Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-01

ElAN VIII WAS NlaEsD
cried over little things. He slept little
and badly.
A question from the examiner for the
defense. Counsel Wample. as to the des-
perate disposition of Reeves was pro.
pounded with the purpose of showing
| that the weak mind of the defendant
was upset by the harsh treatment of his
discussion the jury retired. The court
ruled 1t proper line of questioning to
prove insanity. The jury returned to
the court and the examination proceeded.
| Her brother was a man OF ungovern-
able temper, quarrelsome and irritable
when drinking. declared Mrs. Wonder
| miller. Vondermiller would obey Reeves
as though he had parents right to die
tate to him.
Vondermiller would fetch and carry al
| command Of his brother-in-law.
| The witness testified that Vondermiller
would sit down. stand up and sit down
| again. Ito keep peace" he said, at the
dictation of his brother-in-law. He
would do other ridiculous things at the
| command of her brother.
trouble of five years ago was related
by Mrs. Vondermiller. All returning
| from party to the Vondermiller home,
Reeves, with a blow in the temple, knock
| ed Vondermiller unconscious.
| Reeves Threatens Vondermiller.
| About five years ago, witness stated,
Reeves. sober at the time. said to von-
| dermiller:
Call me a fool to my face"
Mrs. vondermiller replied:
He hasn't said anything"
Yes. he has," retorted Reeves, accord
ing to the witness. land I'm going to kill
| him."
Reeves threatened vondermiller's life
five years ago, said the witness, the night
| before the killing.
| Vondermiler confided to his wife. she
testified. his fear Of his brother-in law
He feared Reeves, he said, more than he
feared the Filipinos he had fought as a
| soldier
| Vondermiller had often said he would
commit suicide if he had nerve enough.
| Sunday morning before the tragedy
Reeves and Vondermiller were to go
| fishing. Vondermiller came home after
dark miserable and crying and express
| ing the wish that he could die. He told
his wife that he had looked all over for
Reeves. finding him on the bridge.
Reeves tried to throw him over the
bridge. Vondermiller told her.
Reeves. coming in later. fused with
Vondermiller about fish lines.
vondermiller. said the witness. asked
l.
asked him why he bothered his wife to
wait on him. Mrs. Vondermiller replied
that 1t was her business to wait on her
| husband
| and hauled her about the room. Wonder
miller got his pistol and snapped it at
| Reeves.
Reeves shouted. Don't do that, Wonder
miller. I'll kill you"
Mrs. Vondermiller held Reeves by the
| necktie to prevent him getting at her hus-
| band Reeves kicked at him.
Vondermiller fled, says his wife. Reeves
breaking away from her and chasing him
| as far as the door.
! Reeves told neighbors in Mrs Wonder
| miller's hearing: "Vondermiller pulled a
gun on me. I'm going to kill him.
| Later that night Reeves went out on
| the porch. stood by the porch light and
shouted out In the darkness, suspecting
that Vondermiller might be hiding within
hearing: Shoot at me. My heads a
good target by this light
| Reeves threatened to kill his wife and
| sister and Vondermiller in the course of
the night. Locking up the knives, how
ever. he finally went to bed.
Mrs. Vondermiller saw her husband in
the morning
can't get into our own house Reeves
| will kill me. l tried to get police pro-
| lection last night, and could not"
Mrs. Vondermiller told her husband of
ali t1at reeves naQ threatened. She con.
| sidered his actions irrational.
| Mrs. Vondermiller next saw her hus-
band Immediately after the killing He
told her Of shooting her brother and
said that Reeves made him do it.
| Reeves frequently came home late to
their home in Virginia after drinking,
the witness said, fused with his wife and
then would threaten to break into the
Vondermillers' room. and kill him.
/ L know Lou has a gun, but I'll make
aaf he caf Vf th0c
| casions.
/ Under cross-examination by Common
wealth's Attorney Mackey Mrs. Wonder
miller says she did not know that Won
dermiller was not the right name Of her
husband or that he had q wife and sew
eral children In Canton, Ohio. when she
married him in 1900.
Denies He Clicked Sister.
Mrs. John Reeves, widow Of Wonder
miller's victim, the last witness for the
state late yesterday afternoon. testi-
fed that her husband was fondling his
sister, Mrs. Vondermiller, when Won
dermiller snapped the pistol at him
Sunday night before the tragedy at
Syfax station. She denied that Reeves
was choking Mrs. Vondermiller. the
reason given by Vondermiller for try
ing to use the pistol on his brother in
law. Vondermiller was intoxicated,
said Mrs. Reeves.
DR.. Otto Portner of Canton. Ohio
physician Of the family OF Wonder
mtllers father. was one of the wit
nesses for the defense He testified
that while Vondermiller had shown
symptoms of insanity during the
thirty years he had known him, it
to confine him He had never known
him to be positively insane he ad-
mitted
Louis De Moulin was the original
name OF the prisoner. DR.. Portner
n stated. He changed his name twelve
years ago. said the witness, to save
) his family from disgrace on account
of his dishonest deeds.
Harry Whitehead and Mrs. Flor
ence Whitehead. his wife, early In the
afternoon testified for the state that
lVondermiller. Sunday night before
the shooting. talking to them. with
uiatOl in hand had invited them to