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5 revisions | Lizzy at May 04, 2020 04:16 PM | |
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24$8.95 Buys your ------------------------------------------------------ SHE FOUND RELIEF IN TEARS ---------------------------------------------- MRS. SHEEDY'S IRON NERVE ----------------------------------------------- Most of the Day Devoted to Securing ---------------------------------------------- Anil Circumstances Immediately Sur. -------------------------------------------- Some Very Unwilling Witnesses. Considerable progress was made yesterday in the Sheedy case and the large crowd present was deeply interested in the testimony that was brought out, especially because it related chiefly to the tenderness exhibited by the fair defendant toward her young friend Wasltrom who followed her from Buffalo, an interest which made itself perceptible in every remarkable way for some time prior to the fatal night of John Sheedy's taking off as well as subsequent to that event and almost at the very moment of the murderous assault. It was remarked that almost every witness on this branch of the evidence was an unwilling one. It required the most [adtoit?] and persistent work upon the part of the state to get out of them even as much as they had testified to upon former occasions. This was especially the case with Johnnie Klausner, the boy who once lived in the Sheedy family, who made a convenient and serviceable means of communication between Walstrom and his tender patron. The model servant girl, Anna Bodenstein, who would have preferred to be esteemed [inmentedly?] ignorant, wept with [?] as she was entrapped into telling more than she had designed telling. Mrs. Sheedy came into court looking more cheerful than ever and after the examination of the first witness moved forward out of the row of sisters and took her seat just behind Attorney Strode, with whom she frequently consulted in whispers often [?]. She had lost entirely her listless expression and ppeared to be affected by the testimony as it was being adduced, according to its import. When Dr. Ruth M. Wood was testifying Mrs. Sheedy moved back into the row of sisters, and at the point where the witness told of her impressions and [?] at Sheedy's bedside concerning morphine Mrs. Sheedy burst into a violent fit of emotion. For the first time [?] the trial began she gave vent to her tears and for a few moments her face was turned into her hands and her form shook with the fervor of her emotions, while her sobs were heard throughout the room in spite of her [?] efforts to control herself. Her three misters were [peerping?] with her, two of them, one on each side, with their arms across the back of her chair, bending forward to comfort her. It was not forlong however, that her remarkable nerve forsook her. She was soon erect and attentive, brushing away the evidences of her emotion while listening to the testimony, and when she regained her composure beated herself again where she could command and the ear of her counsel. She said the most [implicit?], almost greedy, attention to the evidence given by Mrs. Hood, Mrs. Carpenter, Miss Bodenstrain and Young Klausner. They were all friendly in their expressions and their testimony was no more damaging than they were absolutely obliged to make it, and she appeared to reflect over their every utterance. On the contrary, when Jacob Oppenheimer was telling his story of having met Walstrom at the Sheedy home after the funeral, the defendant, Mrs. Sheedy, evinced her estimate of his utterance by a scornful [?] as she whispered occasionally with her attorney. Thursday was unusually prolific of spats between the contending attorneys and charges of unprofessional conduct Judge Fielil each time peremptorily sitting down upon the disputants. Mrs. Sheedy Called Him. The first witness of the morning was Fred Krause, doorkeeper of the Eden niusee, who lived at 826 M street in January. On the night of the last assault on Sheedy he was east of Sheedy's house about fifty feet on P street; turned around and saw Mr. Sheedy shooting; Mrs. Sheedy cried out for her to come. Sheedy shot toward him and he stopped; she cried out again for him to come and he did so asked Sheedy who shot and Sheedy said "He ran through the alley." Witness ran around on the west side of the house and out toward the alley; couldn't get into the alley and saw no one met Officers Kisney and Otto out on Twelfth street. Sheedy said he was shot; there was no one there but Mr. and Mrs. Sheedy as far as he saw; next day saw a bullet mark on a post in an opposite direction from where he had stood; looked as if Sheedy was right in the door and Mrs. Sheedy was right behind him; there was a light in the parlor; after the last shot. which witness thought was fired toward him. Mrs. Sheedy