The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-02
AN EXCUSE FOR MURDER

Man Who Cut His Wife's Throat
Pleads Insanity to Save His
Neck From the
Moose.
Hunted Press Leased Wire Service.l
CHICAGO, March 2.--Wm. Cheney
Ellis, former Cincinnati leather man
ufacturer on trial for the murder OF
his wife, attacked his own ancestors
as mentally and physically unfit when
he was recalled to the stand today in
an effort to save himself from the
gallows on an insanity plea.
! MY grandfather was a religious
i fanatic. swore Ellis. My father
was stricken blind when he was a
Young man because of some constitu-
tional defect i myself, was subject
| to fainting spells and fits when was
a boy"
I Robert NJ. Hosea, of Cincinnati, and
his wife, aged parents of the murder
ed woman, sat within fifteen feet of
4 Ellis when hs mumbled these sent
ences. A deputy sheriff watched them
Ito prevent possible demonstration.
Hosea's lips quivered as Ellis left the
stand but lie remained silent.
/. John f. Henderson, Western Union
employe, swore today that he had no
4 knowledge that the Western Union
had transmitted three kilograms from
4 Chicago to Canadian city for Mrs.
4 Ellis. The defense is seeking to prove
\. that Mrs. Ellis wired to man IN
Canada, making an appointment for
Ia meeting III Chicago, to support
Ellis assertions that he learned she
WAS in love with another man. Judge
Petit, at the request of Attorney
I George Remus, for the defense, caus-
I, ed to be issued subpoena for Super
intendent Fitzpatrick Of the Chicago
'office of the telegraph company, COM
tmanding him to bring into court all
correspondence with New York of
4 ficials of the company, relative to the
alleged kilograms.
Dr.. E. Albert Aisenstadt, police
surgeon, who was summoned to the
hotel Sherman when the killing OF
Mrs. Ellis occurred, testified today
4 that Ellis was not normal in his opin
ion on the morning the murder was
discovered.
"He would talk awhile, stop and
then apparently lose the power to
think Aisenstadt said. His conver
sation was not related"
Attracted by the damaged goods
q feature of the Ellis case, crowd
packed the court room today and
ioverHowed into the corridor outside
] Judge Petit ordered fifty spectators
who pushed themselves into the room
while Ellis was on the stand, to file
out and halted proceedings until they
complied with the order.
!, This is no theatre said the court
And you can't make a eugenics en-
!, tertainment CUT of this case"
L DR.. Patrick Machler, an alienist and
) chief of staff physicians at the Iro-
3 uuois hispital, testified that he exam
j ined Ellis eight hours after the trag-
i edy. He found him suffering from
"acute epileptic dementia, he said,
/, and was apparently an insane
, person. During a brief recess q
first fight between Ellis attorney
: George Remus and Policeman Frank
Woolley appeared imminent wher
Remus charged Wcolley with attempt
, ing to talk to the witness. The
crowd surged around the bench aud
Judge Petit, summoned from his cham
: her. ordered the room Cleared
Wallace y. Ryder general manager
Of the western division OF the West
ern Union Telegraph company, EN-
bracing among other states. Ohio
was asked by Attorney Remus wheth
er he had any knowledge OF the tele
, grams alleged to have cen sent b!
} Mrs. Ellis from Cincinnati to Free
Cauldwell at Brantford, Canada, Sep
tcmber Is and October Is, 1913 Ry
0 der answered in the negative. Remu
q told the court ha had positive infor
J, nation that r. M. Miller, manager 0
K the Cincinnati Western Union offic,
!, had copies of such messages. Judg
! Petit instructed RYDER TO order Mil
er to cause the alleged copies to b
n prcdueedsin court here. Chas. p. Dol
!, Cincinnati attorney, and Richard NeI
:, per, secretary of Cincinnati sportin
9 goods house and former employe o
y Ellis testified regarding Ellis habits
N7pper said that when Ellis left hi
I office on trips. he often placed the rs
5 volver with which he shot his wife
Lin a travelling bag,