Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 273, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1911 — Mrs. POOLE TESTIFILES AGAINST HER HUSBAND [ARTICLE]

Mrs. POOLE TESTIFILES AGAINST HER HUSBAND

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viotrn .Acnib rrtJ ■ VI Oi l AOi U.K.-.V ttivFv From Friday to Monday. .r- - ’ ;■;. / , ■ - ■■'#& *&&&&■V.iX v The teal beginning es the trill of John W. Poole, charged with murder in the first degree, as madsiii the circuit court -Friday morning, when -; Jdrs. Poole, wife of. the de-•i-fendant, was called "to the . witness ,>stM»d f bythe state as the first witness. Three ether witnesses were called by the state, examined by the and cross-examined . - by the defense. They were Miss Grace Poole, daughter of John Poole; Edgar E. Milla,x»f Dixon City, Pa, and Al-4 berjt B. Haines, of Rim, Ky. The examination and cross-exami-nation of Ws. Poole took Up the entire morning session and part .of the afternoonia session. Mr. Haines ■ Was ■■ & the. >ast witness examined, concluding his testimony at 4:30 o’clock, when Judge Richard P; Dehart adjourned court’ until 10 o’clock' Monday morn- * r -A"Mrs. Poole told of her marriage to ;<W of her life on the farm, the of Kemper, the events of December 12, 1909, when he disappeared and 'what had occurred since. Her evidence was given with reluctance and it was evident that she did not like the idea of appearing for the ■ eVß.te.Bbe cried bitterly as she began her testimony, and she pleaded lack of memory many times, but 1t was evident that she was trying to tell the That the defense is going to have trouble in getting into the evidence the fact that Poole was twice committed to the insane hospital, was ; but’ just before noon when .Elmore Hqrce, attorney for the de-' sense, attempted to question Mrs. JPoole about her husband being sent to the insane hospital. The state Immediately objected and the court susi tained the objection,'femarking that pie question of admitting any evidence touching on Pbole’s commitment to the insane hospital as a serious* on ° end that he would decide at the prop The :shotgun With which Poole is supposed to have skilled Joe Kemper to the court room in the

afternoon and- turned over to the clerk' of the court and will be on 'exhibition Mrs. Poole entered the court room morning with her Quitter, Miss Grace, attired in deep black. She was the first witness called by the state and took the witoess stand, facing the Jury, with her back to the large number of spectators. Attorney Grant Hall began the examination for the state and at the beginning, Mrs. Poole showed deep emotion. She was asked about her children and their ages and broke down and wept. Both Poole and Miss Grace ere also in tearb and there was absolute silence in the court rooni, until the witness dried her eyes and continued her story. She said that she was married to John Poole January 16, 1887, and named *her children and their ages as follows: Maud, born in 1888; Grace, born In 1890; John Emory, in 1892 and Russell in 1895. She said that as ter her marriage, she and her husband first lived at Williamsport, remaining there about five years. Poole was then engaged in buying and shipping poultry. They went from Williamsport to the farm of Mi's. Poole’s parents, near Swanihgton, where they remained sev' eral months. From there they moved to Good land. Here they lived about two year-. Poole going into the fruit tree busi ness. From there they moved to the’ present Poole farm, near Swanington. Poole continued to sell fruit trees and Mrs. Ppole looked after the farm while he was awjay. She stated that she ran the farm when Poole was in the Insane hospital. She said tha the farm in Jasper county, qear Rensselaer, was purchased about vears ago. Poole, she said, looked after both farms, with her help. in June; 1907, when Poole brought him to the farm, having met him on the road flbm Fair Oaks. He remained on the farm six or eight weeks, she believed. 1 Slhe described him as about six feet tall, she thought; and about”twenty-five years old. Hi vitas, German and could speak biit little fin--glish. When asked if Poole and Kemper had a settlement of the latter’s wages when he left the farm, She could not yemember. The next time she saw Keuiiper, she; said, was the next year, 1908, when he returned to the farri» for work. He - . stayed but a few* weeks, leaving for Chicago oh July 4 while Mrs. Poole was in Kankakee. She cotild hot re member how much money the defendant paid Kemper when he left this time. In the fall pf 1909 he again returned to the farm, she stated. She thought It was in November o; October, saying that he was there about I two months. Mrs. Poole said that when Kemper came the third time, Poole vyas at the Jasper county farm. He asked about money Poole owed him, and she sent him to Jasper county to see her husband. Poole and Kemper came back to the Benton county farm soon after and the latter again went to work, Poole agreeing to pay him

morning be took Emory to a RjlflT*! I ilTftgb Taa ri r» nrl xiw li.-.wxir. I •*7"V '■■ - 2^.'- >'" . - BUj dUUllt KO* - ft wajs a dreary, slushyday.” She said that Emory was home with his father when they that the Reaper was an i Pooie told her that W had gone to Chicago. Later she again asked about Kemper and remarked that she did not think the train for Chicago stopped nt Swnnington. Poole then told her that nt stiilngj