called him to come in and he wouldn't get hurt; she told him to go for the priest, but witness didn't do it; he ran around toward the alley; went to jum over the fence on Twelfth street to go into the alley but before he got to the fence saw Kinney and Otto, and told them what had happened; at least one of the north window curtains were up about two feet: witness looked into it; didn't know whether or not both north curtains were up; the first man witness saw in the yard was Officer Botts. Witness thought Sheedy, was standing in the door all the time during the shooting. The witness was rather rigorously cross-examined as to how he came to be standing where he was when the shooting occurred, and explained that he had been up intending to take a ride on the electric car, but didn't go. He had never been employed by Sheedy to shadow him and watch. She Called Harry "Sweetheart." Mrs. James 1) Hood was called and sworn. She lived on Tenth and J streets; had known Mrs. Sheedy for six years; formerly lived on P street between Fourteenth and Fifteenth up to the 23d of February, about two blocks from the Sheedy residence; was in the habit of visiting there quite often; was there after Sheedy was assaulted from 10 o'clock on the morning after the assault most of the time until his death knew Walstrom. "What was his first name?" Witness said that Mrs. Sheedy always spoke of him as a nice, intelligent young man. Had heard her refer to him as "Sweetheart," but thought nothing of it. Mrs. Sheedy told her, that when Walstrom first came Mr. Sheedy was mad, but that when Sheedy met him he changed his mind and thought he was a nice young man. Mrs. Sheedy once came to her house, said Sheedy had abused her and she had left him; she asked to be permitted to remain a few days. Witness said she feared it might make trouble between her husband and Sheedy and Mrs. Sheedy went away. The latter had told her that she had her trunks packed and a boy ready to move them whenever she was ready to go away; didn't know if the young man's was Klausner. Witness said that she had once told Mrs. Sheedy that she did not think Walstrom a very fascinating young man and that he talked too much. Mrs. Sheedy said it was his way and that he made friends with every one. Witness was with Sheedy and Mrs. Sheedy when the first assault was made; was returning from the [musee?]; she stood on the outside of the gate; Mr. and Mrs. Sheedy were just inside the gate; saw the man who did the shooting, but couldn't tell whether he was white or black. On going home from the Eden [musee?] on the evening of the assault Mrs. Sheedy had expressed a presentment that something awful was going to happen as she had felt like that before Mrs. Sheedy was stabbed on a previous occasion. Mrs. Sheedy had complained to her that Mr. Sheedy had not met her at the train on her return from Buffalo, although she had telegraphed him from Chicago, and didn't act as though he was glad to see her. Mrs. Sheedy had once told witness that Walstrom was going to travel for his father and would probably make Lincoln his headquarters; she wanted to bring him to witness' home so that he might get acquainted with her daughter; witness said it was all right if he was a nice young man, and Mrs. Sheedy said he was as nice a young man as she had ever met. It was about a month after her return from Buffalo that Mrs. Sheedy came to witness' home and told the latter that she had left Sheedy. Witness thought was a bright night when the first assault was made at Mr. Sheedy's gate; only one shot was fired; Mr. Sheedy seemed to think it was a burglar and cautioned his wife about the doors; the latter appeared to be frightened. At one time after that Mrs. Sheedy while she and witness were conversing of the event said that they could not say her Harry did it, as he was at work that night. Witness asked her why she should say that and Mrs. Sheedy remarked that people might say it was Walstrom, knowing that he was a friend of her own. Mrs. Sheedy, when she returned from Buffalo, had showed witness Walstrom's picture and told her about him, just as she did about others when she had met. Witness thought Mrs. Sheedy felt very bad after the assault on the fatal night; she acted as if she was nearly heart broken and witness felt very sorry for her. She didn't weep any until after Sheedy's death. Cross-examined, Mrs. Hood said that she was present the morning after the assault when Mrs. Sheedy said that she believed the doctors were giving him the wrong medicine. Mr. Courtnay asked her what they were giving him and she had the box brought out and showed to those present. Witness saw nothing in the department of Mrs. Sheedy to lead witness to suspect anything. On the night of Sheedy's death Mrs. Sheedy said that if John couldn't live she did'n want to live; some time after