Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 261, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 November 1913 — WILLIS CASE EXPECTED TO CLOSE TODAY [ARTICLE]

WILLIS CASE EXPECTED TO CLOSE TODAY

State Finishes Evidence at NoonWillis is Trying to Establish An Alibi. > .< 'a Special to The Republican. KENTLAND, IND., Nov. I.—The Willis rape case is expected to close some time tonight. The state closed its evidence at noon today and the defense is introducing evidence this afternoon. Court held until a late hour last night, several witnesses for the state being examined. Yesterday the victim of the alleged assault was put on the stand and was put through a grilling crossexamination by the defense, but her evidence remained, unshaken and was substantially the same as given at the preliminary examination. This morning the father and mother of the girl were on the stand and a priest from Elkhorn, Wis., who testified that the girl had not yet reached the age of consent. Several other witnesses, including the doctors 'who examined the girl after the alleged assault, were on the stand. The case looks black for the prisoner and it is predicted by those who have heard the evidence so far that conviction is almost certain. The defense this afternoon introduced Mr. and Mrs. James Ennis and daughter and F. B. Ham, of Rensselaer, and endeavored to establish by their evidence that there would not 'have been time to have reached the point in the country where the Thompson girl alleged the assault took place, from the time Willis left his wife and took the girl for the ride and get back home by 8 o’clock, as claimed by the Thompson girj, There is a discrepancy of about 30 minutes in the testimony, which weakens the attempted alibi. The court stated today that a night session would again be held today and if necessary court would not adjourn untitmidnight if there is a hope of finishing the evidence by that time. The witnesses from Rensselaer are having a dreary time of waiting, as they are excluded from the court room and are not allowed to hear any of the evidence. They were not expecting to have to stay here over night and many of them came unprepared for a night away from home. The only hotel here is overcrowded and last night was not prepared *to furnish accommodations to all the outof-town visitors and sleeping accommodations were found at various private houses and elsewhere. The girl’s pirents, Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien, who expected to return to Rensselaer last evening, were without money and when their plight was discovered, Frank Kresler, of Rensselaer, who is marooned here, toof up a collection among the Rensselaer crowd, and raised $lO for their benefit in less than that many minutes. Unless the evidence is all in at an early hour this evening in time to give the attorneys a chance to make their arguments the case will probably go over until next week.