Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-29
INSANITY HIS PLEA
Louis VondermiIIer Will Back
II Also by Self Defense.
IS PLACED ON TRIAL TODAY
Prisoner Accused-of Numbering His
Brother-in.Law, John Reeves.
LARGE ARRAY OF WITNESSES
Mother and Sister Of Victim Ex-
pected to Testify for Defense.
Jury Almost Complete.
IS PLACED ON TRIAL TODAY
LARGE ARRAY OF WITNESSES

| Self-detense and temporary insanity will
be the plea of Louis Vondermiller. put
on trial for his life in the county court
of Alexandria county. Va. this morn
ing. on the charge of 'felonously, Will
fully and of his malice aforethought"
numbering John Reeves. his brother-in-
law, at Syphax station, Va, thu morn
ing OF June s. The trial may consume
a week.
Justifying the killing Of Reeves as the
act of 1.-THE worm which turned the
defense will attempt to prove the repu-
tation Of Reeves as "a bad man when in
liquor" and show that lover period OF
many years Reeves had terrorized his
own family and Vondermiller, had used
physical violence. had made vicious
threats and fourished weapons, all re-
sulting in the thorough cowing of Von-
dermiller" This was the statement OF
| his case made by counsel for the oe-
Tense
To satisfy any OF the jurors VINO may
| not consider the provocation sumclent 10
| Justify homicide. the defense Will alte1hpl
to show the responsibility OF the prs
| oner at the time the deed was comlhitteu'
/ 1t will attempt to establish that Vohoer
miller was not generally regarded as well
| balanced, and will also set IOrtH the ldht
of insanity in the family
| The prisoner sat in his corner below the
bench during the empanneling OF the
| Jury, watching intently., his eyes alert
| in shifting from judge to venlreman 10
| counsel and to prosecutor. as one or otner
of them, opening his mouth to speak, be-
| came the sole object Of his interest
Prisoner Paler But Stouter.
Paler than ten days ago. when he was
arraigned for a preliminary hearing, he
has stoutened on prison fare and idleness
He has, however. lost nothing OF his
hunger for plug tobacco
The morning was exhausted by the
court in gathering together jury At
IL o'clock court adjourned with fourteen
men in the box, to allow the sheriff to
summons a venire from which to select
two men to complete the panel. The de-
| Tense will then have the privilege OF re-
| jecting four men, the remaining twelve
constituting the jury which will decide
| the fate of Vondermiler.
| The fourteen men in the panel remain
| ing after a number had been excused
some because their homes were within
! three miles of the scene of the murder
and others for their prejudices or be-
cause objectionable to the prosecution or
defense-were E. j. Marcy. Walter Mar
/ y,
Robert Harrison. Thomas H. Harrison.
]. B. Merritt, George A. Leissler, w. s.
Hull. Paul ". Gibson, Henry NJ Chap
man, P. s. Anderson, George G. Gross
| man and Silas w. Decide.
Counsel for the defense are R c. l.
Mopcure, T. Morris Wampler and W. e.
Cloth. constituting the legal firm Of Mon
cure, Wampler & Cloth. whose offices are
the court this morning julius Whiting
/ IT,, a lawyer of Canton, Ohio, the per-
sonal attorney of the father of Wonder
miller. whose home is at Canton. MI
| Whiting is not associated In the defense,
but will watch the proceedings closely.
Surprised at Defense.
| Commemorative Attorney Crandall
| Mackey, who will conduct the case for
the state. was surprised by the purpose
| Of the defense to plead insanity. Counsel
| for the defense and the panel of the jury
were called into the private room Of the
court by Judge J. B. Thornton, before
| whom the case is being tried. Mr.. Mackey
expressed his surprise. and the lawyers
| for the defense assured him that he was
| rightly informed.
With the completion Of the jury some
| time this afternoon the trial will proceed.
| Seventy-five witnesses have been sum-
| moned by the defense and probably fifty
by the state. The defense expects to get
| before the jury the evidence of every one
/ Of it's witnesses.
| The defense's witnesses include a num-
Der of alienists, whose evidence will sup
port the plea of insanity at the time of
| the killing. Among them are DR.. Charles
NJ. Emmons Of Washington and DR.. o.
| E. Portman from Canton O., the boyhood
| home Of Vondermiler.
| That the grandmother Of the prisoner
| died insane. and that Brother of his
mother and a sister are also insane
will be evidence introduced by the de-
| Tense. The boyhood characteristics Of
| Vondermiller will also be put before
the jury.
Victims Mother to Defend Prisoner.
Mrs. Lydia c. Reeves, mother of the
dead man, and mother in law of the
prisoner. will be witness in his be-
| half, say counsel for the defense. She
is willing to tell of the dominating
| attitude of her son toward her daugh-
ter's husband.
Similar testimony. say the defending
Vondermiller. wife OF the prisoner and
by Mrs. Gertrude Redmond, another
sister of the victim Of the tragedy.
Mrs. Redmond lives in Washington at
the Fairfax apartments.
signed statement by Mrs. John
acts of her husband toward Wonder
miller, is in the possession of the de-
Tense. Mrs. Reeves is, however, expect
ed to be a willing witness for the state.
"Vondermiller will go scot Free" de-
clares Attorney Moncure. I'VE will prove
that he was bounded until he could no
longer stand the pressure, and that.
bound by family ties that would not let
him run away, he determined to do what
other men would have done long before