The Washington times., 1919-06-06

in the cemetery. to which kiser hao
gone to place flowers on the grave
of his first wife. Mrs. ReeVer was
similarly decorating a grave and they
fell into conversation and left the
place together. DR.. Benner said that
Riser had told him that as they talk
ed il had seemed as il heads were
popping up from behind every tomb
stone watching them and that before
Kiser reached home some one had in
formed Mrs. Kiser Of the incident by
telephone.
He related that on another occasion
when Mrs. Kiser came to him for
treatment. she had laid bare to him
the sorrow OF her life and had con-
hded that, acting on the advice OF
neighbor who had told her that If
she were to turn the horse loose il
would go straight to the trysting
place OF her husband and Mrs. Reever,
she had followed the animal to a
schoolhouse, where she found them
together.
On another occasion, DR.. Benner
said Mrs. Kiser placed in his care
three Liberty bonds, saying she fear
ed her husband would disinherit his
soldier son and turn over his prop
erty to Mrs. Reever. She said she
suspected him of eestowing large
sums for finepy upon Mrs. Reever.
Later on, according to the same wit
ness. Kiser consented to cease his at
tentions to the woman after he had
been told that his conduct was having
a deleterious effect upon his wife's
already serious condition.
Had Many Ailments.
DR.. Benner testified that he had
treated Mrs. Kiserd for hardening of
the arteries, gall stones, and cancer
OF the liver. He testified on cross
examination that she frequently suf-
fered lapses Of memory, and was sub
ject to crying spells. He also testified
that he had taken her to Frederick
upon one occasion for an operation,
but that DR.. Thomas Johnson, a sur
geon, who also corroborated this
statement, refused TO operate on ac-
count OF her condition.
He said that her peculiar mental
condition was noticed when she first
heard Of her husbands alleged atten-
lions to the Reever woman. He testi-
fed that her mental condition was so
bad at times that she could not count
eggs when she went to the markets in
Baltimore with her farm products.
He also testified as to the story of
the first shooting affair, when Mrs.
Kiser shot her husband with a pistol,
the bullet from which glanced OF
collar button. This was the time the
witness testified that she became de-
ranged because of an accusation made
her by her husband.
No Great Surprise.
There was no great surprise ex-
pressed when the counsel for the de-
Tense, Attorneys z. o. Weant and
Francis Neale Parke, announced that
they would offer a plea of insanity in
stead of the unwritten law. The
probable defense had been the gossip
of Westminster, as il was known that
the woman had been suffering with
chronic organic diseases that would
very little to offer. except the routine
testimony of the doctors who attended
the dying husband and the neighbors
who went in after the shooting. Three
Martin Valentine,
Billy Mort and John Snyder-testifed
that they found the man wounded on
the floor and that Mrs. Kiser had told
them of her husbands alleged inti-
macy with the Reever woman.
G. Hill, OF Mt. Hope Asylum, testi-
fled for the State that, in his opinion,
the woman's mental condition was
sound at the time Of the shooting.
DR.. Adolf Meyer, of Johns Hopkins
Hospital, testified that he had made
an exhaustive study of the woman's
case, and was Of the opinion that the
stories she had heard of her husbands
intimacy with the other woman
would have caused insanity. owing to
the various serious physical disorders
that she suffered. He was OF the
opinion that she is not at present in
sane, but that she could easily be-
made so by any undue excitement
DR.. Purdum. of Springfield Sanator-
ium, and DR.. John Oliver testified
in accord with DR.. Meyer.
No EyevVitneGses.
There was no eyewitness to the
shooting, although the neighbors ar
rived shortly after it happened. 9th
er witnesses testified that the wom-
an had brooded much over her hus-
bands attentions to Mrs. Reever and
had frequently told them OF seeing
her husband riding with her. One wit
ness testified that she tried to break
off the affair by going TO q local
lawyer.
Mrs. Reever is not a'wftness for
either side and her presence and the
frequent mention OF her name with
that of the dead man caused not a
few heads to turn in her direction
now and then. She is of the average
type OF country woman, rather we'll
preserved for her age. A yellow
silk shirtwaist enlivened her dress.
States Attorney Seabrook, who is
the case, stated today
that he has no more witnesses to
put on the stand. The case will be
argued today, and is expected TO go
to the jury before night.
Mrs. kiser's son, Estee, a soldier,
who has just returned from France,
was by her side constantly yesterday.