The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-29

! buried face down, evidence showed.
| Soles of shoes worn by the man were
stiil attached to foot bones. witnesses
testified.
Mack Beach. of Maple Hill, was
| present during a portion of the dig
ging. He said he picked up the shell
! which was introduced in evidence in
/ an effort to identify the body.
| The alleged skeleton of Ringer was
| displayed on the press table. During
| the recess the bones alleged to be
those Of Woody were removed and the
supposed Ringer skeleton had taken
J its place. During the frequent inter
4 missions hundreds of persons viewed
| the human bones. Many persons-in-
Guiding women and girls-examined
| the skull and viewed closely the skele-
| ton which had been hurriedly placed
together to give resemblance of hui
man form.
Maurice Mcneil. who had testified
in the former cases against King, was
also called in the Ringer case. He
told of the digging at Maple Hill when
the alleged Ringer bones were found.
His most important testimony, tho,
concerned the statement which King
recently made to state counsel at the
county Jail. Mcneil told of portions
of the interview. He said King told
of the arrival at his place of a ped
der from Antelope county, Neb. He
said he had sold his team to s. c.
/
MCNEIL. the liveryman bought the
peddler's wagon, a number of personal
possessions and agreed to keep con-
tents of several suit cases for him.
In return for looking after his be-
| longings. King told MCNEIL, the ped
dler gave him his dog. Kings story
was to the effect that the peddler
was going south for the winter. Sub
sequent Investigations have shown,
witness said, that Clark never bought
the peddler's horses.
On cross examination there was a
| clash of counsel when a demand was
made for transcript of Kings state
ment by state attorneys Mcneil
| lodged questions to to the transcript
and finally said he was not sure just
where it was at the moment.
Can we have a copy?" asked -Sena-
tor Carroll, one of Kings lawyers.
Mcneil was trying to answe1.
You can't" snapped Otis Hungate,
| special counsellor the state. That's
our property, and we intend to keep it.
We just as well understand that mat
ter now as later"
Court OyerruIeC Demand.
Demand was made for the tran
! script. But the court wasn't deciding
issues so important without due con-
| sideration. and played safe by over
ruling the objection.
T. o. Ringer went to the stand for
the state near the close of the hear
ing. He said he had not seen his
brother since the week following
Christmas 1906. The man was then
starting on his annual trip into Kan
sas. He spent much time in Topeka
and adjoining territory, witness testi-
fled, and in the course of a week or
two after leaving home he rote rela-
tives from some little town in Kansas
That was the last heard of the man
until the two brothers read dispatches
announcing the finding of deeds be-
longing to William F. Ringer in Kings
possession. Then they fastened tc
Kansas and arrived the day OF the pre-
liminary.
Since his disappearance William F
Ringers brother come into his share
of an estate and money belonging tc
him and the money is now in a Ne
braska bank subject to order of the
court, witness said. Advertisements
urging information as to Ringers
whereabouts were published in nu-
merous Kansas and Missouri papers
the brother said Positive identified
ton was made of a number of things
found in Kings possession as having
belonged to the missing brother.
Neither brother could positively
identify the bones alleged to be those
of the missing brother. The missing
man was described as 43 years old al
the time he left home, weight 155 tc
100 pounds and five feet six inches
tall He was single
Trlnlxcts Interested Crowd.
!, The crowd stood on tip toe and
craned necks as a flour sack hall
filled with Ringers trinkets were
lifted to a table and placed before the
witness for Identification.
AS the state rested, the defense fol
| lowed the same tactics adopted in the
Woody case. Sheriff Baker was called
and asked to produce papers in hi!
possession. Objections by the state
were sustained.
Then County Attorney Martin wa!
called as a defense witness. He wa
, asked to produce papers. letters anC
evidence. Objections were sustained
Then the defense directed the issu
ance of a formal summons with q de
mand for these documents. No re
! suits. Martin was in the chair nearl.
! missions. He didn't answer a materia
; question.
. Just before the case was concluded
o. r. Ringer was called by the de
Tense. He had not been examined b,
the state. His testimony was simila
: to that Of his brother. He said h.
, couldn't state whether the skeleton
was that of his brother or whether h
had died in Wabaunsee county, il
; Kansas or some other place. TIL
court then held King in both cases 70
trial before a jury in the district cour
' without bail.
RAIN is NOW OVER