Mrs. Sheedy had left home, as hitherto narrated, and come over to witness house, she had told witness that everything was all right and that Mr. Sheedy had apologized; she said that Mr. Sheedy had accused her of things of which she was not guilty; didn't say what they were. When the discussion of the medicine arose Mr. Courtnay had called attention to the condition of Mr. Sheedy and Mrs. Sheedy had said he had been lying in that dazed condtion right along Courtnay asked what the doctors had been giving and Mrs. Sheedy said she didn't know what it was, some powders; thought it was morphine; had the box brought and showed it to the company, a little box containing powders. Said [?] Like Morphine Symptoms. R. Ruth M. Wood, of 1226 P. street, was sworn . Witness lived just across the street from the Sheedy residence; heard the report of a pistol on the Sunday evening of the assault; a short time before the shooting she had been sitting in her window and those present with her had some discusiion as to how cheerful the Sheedy residence always looked; the curtains were always up. Twenty minutes later the curtains were down; this was a short time after the shooting. Witness was at Sheedy's bedside on Monday evening and had said to Mrs. Carpenter that the symptoms indicated to her that the patient was under the influence of morphine; would not venture an opinion on what she knew of the case as to that now the same symptoms might be noticed in compression of the brain. An Unwilling Witness. Miss Anna Bodenstein, a young woman who worked at the Sheedy residence was next called. Witness went there in April and stayed until Sheedy died; Monday [Molarland?] came there six or eight times in that time to dress Mrs. Sheedy's hair; it would take him a little over half an hour. Witness was at her own home on the Sunday of the assault. On Saturday, the previous day witness was away from 1:30 to 4 p. m.; saw McFarland go by the house that day; saw a man on the porch one night; it was very dark; couldn't tell how long it was before the assault; saw Johnnie Klausner at the house often; he took baskets away with him; Mrs. Sheedy fixed thera; they contained things to eat; Klausner took them away and brought back the empty baskets. It was after Sheedy had been shot at that witness saw the man in the yard; it was about 10 o'clock; Mr. Sheedy was not at home; told Mrs. Sheedy; she didn't say anything; didd't know whether Mrs. Sheedy spoke to the man; witness was withing five or six feet of him, but didn't speak to him; the man didn't run or move. Witness didn't know who it was, it looked so dark to her; witness was in the kitchen when McFarland was there dressing Mrs. Sheedy's hair; they were in the dining room. The next day after Mr. Sheedy was struck Monday came to the house and asked to see Mrs. Sheedy. He came first to the dining room door and then to the kitchen door, but they didn't let him in. He was alone. It was a little man who didn't let him in; didn't know if it was Courtnay or if he was red-headed. He said he wanted to see Mrs. Sheedy. Didn't know that he came there with his wife. Witness didn't remember when Mrs. Sheedy went away to Buffalo; came home the day before the fair. First saw Walstrom when he was there to supper; the next time was in the afternoon, the time they went out riding; Mr. Sheedy was there. Later she saw Walstrom one evening; Mrs. Sheedy went to the door and let him in; didn't know whether Mr. Sheedy was there or not; didn't go in the parlor herself; witness went to her own home at 8 o'clock that evening and returned at 10 o'clock; Walstrom was not there when she got back. Walstrom was there four or five times. This witness was a model hired girl. She did not remember that Klausner ever took away or brought any notes, and didn't know who the lunches were sent to except that they were for some friend. Cross-examined; the witness said she supposed the lunches were for Johhnie Klausner too, but didn't know. Prior to the coroner's inquest Mrs. Sheedy had told witness to tell the truth about all she knew; the attorneys for the defense had never talked to her as to what she was to testify to; the attorneys for the other side had been too see her about what she would testify to two or three times. Dr. Childs had been to see her once about it and a man named Smith. The night she saw the man in the back yard Mr. Sheedy came home almost immediately afterwards; did not hear Mrs. Sheedy tell him about it; knew it was Monday who came the next day after the assault and asked for Mrs. Sheedy. Didn't see Monday's wife or any colored women. This witness was evidently friendly to the defense, but the counsel for the defense were unable to shake her conviction that she had seen Walstrom in the house at least five times. Witness was away the Sunday afternoon of the assault, as was her