Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-01
UNDER CHARGE OF MURDER
Witnesses Tell of His Eccentricities
and Tendency to Suicide.
FEARED THE MAN HE KILLED
Story of the Events Which Preceded
the Tragedy Told by Mrs.
Vondermiller.

the man he killed at Syfax station June
| . than he was of the enemy he fought ir
the Philippine campaign. he told his wife
| Annie Vondermiler. Mrs. Vondermil
Ter testified the principal witness 70,
the defense today at the trial OF hel
| husband, Louis Vondermiller. on tn
| charge of murder in the; courthouse o
| Alexandria county.
Reeves dominated Vondermiller. sh
| testified, making her husband fetch anC
| carry. and arbitrarily showing power over
| him. the witness said, by making him 81,
down in chair at command; then cause
him to stand up and sit down again
| Vondermiller obeyed Ito keep peace,
| he told his wife
| Reeves quarreled with Vondermiller
the night before the tragedy, according
| TO the testimony. Vondermiller snapped
a pistol at Reeves. when Reeves at
tempted to choke Mrs vondermiller
that night, and Reeves chased Wonder
miller out of the house with threats to
Kill him: Reeves kept guard until late
in the night, to keep Vondermiller out OF
| the house. or to get at him IL he re-
| turned. He then tightlocked the house
to keep him out, repeating threats to kill
/
Ter testified was part of night of dis
| turbance.
| Vondermiller. after killing his brother
in-law. came back to the house to tell
his wife that Reeves made him do it.
/ Tendency to Suicide.
Mrs. Vondermiller also testified that her
! husband had suicidal tendencies, had fire.
| quent impulses to cut his throat with a
| razor when shaving and twice a revolver
| had been taken away from him when
| he was about to send a bullet into him
self.
| Joseph De Moulin of Canton, Ohio.
| father of the prisoner and Cornelius
Syphax were the only other witnesses
| or the morning. Syphax told of threats
| made by Reeves to kill Vondermiller
Mr. De Moulin described the mental
| history of his wifes family to estab-
| lish the faint Of insanity in the
prisoner He also told of the wander
| ings of his son as far as he had been
| able to keep track of him.
| VOndermiller. 1t developed, by his
| fathers testimony, had been a soldier
in the Philippines; he had wife who
has since divorced him in Canton, Ohio,
father had not seen him for twelve
years prior to the present trouble
which brought them together His SON,
he said, changed his name to Wonder
miller from De Moulin. supposing it
Belgian patrcnymic.
Insanity, of vondermiller's grand
mother. his uncle and the cratic
mentality Of two sisters Of the prisoner
We're established by Mr.. De Moulin's
testimony. His sons conduct after his
return from the Philippines suggested
| to his father that he was not Of a
sound mind.
Cornelius Syphax Recalled.
| Cornelius Syphax, called by the defense
| for cross-examination. stated under ques
| tioning by Vondemller's lawyers tina
| he had heard Reeves, referring to Wonder
| miller, say:
There ne is now; will kill him; If no
| now, some other time"
| Joseph De Moulin, father Of the prison
er. testified regarding the faint of insanity
in his wife's family. Mrs. De Moulin:
| mother and brother died in the insan
| asylum. Two of his daughters, the wit
ness testified. had displayed errati
| tendencies. and one of them for a tim,
had been actually out of her mind.
| Discussing the characteristics of the
prisoners mentality, Mr.. De Moulin said
| that his son. after his return from the
| Philippine Islands in 1899, had taken up
4 w IA
showed during his stay there erratic ten.
denotes verging on insanity.
i Under cross-examnatiOn, Mr.. De Mou-
! lin recited an outline Of his sons life. tell
| ing of his babyhood, school days, his
| business activities as a young man and
ffs wanderings in various parts of the
country. his return home, his marriage
to a woman there and other incidents of
/ the prisoners career. In later years,
said Mr.. De Moulin. he has found it diff
| cult to keep track of his son.
| In school days. Mr.. De Moulin said, his
son was neither especially apt nor dull.
| Mr.. De Moulin heard from his son after
he arrived in Honolulu. He wrote home
that he had been soldier In the Philip
pines.
/ He came here to Canton from Hawaii
remained about town or lived at home 8
i couple OF months and then disappeared
/ His father had not seen him until now
| since late in 1899 when he had disap-
peared. A letter told his father that his
| son was in Washington. Mr.. DeMoulir
| has heard from his heir at intervals since
The boy had cost him much money and
| trouble, and the father had thrown his
| boy on his own resources. He never
sought for his son when he was away
from home.
ITO tell the truth. had never though,
my son sound in mind. He was foolish
light-headed, but smart enough to take
care of himself"
Mr. DeMoulin told Commemorative At
torney Mackey that he was willing unde,
| the circumstances to throw his son ou
Il into the world.
The commemorative attorney estab.
Hshed, on croSS-examination, that the
insanity of Mrs. De WATSON, mother
of his wife. coming upon her when
seventy years of age. might have been
due to senile decay. The uncle. who
was over sixty years of age, was not
a case of such insanity.
Son Changes His Name.
His son had changed his name tc
Vondermiller. through mistaken recol-
his boyhood, that an ancestor had
borne the Germanized name of Vonde-
mill. in Belgium. his ancestral country
and that il had afterward been altered
by the family to gallicized form Of dc
Moulin. He learned of his sons change
of name after he returned to Cantor
from Texas
| Mrs Anna Douglas Vondermiller wifi,
of the defendant. testified that She wal
married eleven years ago in Washington
to Vondermiller, and that they have on,
rauchter. nine years old.
After living in Washington for over ter
; years the couple moved to Syfax. Va.
April OF this year.
Her husband has always been yer!
nervous and emotional, said Mrs. Won
dermiler, and since an accident tive
years ago he has been cratic. Man,
/. times, when shaving. her husband, sh,
said, was so tempted to pass the bad,
OF his razor over his throat that he hal
would take the razor away from him. Sh
told of curious phases of conduct, whel
his wide-staring eyes gave her alarr
and cause to fear for his reason.