Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 279, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1911 — STATE ALMOST DONE WITH POOLE CASE [ARTICLE]

STATE ALMOST DONE WITH POOLE CASE

‘ ' ' "* t . 1 ■ * • ' : ’ 2__ ■' r i.: ; - ■ -'4^-.- - .- . ■ ; n rest its case Monday in the John W. Poole murder trial. Prosecutor Kimmel said Friday morning that the state would attempt to finish with its last wifag«s : ‘that <W at the’ conclusion ofwhoitetestliftonytheevldence in chief of the prosecutor would be in, but at shortly after 4 o’clock Judge DeHart adjourned court until Monday morning when Walter P. Clark, of the Lafayette Journal staff, was on the witness stand ready for cross-examination by the defense, said that he might call Louis Schafer, chief of police of Lafayette, to the stand after Mr. Clark has finished his testimony. If Superintendent Schafer is not called as Witness, the crossexamination of Mr. Clark will conclude the state’s evidsncein cfiief andTtfid defense will then present its witnesses. The session Friday afternoon completed the second week of the Poole murder trial and from all indications it will continue for the next two weeks. The principal delay was in the selection of the jury. The state has Bhe witness stand a large numritnesses, many of them called stant states, who have testiw Poole’s confession of killing jo© Kemper and-of the circumstances surrounding the man’s death. With its resting of its case Monday, the state will complete the first part of the ' When the morning session opened at 10 o’clock Judge DeHart announced hid decision as to the admissability of the letter Written by John W. Poole , i^lf." 'jii li'in tn PatdwL/-** j.utfaifaS for tite state. He held that the letter ■■XfCi zilnasltf I‘W'A Jim - J SJ--, ju at jA et X< 1 S% l i' l tte bones and .other exhibits should be turned over to the Counsel for thedeProsecutor Kimmel then read the letter fa question and it was presented, to the jury as evidence. The writing was almost illegible, the spelling poor and the phrasing crude. Following is fas letter: _ • -“There fa another thing, Emory, the- overshoes and everyday shoes you you know you say the time Joe was , j'j • a >1 /ti. i xww • • ’ . • • . ’ * • in at- ' _ _ h/kmA in i’liA fftll *mil vnn trilri * f HVIAV wSJK VLXIU 1 vau gu<v m •

' A 11 C’ 1 » J— .. ance of the grave and the bones. Mr. Sleeper said that he and Sheriff Shackleton left the farm and drove to Rensselaer, where they picked up the. deputy sheriff and drove north. AbQnt six miles from Rensselaer they met the sheriff of Jasper county and Yfo'ETW.Poofa fa a buggy, pddie was recognized, he said, and both vehicles stopped. The sheriff of Jasper county, got into the machine and with Poole drove back to They then drove home. Shackleton in the front seat and Poole and Bowman in the rear. “i I;'He testified to* hearing' a convert tlon between Bowman and Poole as the were driving home. Poole asked Marshall Bowman if he didn’t think it best to tell the trutfa He said that he killed a man as he was climbing over a fence, that the gun entering the back of the man’s head. He said it was Joe Kemper he shot. The witness further stated that Poole said he at first intended to notify the authorities, but when he saw the hogs go toward the body, he carried it into the cpw shed and later burled It in a field. ■ . Poole skid that he had cut off the limbs with an axe because the ground was frozen and it was hard to dig a hole large enough to bury the whole body, the witness stated. Poole was asked if he buried the body with the clothing on and he said that he had taken. It off. ,j’ „ ...... j As they neared Fowler Poole made several remarks to Bowman that he didn’t want anybody to get him, that he wanted a chance to tell the truth. Poole got down in the bottom of the machine the witness said. • ’Poole said that he had settled with Kemper on the day before and that the latter hwS'themone in his pocket When he killed pirn. When asked where the money was, Poole said he was kwptegftfor Kemper. Mr. Barce, for the defense, then too! the Witness for cross-examination. Mr. Sleeper said that Poole made no attempt to escape. He admitted that, as he was driving he got but fragments of the conversation- between Poole and Marshal Bowman, but said that later, practically the same story was told to him. The witness said that Poole told the story of the killing of Kemper in a natural voice. He said that he didn’t hear Poole say anything about trying to notify Kemper’s brother. The Witness was excused. Sheriff Shackleton then related pracHe told of Poole’s conversation on the way home. On Sunday Poole said he Was sitting in the house reading a paper when Kemper came in and two per was killed, falling over backS hackle ton said that he asked him annuu a um t c iuuu upouj m mi , r..