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101 ST YEAR. - VOL. 87, NO. 277.—14 PAGES.OTTUMWA, IOWrA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1949.Slain Man’s Gun Found In Perfect OrdermrVIapiC(itcirol01f1BY Vtt.IKMItVI HI STOV Courier stmlf Writer.CENTERVILLE.— The revolver ithat Earl Robertson had in hispossession the night he was murdered was fired 20 times last week to test its reliability.While on the stand for the state.In its first-degree murder caseagainst Walter (Petei Ebelsheiser,51, Bladensburg farmer,Sheriff C. A. Elliott of Wapello county said late Monday that he and Sheriff Everett Orman fired Earl's gun a total of 20 times recently.These firing tests, Elliott said,1 showed that the weapon never onee missed fire, and that every bullet, found in Robertson’s bedroom, exploded whenever the trigger was pulledloaded To Capacity?The state, in presenting its evidence, has heen building up atheory, by inference, that the revolver which Robertson apparent-!v obtained shortly before he was shot to death, was loaded to ca-nr six live bullets.Wher t med over to thlt;’ authorities following the shooting, however, the evidence has shownthat there was only one bullet m its lt;hamber.The tests were made along theDes Moines river, east of Ottumwa Elliott to^d the jury of 11 personsElliott said that the defendant. Walter told him that he learned that he brother. Edward Ebela-hetser of Martinsburg had a gunin h s pocket when he went to the Robert son home south of Hedrick about b to p. n on July 2?. 1948.H s mother Mrs Mary Ebels-h« -«• 87, also lived thc^-e, withRobertson and his wife Thelatt*r was the former DorothyEbelsheiser. sister of the defendantContinuing his testimony retain- to what the defendant and Edward Ebelsheiser told him shortly after Robertson was killed, t? aaid Walter asserted thatEar! wa« just getting up from hss chair in the Robert son living room when Edward stood up took two steps and fired down on Earl,**!niggle lor «.unThe deputy added that Edwardtlt;dd him that Earl lunged at h mah-.tit that time throwing himha- k a. roM the reom and into the tcorner between the east wall and r davenport, Earl trying to Ia had to hit F.arl in the head to g^-t his gun a wav from IElliott quoted Edward as t** ingEdward also told Elliott according to the witnesses that 1 had to h t Dorothy Robertson because shehad p'cked up something to throw*1 Us *’The witness, Elliott, then that Wslter had described to ho*.» v-e grabbed for Earl* but did not get it.sh- tlv thereafter Defense Attorney Howard Life made s formaldec and that the state produceany statement* taken th- night of th» shooting from either Walter or E 1 EbelsheiserHfatenients Later.To * h * demand. John D Moona--- stant countv attorney toldD *P t Judge Heinrich C Tavlor a* the state ha* such ** a’ ement*in ts possession and will intro-dn lt;them in due timei4tfitt\iI\Judge Taylor overruled the dequinFollowing Elliott to the stand w-ri Rav S pe Mar’ nsburg ar.dKr* 1 \jki\7. southeast of Martina-burg who told of taking Edward E’ • ! • **»r to and from Martins-burg a few hours before th* shooting The prosecution had previ*ourly lt;hnwn that it was th-.* trip: or which Edward went tohor e to get h « gun. after ha mg been called to the Robertson*es* *•! b\ hi* sister Mr* MarvR . ‘ H i- 'k V R w p h.H ifought with Dorothy Robert ton the afternoon of the shootingProsecution witnesses this m -rning included * Martmshurg garage operator Harry Messer-I o«i!im*e*i !»a«f 1, **§* ft.iilt;
Newspaper Details
Ottumwa Daily Courier
Ottumwa, Iowa, US
Tue, Feb 22, 1949
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Nina T.
USA 24 Jan 2023
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