Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1919-03-31
W, H, OEKLERT'S
TRIAL TODAY
Venire of Fifty-SiX Sum-
moned From Which to
Secure Jury
BUT FEW SPECTATORS


irs the Necessary Sixteen Men
Most of Talesmcn Had Forme
FIXED Opinions.
The trial of William H. Oehlert
charged with shooting and KILN!
I-inwood KiGwe!l at an Office at til
Southern Railway Yard. in this cit.
| November y, 1918, was called thi
morning, after having been post
poned several times. Judge Chiches
ter, of Fredericksburg, presided
Commonwealth's Attorney Howard
W. Smith conducted the prosecution
ana Edmund Burke appeared for ths
defense. Comparatively few spccta'
tors were in attendance.
After several preliminary motions
on the part Of the counsel for the
defense, which were overruled.
Oehlert was arraicned on the
charge of murder. He plead not
guilty.
The work of securing jury was
then begun. Many of those sum-
moned had formed a fixed opnon.
while others said they were opposed
TO capital punishment, all of whom
were excused.
Sixteen men were finally accepted.
They were Eugene Bode, Ferdinand
E. Cornell, John 4. King, Irving
Lindsey, Joseph C. Bowie. Joseph
Hcyman. Smith Williams. E. Shirley
Leachman, C. Philip Heishley, Earl
S~!livan, j. NJ. Duling, George r.
Brawncr, Walter Roberts. ,Jr, Nal
colin A. Brenner, Walter P. kcrrick,
and John ". Monroe.
The names Of McSsrs. Bowie,
Brawner. kerrick and Monroe were
stricken off after which the jury
was duly cxpaneled.
commemorative Attorney Smith
subsequently addressed the jury in
which he rcc;tcd the cr inc Tor which
OchIcrt had been arraigncd. He was
followed by Mr.. Burke who stated
the case from the standpoint of the
defense. and. took the ground that
the shooting OF Kidwcl! was acciden-
tai.
The examination Of witnesses for
the commonwealth later followed.
II. L. Peyton. employed in the Office
of the City Engineer was first to
take the stand. The witness identified
a drawing Of the yard masters office
in the Southern RailwA" yard. which
he had made. The shooting occurred
in this structure, the Interior
which figured somewhat in the pro-
cccdings.
Dr.. T. NJ. Jones took the stand mad
d1:crbcd the wound of which kidwc!l
died.
Wm. Z. Midkif, night yard master
at the Southern Railway. followed.
His testimony was to the effect that
Oehlcrt showed quarrelsome dlspo-
siton toward fellow workman named
Week previous to the shooting. He
also tcld Of the prisoner discharginG
his pistol in the yard before the trag-
eJv. Och!ert said, ''What do / care
for fines >" Later he reloaded his
nisto!. and witnesses heard kldwcll
crv out. Oehlcrt was not on duty at
the time he entered 3ne office, WIT
ness took hold of the prisoner and
held him. Oehlert finally promised to
rcturn the pistol to his pocket if wit
ncss would release him.
The court at lis took recess for
one hour.
The court reconvened at 2:23,
wller Mr.. Niidkiff resumed the
stand. and was croSs-examincd by
! Mr. burke.
Walter Dammon was the next wit
ness. He is 4 yard conductor OF the
Southern Railway, and was in the Of
flee at the time the shooting tool;
Mace. He told of the col'oquy be.
twnen Oehlert and Weeks, in whlc:
hc alleged the former used unconvcn'
ticral language. Heard prisoner, c*
| claim. I'm going to shoot up th'
office" and then discharged his n!s
tol: heard Kidwcll say. Hes sho
me-" Och!crt had threatened to XII
witness if he attempted to aid M'dk!t
in dsarmine him.
William F. Weeks who was in Ii
card office before the shooting ton'
, place. followed He tod Of Oehler
using insulting language toward h!r
nrcvious to the shooting. Witncs
was not in the office wnen kidwe
was shot.
{ ". II. Poscy, car inspector Of tn
I. Southern Railway. was at the of'ic
at the time Kidwell was shot. Hear