The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-07
FAINTS IN COURT
White Woman SwOOns at Negro
Murder Trial.
Falls Into Attorneys Arms
Leaving Witness Stand.
NEGROES PACK COURT ROOM
Clarence Porter Charged With
Killing Leota Williams.
He Claims She Fell Out of
Closed Automobile.

Surrounded by a sea Of black faces
Mrs George Allendorf, white wo-
man. tainted today as she stepped
from the witness stand where she was
| testffying in the Leota Williams muir
/ der case in the court of Topeka Hugh
/ Fisher. assistant county attorney.
sprang from his seat and caught Mrs.
/ AIlendorf before she fell
! The unconscious woman was placed
/ in charge of Sheriff Hugh FARMER
/ She was carried into the hall where
f fresh air soon revived her. hrs AL
/ lendorf was taken to her nome at 61e
! North Topeka avenue by the sheriff.
7 Only few hours before Mrs. AL
I iendorfs father, Jacob Hasner. rs. had
! manned at the bedside until 1 o'clock
/ when her father died. She did not
sleep the remainder of the night. Fl
| The court room was filled with me-
t eroes attending a preliminary hearing
I of Clarence Porter and his wife,
lLeota- Williams three weeks ago last.
! Tuesday. Negroes jammed the door,
ways, filled the jury box and sat on
, The platform opposite the judges
bench; Mrs. Allendorf and her daugh-i
ter. Veronica, both witnesses. were
the only white women present IS
Heard Sounds in House.
The Allendorf home is located next
door to the home of Clarence Porter,
where Porter claimed he took the
Williams girl after she had fallen
from the enclosed florist car at Tenth
and Locust streets. Mrs. ATendorf
testified that on the night of the trag-
edy she heard sounds in the Porter
home as tho someone were pounding
on door in an endeavor to escapes
A few minutes later she heard some-
one running south on the street. she
| testified. Her story was substanliated
by the testimony of her daughter
Veronica.
John J. Schenek handled the case
for Porter. Excepting the testimony
offered by Mrs Allendorf and her
daughter. there was nothing new in
troduced at the hearing up until q
late hour this afternoon. The same
witnesses who testified at the coro@.
ner's inquest were called to the stand
today.
schenck played on any jealousy
that might exist between the police
department and sherif's office in the
1 cross examination of city detectives.
| Joe Holman, a deputy sheriff, has
/ been working on the case recentIx
and has dug up considerable evi-
dence, claimed to further entangie
Porter and his wife in the murder
charge A Hat iron srneareda WITH
i blood found in the Porter home, was
one bit of evidence discovered by
Holman. ee 2
Cross Examine Detectives.
| Cross examination by Schenck Of
| detectives brought out that they had
examined the flatirons and found no
! blood on them. Schenck complained
( that city detectives in investigating the
! tragedy did not take Porter out to
Tenth and Locust streets to point out
where the girl fell from the car. The.
'detectiyes testified that they had ex-
| amined the corner and found no
/ blood. altho Detective Frost did admit
/ ne saw blood on the back of the seat
| of the car.
/ The difficulty that I70-pound girl
would have IN plung5ug thru the mar
row opening of the florist car as de-
/ scribed by Porter, the fact that Por-
ter had been a rejected sutton, testi-
mony of two colored boys that they
stood at the corner of Tenth and Lo-
Gust from 1880 o'clock until 9 o'clock.
and saw no accident such as described
/ by Porter called for the findings of
the coroner's jury and holding Porter
and his wife. The preliminary hear
/ ing may continue until tomorrow
! Dozens of witnesses have been
I subDOenaed