Ogden Daily Standard | 1917-01-19 | Page 8 | Woman Testifies in Spanell Case

WOMAN TESTIFIES IN SPANELL CASE San Angelo. Tex.. Jan. U. Testimony Testi-mony was begun today in the ase of Harry J. Spanell of Alpine. Tex., on trial for murder in connection with the killing of his wife. Mrs. Crystal fHolland Spanell, and Lieutenant-Col-, jonel M C. Butler, In Alpine, July 20 ! 1916. Much time was consumed In argu-ments argu-ments over the admissability of testi-l I mony with reference to tbe family de- ; Jvotion of Spanell. The question arose! j when counsel for the defense asked (Mrs. J. Downum, a state's witnei , if Spanell did not seem devoted to hit famllv The witness answered that I Spanell had spoken of the attentions i he thought Colonel Butler was paying Mrs Spanell, and said if he "ever1 ' saw Butler do anything he would no er stop shooting. They are getting too1 familiar " This conversation, Mrs. Downum oaiu, uv,i.uui:u iwu wrtKB oeiore me shooting, after Mrs Spanell had left 1 her husband In the dining room of a I hotel, saying she was going upstairs ; to see a maid about making clothes i The witness testified Spanell went up a back stairs In the hotel and returned, re-turned, saying: "He's followed her up there.'' Spanell referred to Col- onel Butler, Mrs. Downum said. J. W. Downum has testified that Spanell asked him about a month before be-fore the shooting if he ever saw "any thing wrong" between his wife and Butler. "I said 'No.'" Downum testified. Spanell said he thought he had cause i to be Jealous I said: 'If you think! that you had better leave her ' " 'That's what they want ' " Downum testified he met the Span-1 ells and Butler together several tiraeB after that at picture shows and auto-mobile auto-mobile riding. Mrs Downum denied when nues tloned by the defense that she had j oer told Spanell "there was consid-l erable unfavorable comment about Mrs. Spanell and Butler in Alpine. Admissibility of the challenged evidence evi-dence had not been decided when the ourt adjourned Mrs. Butler, wearing mourning, was! in court today for the first time.