Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-10-17
Ms. Aleta Rush Will Be Wit
ness Of State in
Trial. -
THE STATE BUILDS CASE
Great Efforts Being Made to Show
Direction Of Shot and Position
Of Furniture in Tele-
graph Office.

Hampton, Ia, Oct. 14.-Mrs. Ale
Ia Rush, defendant against the
states charge Of the murder of her
husband, will 60 on the stand in
her own defense some time during
the trial. This fact was made pub
lie here yesterday after the defense
had attained number Of triumphs
in their substaniiatfon of the plea
that Mrs. Rush killed her husband
in eelf-defense. Thus far the state
has not been able to shake the tes-
timony of witnesses concerning the
first actions and words Of Mrs. Rush
following the murder, and each
time the actions of the little woman
in black are repeated to the jury
they appear to make a deeper i'm
preston upon the twelve men who
have the fate of the defendant in
their hands.
2En SOuTJ Will NC Ac1u Soooy opu
Judge Wright announced that he
would. rush the case to completion
ae soon as possible because of the
jury confinement. All of the mem
bers of the jury are active farmers
and the confinement of the case,
both night and day, is wearing up
on their nerves. It is probable that
the case will be completed soon af-
ter the middle Of the coming week.
Six witnesses were on the stand yes
terday.
The state is moving laboriously
and at times tediously in the intro
duction Of testimony. 1t is piecing
together evidence to show the posi-
ton of the furniture of the tele-
graph Office at the time the shot
was fired.
These parts of the evidence told
OF the position OF the movable fur
niaAings, fixtures and equipment OF
the station Office, as they were found
to be at the time the coroner's jury
got there about dark on Aug. 4.
BY the direction his chair was
turned, by the position Of the body,
by the place where the revolver was
found and by the width Of the room
and other lesser details of the inter
for, the states attorneys expect to
show that Rush was murdered by
his wife while sitting and that she
fired from near the opposite end of
the room.
In addition 10 this evidence OF
the location and position OF the fur
nishings, etc, the state sought
through DR.. John H. Stanton of
Charlton, who assisted in the post
norton, Sept. Il, that the down.
ward course of the bullet could only
have been possible with Rush sitting
and his wife holding the revolver at
a higher level than the point where
the bullet entered the station
agents body.
The evidence as to the interior of
the office came from Justice Of the
Peace E. L. Coldren of Hampton
who was acting coroner at the in
quest, and two of his jurymen, A.
J. ironing and W. r. Yelland, both
Of Shenield.
Their evidence, in all OF its sub
stantial details, regarding the posi-
tion of the Office chair. body, and re-
yolver, was practically alike. How
ever, some Of 1t, brought out prin-
cipally in cross-examination, modi-
fed the direct testimony, in some
detail sharply favored the defense's
contention that the murdered man
was rushing at his wife when he
was shot.
Dr.. Stanton gave 1t as his judg-
msnt, based on the post-mortem and
HIS professional experience, that the
revolver was on Il higher level when
fired than the wonnd In the body
How much higher, he could not say.
but he gave 1t as his opinion that
Rush could not have been In any
other position than sitting down
when shot.
His dissemination had just
been begun when court adjourned
until 1880, but the questions asked
him by Attorney Andrews in that
time brought out qualifications to
his answers on direct examination.
Coldren. the acting coroner, was
the first witness TO take the stand
for the state yesterday morning. He
said the station had been locked as
far as he knew. from the time short
~ after the murder until about 2
o'clock that evening, when the in
quest was held. Rush's body, he
said, lay face downward. with the