The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-06-04
| MURDER CHARGE Is
LODGED AGAINST
JOSEPH STAIGER
GRAND JURY FORMALLY INDicrs.
INSURANCE MAN FOR KILLING
A. p. MILLER.
THIRTEEN WITNESSES ARE
SUMMONED By STATE
c. H. Armbrecht, Who Was in the
Office When the Shooting Took
Place, is Not Among Witnesses Call
ed-ProbabIy No Trial until Novem-
Der Term.

The Forrest county grand jury late
yesterday afternoon returned an indict-
ment against Joseph Staiger, charging
him with the murder of A. p. Miller,
and warrant was issued for his ar
rest. Murder is non-bailable offense
and he is held in the county Jail, await
ing trial, which will be held probably
at the November term of the court as
there remain only two weeks of the
present term and the docket is already
crowded.
Thirteen witnesses were mentioned
in the indictment. Miss Bessie Har-
bour, stenographer for Currie & Smith,
whose offices are across the street
from the office where Miller was shot,
was first on the list. She testifies that
she saw Staiger standing in the office
with a smoking revolver in his hand.
Immediately after she heard the shot.
Miss Ruby Moore, stenographee IN
the office of the Armbrecht Lumber
Co., was in the next office. separated
only by thin partition, and will be
an important witness for the state.
Hugh McInnis and W. F. Rainer. city
policemen, were the first officers to
reach the scene after the shooting, pr,
H. L. McKinnon is the physician who
attended Miller after he was shot,
! J. w. Rogers is lumberman In the
Carter building on the floor above the
one where the shooting occurred and is
said to have been the first man with
whom Staiger talked after the shoot
ing. Staiger told Rogers that he had
killed Miller because he was tired of
hearing him talk about his wife. NJ.
T. Rogers and P. ]. Toomer, lumber
men in the same building, will also be
witnesses for the state.
The widow, Mrs. A. P. Miller, and
Mrs. G. L. Miller, mother of the dead
man, will testify for the state.
DR.. Leo Martin, a physician in the
Ross building, and George Calhoun,
brother-in-law of Miller, are said to be
| important witnesses. B. M. Smith also
his been summoned.
The state did not include among the
witnesses examined the only eye wit
ness to the shooting, c. H. Armbrecht.
He was in the office at the time.
s. E. Travis has been retained as
leading counsel for the defense. This
is the first criminal case in which Mr..
Travis has been engaged in many
years. 1t is probable that several other
attorneys will be associated with Mr..
Travis, including one from Kansas
City, Staiger's former home.
The indictment was signed by R. s.
Hall, county attorney, and the warrant
by T. j. Nixon, circuit court clerk.
AS special assistants to District Al.
torney Hall and County Attorney Hin
Tally & Mayson have been employed
by the prosecution. When the case
comes to trial 1t will bring together
many of the leading lawyers Of Hatties-
burg.
Unless some of the other important
cases are sidetracked for this case
Staiger will have to remain in jail
during the entire summer and until
the November term opens, because the
docket for this term is badly crowded.
| Nine Other indictments.
| The grand Jury yesterday returned
nine other bills in addition to the one
against Staiger. Only six arrests have
been made up until the time The News
went to press.
| Deputy Sheriff Chas Pool arrested ].
A. Piner on an Indictment charging
grand larceny Of tool chest He was
released on $500 bond made for him
by N. T. & D. T. Currie.
Bob Ates, alias "Knockalong." waa
Continued on Page Five)