catch the train. Mrs. Poole said she noticed Kemper's black sweater, over shoes, Sunday shirt and chff buttons in the house. Kemper had but the X - w “ ter Smdw s "' The next day they butchered at the Poole farm and Poole and Emory assisted in the work. The hogs were dressed and hung up. Later that afternoon she and Emory went to Fowler. She whs asked if Poole requested her to buy a spade in Fowler, but she could not remember, the state then referred to her testimony before the grand Jury, when she testified that Poole asked her to buy a spade, she said Poole might have made such a request. She brought back a spade from Fowler, she said. Judge DeHart called for the jury and quiet was ordered in the coun room promptly at one o’clock for the afternoon session. The defense had not completed' the examination Of’Mrs. Poole and she whs called for but had not yet appeared in the court room, •the state then called for Edgar E. Mills and he took the witness stans a few minutes before Mrs. Poole arrived. It was decided to continue with his examination and finish with Mrs. Poole later. ■ ~ Mr. Hall questioned Mr. Mills and he said he was a machinist now, but had worked for John W. Poole. He said that he started to work for him on March 20, 1910, and remained for about six months, husking corn, plowing and doing other necessary work on a farm. He said that Poole told him, soon after he started to work for him, to haul some straw from a

field. When he had removed part of it, he said, he saw fresh dirt on top of the straw and asked Poole about ii The latter, he said, appeared much excited and told him tb stop. “Tt’s funn how that dirt got there,” Mills replied and Poole’s answer was that he had

buried some calves and pigs that had died. Mills said that he became suspicious and one evening, when he went into the house fpr supper,- he told Poole that he believed thff field was haunted'for he had heard someone call to him there, Waen there was no negr. He said that Poole immediately left the table and went to the field. When he returned he explained that Mill’s ghost was a pail hanging on the fence that was rattling. '

Mills 'stated that 'hie went to the Jasper county farm with Poole in the fall of 1910, and that in the loft <rtthe barn, where they slept, he saw a gunny sack that contained some clothing, in which he was sure that there was a blue coat and a pair of trousensxAgain, he said that he had never heard Poole mention Kemper, that at one time he said to his son Emory after a quarrel: ’lf you keep on, Hl put you where I put the Dutchman.” The state then passed the witness to the defense for cross-exam-, ination. Mr. Barce then asked Milla if he had not Kone under several differen* MMWS DX7VX7*<BS UIUUICUused the name of Mills, Charles Clark Barce

”_____ Poole and said, “not until I was going to leave him.” He then told of- a quarrel they had luni. He had asked Poole for a settlement, as he wished until they gotto town. With a load of hogs, they stopped at a saw mill a few miles from Lafayette, where they spent the night, going to bed in the same room. Mills said that Poole got up soon and spent the night somewhere else. In th6inornixiK.be and Mifis said-he called Poole a liar. Poqle put his hand in his pocket, the witness said. Mills said, “don’t you pull a knife on me,” and Poole asked him how much he owed him. Mills said that he settled for less than he should have because he wanted to get away. The daughter, Miss Grace Poole, who had been loyal to her .father throughout the trouble, was next called, to the witness stand and gave her testimony in » fiMet voice, but her memory proved faulty on many points. She was questioned on the same line and her testimony was practically the same as that of her mother except that she was less dear in . her statements and answered many times that she could not remember. She told of When Kemper first came to the farm and of the three times he had worked there; she told at the hap penmgs on the day KempeWdieappear ed ; which were substantially the earn i as had been testified to by Mrs Poole. Albert B. Haines, of Rim, Kentucky, was next called by the .state. , He stated that fee had known John Poole since January, 1908; that in that year he and his father came from Kentucky and rented the Jasper county farm of Poole. He said that he worked fui Poole at times. At one time, he ’said Poole said to him, “the Dutchman, Joe Kemper, went awiay and took some things, a pair of boots, a hat and some change. I f be ever returns, I am going to kill him.” “You won’t do that, Mr. Pooled Haines said. “Yes, I’ll be if I don’t,’ was the answer. -Mr. Haines said that' Poole then stated, “ifthey gotme J cmrid get off, for I was once treated for, ’sun-pain,’ and I would play off Insane” The defense then took the witness for cross examination, and showed that there had been trouble between John Poole and Haines’ family, that Haines’ mother had once filed an affidavit against Poole, on which he was acquitted. He also admitted that Poole and his father had. had trouble and that he, himself, had an altered-’ for a long- time. The witness was discharged. < f' TiiHcfa thon -i jM-rm dVi/x frinl uni’ll 1A AJfrvnrlmr m/nrn lu.w I jffiuninatioa ofStf*4"' I