custom, from 2 until 9 o'clock. Never saw Monday around the house except while he was dressing Mrs. Sheedy's hair. Witness often went into the room. There were no doors hung. Witness was upstairs that first night when the shot was fired and heard the shot; didn't go out doors; it was two or three nights after this when she saw the man in the yard; she would not say whether or not the man was Monday McFarland, saying simply that is "looked very dark to me that night," but Mr. Lambertson persisted and the witness, after some tearful hesitation and a repetition of how dark it looked to her that night, finally replied that she thought it looked like Monday McFarland. They Brought Mrs. Sheedy Over. Mrs. Charles Carpenter had lived for four years four doors east of Sheedy's; had known Mr. and Mrs. Sheedy about six years; visited back and forth and was quite intimate with Mrs. Sheedy; was slightly acquainted with Harry Walstrom; first met him in Sheedy's parlor at 7 o'clock one evening; Sheedy was not there; witness' sister was with her; remained about ten minutes; left Mrs. Sheedy and Walstrom together. Next met Walstrom about three weeks afterwards; was with her sister when they met Walstrom on Twelfth street and he walked home with them; witness' sister stopped at Sheedy's as they passed and asked Mrs. Sheedy to come over; Walstrom and Mrs. Sheedy to come over; Walstrom and Mrs. Sheedy went away together in about half an hour. The next time she met him Mrs. Sheedy came over about 10 o'clock a. m. and said Walstrom was coming: he came in a little while, they were in the front room together for about ahlf an hour; witness and her sister were in the room about half the time; they did not go away together. Witness said she never talked with Mrs. Sheedy about Walstrom; Mrs. Sheedy told her he was a friend from Buffalo: Mrs. Sheedy had showed her Walstrom's picture with others before witness met him; recognized him when she saw him; never saw Mrs. Sheedy with Walstrom at any other time; never saw Monday around the Sheedy residence; never saw anything wrong in the relations of Walstrom and Mrs. Sheedy. Witness did not know Monday and didn't know whether she had seen him standing around the house. Never knew that Monday came there to dress Mrs. Sheedy's hair; believed she did say that a barber came there. Mrs. Sheedy never told her of any trouble with her husband; acted as if she felt very bad after Mr. Sheedy was hurt; she tried to do all she could for him. Witness was there most all the time. The witness pertly answered all questions, where possible, with a simple affirmative and negative. As she was the state's witness and therefore could not be cross-examined by the state's counsel, she escaped the consequences of information in the hands of the state to the effect that she had told an acquaintance that she didn't propose to tell all she knew about Mrs. Sheedy and Walstrom. The Afternoon Session. Office Louis Otto was the first witness called after dinner. On the night of the assault he was with Officer Kinney at Twelfth and O when the first shot was fired: immediately afterwards four more shots were fired; they ran north and when they got to the Sheedy property a man named Krause came from the direction of the house toward the fence; witness asked him what the trouble was and Krause said that some one had shot John Sheedy. Witness related the facts surrounding the finding of the cane and the subsequent proceedings substantially as had former witnesses. He said it was probably twenty minutes or half an hour after he had got there that the cane was found on the porch; that they had examined the porch before that and found blood near the south door, but did not see the cane at that time. Took the cane to the station and turned it over to Captain Carder. The defense endeavored to ask the witness whether or not Garder did not identify the cane at once, but he was not permitted to answer. Witness also testified that Krause had told him that when the shooting of the last shots occurred he (Krause) got behind a tree; showed witness the tree; it was about twenty feet from the house. Krause said he was coming up P street when the shooting began. "It is All Right, Harry." Jacob Oppenheimer, a law student in D. G. Courtnay's office, knew John Sheedy; was at the residence the first or second day after the funeral; Dennis Sheedy opened the door; went there to have Dennis Sheedy and sisters to sign a power of attorney; Young Dennis Sheedy, Walstrom and Mrs. Sheedy were in the parlor; Mrs. Sheedy took the instrument and submitted to it Walstrom saying "It's all right, Harry" didn't notice that she looked any more mournful or excited than before Sheedy's death. Mr. Sheedy's two brothers and some ladies were there in another room, but no one but Mrs. Sheedy and Walstrom were in the room when the