The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-20
DEFENSE MADE A
SHOWING MONDAY
Entangles State Witness in
Involuntary Manslaugh-
ter Trial.

Efforts to refute the testimony Of
important witnesses for the state, and
at the same time to advance the the
ory that the drinking of large
amount of alcoholic liquor was not the
cause for the death Of Ernest Weber,
the seventeen year old youth, for
whose death William Casey of Pitts
burg, Pa, is being tried in the Wayne
circuit court on a charge Of involun-
tary manslaughter, were made by the
defense Monday
Either by admissions from the wit
ness that he had exaggerated or by
demonstrating the utter fallacy of some
of the testimony, the defense was
practically able to destroy whatever
effect the evidence given by Ellie Rib
kee, the chum of young Weber, may
have had upon the jury. Ribkee, who
was with Weber on October 2, and
who drank the same liquor Weber did,
did not make a very valuable witness
for the state. though he was the only
one OF the witnesses. according to his
testimony, who was sufficiently sober
to know what happened.
| Contradicted Himself.
Ribkce Saturday told of drinking
from quart bottle enough I. w. Har-
per American bond whisky to lower
| ~ ;,,
at each drink. He said each of the par
ty drank this amount Of the liquor.
But on Monday he was asked by the
state to correct his testimony in this
regard, and did so. saying that at each
drink he thought the liquor in the bot
tie was reduced an inch. Although the
! jury could get no clear idea as to the
amount each person in the party
drank, as the bottle could not possibly
have contained the amount which Rib
! kee testified to. and as Ribkee was la
ter forced to admit, it learned that the
witness was made dizzy. though he
would no admit he was intoxicated,
and that both Lecel Hale and Weber
were made beastIy drunk.
The defense also got Ribkee to ad-
nit that Weber had been intoxicated
before, and was in the habit of drink
ing intoXicants. once being arrested
for getting beer from a saloon.
In reciting the events of the day
Ribkee said that when the boys met
Casey. Burns and Codrington on the
Boston pike south of the city. the men
asked for a ride and were accommo-
dated. He said that Hale. aged sixteen.
noticed the men had whisky and after
Casey got in and the others were pre-
pairing to enter, Hale asked for a drink
which he was given. He said that the
men refused to give them quart of
whisky in return for a favor which
they asked.
| A few days before his death, Weber
had complained about having a num-
ber of pimples upon his body. Young
Hale, according to Ribkee, told Weber
they were the "shingles" and took
Weber to his home where he gave him
some medicine, which. he declared.
would drive them away" Ribkee said
the last he saw Weber alive was when
he lifted him from the buggy at the
Zuttermeister stables near Tenth and
North G streets about $50 o'clock on
the afternoon Of October and placed
him on bed of buggy seats and then
covered him up with blankets. He said
he was then in stupor. as he had
been since early in the afternoon af-
ter drinking from the liquor given by
the three men.
The trial will require all of Tues
day. The defendant may testify in his
own behalf. So far the defense has
been able to make its points only in
cross examination of the state witness
es