Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-12-28

Thursday, December 20, was a day
of steady fire of testimony on the part
of witnesses called by the Defense to
break down the States wall of evil
dence which has been in process of
building during the preceding days of
the Lehman trial. Especially was the
States story of Lehman's show of in
difference at the burial of his wife
bombarded.
Many witnesses were put on the
stand by the Defense, who testified
that Fred Lehman was not smoking
cigar during the services at Fulton
Union cemetery when the body of his
murdered wife was being placed in its
last earthly resting place. The State
procured another witness who will
testify that he was in the Miller &
Marsteller hardware store at Delta
on the day when Fred Lehman is said
by Guy Flickinger to have purchased
a revolver in that store, and that he
saw Fred Lehman in that store on
thai day. This witness is Sol Laver,
assessor of Pike township and well
known throughout the county.
The court room has been thronged
at every session and interest in this
trial seems to increase rather than
lag as it progresses; travelling men
will hurry through their work in Wau-
seon and then inquire their way to
the court house, where they may at
least get a glimpse of the interior of
the court room, and if very fortunate
see the faces Of those persons who
have suddenly become notorious
through the publicity given by the
daily press throughout the middle
West.
DR.. Louis c.. Cosgrove of Swant)n
was called to the stand by the De-
fense Thursday. He testified that he
ordered Lehman to stay off his feet,
and admitted on cross-examination
that there was no reason why he
should not have walked on his wounded
leg the next day. DR.. Cosgrove said
he had heard of Lehman using his
leg Monday noon.
Testimony taken in the absence of
the jury went to shsw that DR.. Cos
grove had advised -J..-st an X-Ray ex-
animation of the arm wound be made,
which Attorney Fowler had failed to
act upon.
Dr. Cosgrove stated that he had no
opinion as to the point of entrance of
the bullet in the arm wound, but he
would not say that the two wounds in
Lehman's arm were not caused by a
single shot fired from in front; he
probed the wound, both from the front
and from the back openings, and
struck the bone in both probings.
Daniel Lehman, father of the ac-
cused, who is apparently broken
hearted over the terrible accusation
resting against his son, was called to
the stand and in a simple, straight
forward conversational way, told his
story He described the home life of
his son and wife, Grace, testified that
he did not know of the finding of the
revolver under the milk-house until
Thursday, the day following that upon
which it was found, and that he had
been Sticking up around the yard or
Tuesday in preparation for the fu.
neral when he showed the old cans
and pieces of board under the milk.
house.
Mr.. Lehman described his actions
when he first went TO the house or
the morning of the tragedy; said that
he was scared, noticed that Grace's
room was Uttered up quite bit anC
that Fred had a bruise on his fore.
head, also on his chin, and dus'
around his mouth and eyes. He tolC
of visiting the barn on the morning
following the crime, in company will
Chester Mills and Abe Haynor; find
ing the doors open about 212 feet, |
piece of a fork handle just inside tn,
doors and shoe tracks about a quarte
of an inch deep in the ground jus
outside the barn doors. He identified
the States exhibits, consisting of tn
club, pocketbook, knife, and a cal
rope which he said he had taken of
from a calf when he sold the anima
to n buyer on Thursday preceding tn
tragedy. A number of witnesses wer
-called to testify to Fred Lehman
good character in the community an
the Defense also produced a numbe
of witnesses to discredit the testi
mony of States witnesses to the eff
feet that Lehman spent part of a
afternoon at Fenton's home when tn
husband was absent. Seven witnesse
testified that Lehman was at the OF
farm all the afternoon in questio
and that he took charge of sackin
grain that was being threshed at tina
time and place.
Joseph Miller, hardware merchar
of Delta, was called to testify to tn
number of 22-ealibre revolvers cal
ried in stock by his firm; he coul
not tell; neither did he have any rec
objection of seeing Fred Lehman
his store. When Lehman was aske