former passed upon the paper. Young Dennis having gone out after Dennis, senior. Upon cross-examination the defense pressed him hard to find out whether or not Mrs. Dean, Mrs. Sheedy's sister, was not present. The witness said he did not see her there, and would probably have seen her had she been there. He Carried the News to Harry. C. C. Carpenter was at the house as soon as he could get there after the shooting. No one was there but Dr. Everett and Mrs. Sheedy; the first thing he noticed was Mr. Sheedy standing on the porch in front of the open door, firing a gun; thought he saw two shots; had got nearly to the Sheedy gate ere Sheedy stepped into the door. The two houses are probably 125 feet apart: jumped right up from the supper table at the first shot; didn't see Dr. Everett coming across the street; Dr. Everett got into the house first; Sheedy was standing up near the door bleeding pretty badly; next person he saw was Mrs. Sheedy; was in and out there until 11 o'clock; Dr. Hart came in about five minutes; witness went out before Everett had bandaged the wound; went after Dr. Hart; nobody told him to go after Dr. Hart; Mrs. Sheedy asked him to go and get a physician; Dr. Everett was there at the time; went over to Steiner & Scheutz' drug store and had a clerk telephone for Hart; as he returned Dr. Hart drove up. Witness said that while Sheedy was sitting in the chair he remarked that he didn't know what he had don that anyone should do such a thing. Mrs. Sheedy asked witness to go over to the Heater block and tell Walstrom that Sheedy was badly hurt; she gave him the number of the room; witness went to the Heater block, called Walstrom out of his room and told him; had met Walstrom and Mrs. Sheedy at his own home. Had once carried a message to Johnnie Klausner at the business college that Mrs. Sheedy wanted to see him; didn't know whether or not that was before or after the first assault on Sheedy; never saw Walstrom at any other than the two occasions mentioned and never carried any other meassages for Mrs. Sheedy to anybody. Johnnie Klausner was present when witness delivered the message; Walstrom did not express any surprise; Mrs. Sheedy didn't tell witness what doctor to call; witness did not know that Mrs. Sheedy was acquainted with Dr. Hart. When Mrs. Sheedy sent him to Walstrom she had told him in the presence of others; couldn't tell who [?] it; there was no secrecy about it. Sheedy had said to witness: "I wish you would go out in the alley and catch that d--d ----- ----- -----." Subsequently, after Sheedy had gone to bed, he called for witness to be sent to him from the next room, and after some conversation as to the assault, he said that he couldn't describe his assailant, as it was too dark to see him. Nothing of their Past Admitted. Gus Sanders knew John Sheedy since 1879; knew Mrs. Sheedy about 1881; didn't know when Sheedy first met her and did not know her name when witness first saw her; didn't know at that time that she had been married before, but heard so since; did not know when she was married to John Sheedy; they lived together as man and wife either in 1881 or 1882 in a room in the Quick block; was around there every day. This branch of the testimony was most vigorously opposed by the combined defense, but the court thought it proper to show the history of their married life. The defense contended that they had no right to attack her character, especially at so remote a period, to even find a motive for the commission of such a crime. The witness used to see Mr. Sheedy and the defendant in the rooms; did not know her name at that time. He was not allowed to answer as to whether or not they were married at that time. Witness remembered that they went to New Orleans in 1885 or 1886. "Now had they occupied these rooms prior to that date?" asked Mr. Lambertson. The objection of the defnese was sustained. "How long did they live together before they were married?" Again the objection was sustained. Mr. Lambertson persisted and was called down vigorously by the defense while stating the reasons. He contended that the state should be permitted to go into this to prove the truth of what Monday McFarland had said she told him on that point in order to corroborate the confession. "If you will let us go into this thing as to John Sheedy's relations with this defendant we are ready to go with you." exclaimed Mr. Strode passionately. "Mr. Lambertson attempts to stand here and blacken the character of this poor woman, and if we are permitted to go into this and show who it was that dragged her down, we are ready to go into it." "We will meet you on common grounds." replied Mr. Lambertson. "You gentlement have made two or three bluffs in this case already." The court ruled the testimony out and ordered it stricken from the records. He Took Out His Wax. | 24 |
