Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 277, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1911 — BONES DUG UP ON POOLE FARM BROUGHT TO COURT. [ARTICLE]

BONES DUG UP ON POOLE FARM BROUGHT TO COURT.

Fractured Skull and Other Bones Submitted in Evidence—Dr. Weth- \ erfß Expert Witness. - The skull, two thigh bones, the bone of a left forearm from the elbow to the shoulder, a lock of hair, finger nails and several smaller pieces; of bone, taken from the grave on the Poole farm, near Fowler, on May 2, 1911, and supposed to be those of Joseph Kemper, for whose murder Poole is being tried, were, the ghastly exhibits shown to the jury, in the presence of hundreds of spectators Wednesday afternoon -in the course of the Poole trial. In a sealed box, the parts of a human body were brought to the court room and the box was opened in the presence of the Jury. Twenty feet away, John Poole sat unmoved as the relics were displayed and at no time evinced much interest in them. -- , The skull had been wjred together with the parts that had been found loose in the grave, but there was a large hole in the back for which parts had not been found. ‘ Dr. Richard B» Wetherill, of Lafayette, in his examination by the state, explained the fractures, told of the missing parts and gave the scientific testimony required. He said that the skull was probably shattered by the charge of a shotgun held within very close proximity to the head. A

Before the jury was called to the box the attorneys argued the question of the presentation of the letter which Poole wrote to hist son Emory and enclosed in a letter to Mrs. Poole and the court deferred ruling until Birther evidence could be heard.

A number of witnesses told of helping to exhume the body, of the screening of all the dirt and of the finding of several teeth and parts of f .tile skull. They told how the flesh was boiled off the bones, the body buried on May 3rd and again dug up on May 10th. AU witnesses told about the same story. ; j

Mrs. Josie Lewis was called by the state. She testified that she lived near the Poole farm and that she had worked at the farm on different occasions, cleaning house, one in May, 1909, and again in May, 1910. She said that in May, 1910, when she took up the carpet in the dining room, she saw a dark brown spot on the floor that looked to her like a blood stain. She said that at first it was very dark brown, but as she scrubbed it it became redder. She said that in 1909, when she cleaned, there was no such spot in the dining room*

The defense then took the witness and showed her a photograph of the interior of the dining room ate the Poole farm. Mrs. Lewis stated that everything in the picture was practically the same as on the day she saw the blood spot She also testified that she saw blood spots on the wall. The witness said that the spot on the floor was about a foot and a half long and looked as if blood had run. She was then excused.

John Bowman, marshal of Benton county, was next called. He said that for the past seven years he had had considerable experience with firearms. He was shown the gun with which Kemper Is supposed to have been killed and said that he had seen it before, that about ten days ago he and Sheriff Shackleton had made some tests with it, in which they used 3 grams of powder, 1 ounce of No. 6 shot and 12 guage shells. The state then produced a pumber of large sheets of paper, punctured with holes, whloh the witness said were the ones on which the tests had been made.

The first one, which had a hole In the center about an inch in diameter, Marshal Bowman said, had been shot at from a distance of three feet; the next, from a distance of six feet, was a little larger, with several small holes near the large one. At eight feet the hole was still larger, with many scattered perforations. In order, he then identified the sheets of paper, which had been shot from 9, 12, 15 feet up to a distance of 36 feet, adding three feet distance after every test shot These sheets were then shown to the jury and the defense took the witness. Mr. Barce questioned him concerning the difference of shooting according to atmospheric conditions, different kinds of pbwder and shot used sad then dismissed Marshal Bowman. Dr. Wetherlll was on the witness stand for a long time. He examined the parts of the skull very casefully and said that he was of the opinion that the gun must have been held as close as two feet or nearer to the skull to have caused the hole In the skull. He also took some of the other bones and testified that they had been severed by some sharp Instrument rt '■ '

He also testified that the blood spots on the wall of the room in the Poole house might readily have resulted from Kemper being shot in the house. He testified that blood remaining on the floor for several months would turn dark but he did not know what ,effect scrubbing would have. A gun shot in the head, Dr. Wetherill said, would disintegrate the brain and parts might be thrown out or parts would run out if the body was placed on the back. He said there wouldn’t be any great amount of bleeding, probably a pint or a quart Death would be instantaneous if the shot was fired as close to the head as the skull indicated, he said, and hemorrhage would continue but a short time, the spraying of blood but a second or two.

The defense objected to the admission of the bones in evidence on the grounds that there was not sufficient identification that they were those of Joseph Kemper, but Judge DeHart permitted the gruesome fragments to be placed in evidence and they were passed about among the jurymen. The state resumed Its examination of witnesses this morning.