney Burritt was received by
Mrs Stnnnard. and by the fact Mr.
Stannard did not find her when he re-