Runyan, Walter - Stull case
Source: Lafayette Journal Fri 6 Feb 1914 p 5
Walter Runyan, the defendant, was called to the witness chair this morning to testify in his own behalf. Mr. Runyan said: “I was 28 years old July 28 last. I was born about a mile and a quarter north of Waynetown on a farm. The farm was originally owned by my mother and at her death it became an undivided estate. My father, however, has had control of the home place since mother died. My mother died 19 years ago this spring. After mother died a lady by the name of Carte kept house for us. Then a lady named Cason was our housekeeper. When Mrs. Cason left my older brother Howard looked after the place. I graduated in the same class room the Waynetown HS with Edith Rusk who is now my wife. We were married at the place where I now reside the September following my graduation. After we were married we went to live on the home place of Squire Rush and his wife, they moving in Waynetown and later building on 60 acres owned by them a quarter of a mile north and east of Waynetown. Since that time I have taken care of the farm, the same as if it was my own. I have counseled with from time to time regarding it with Mr. Rusk. I first met Arlie Stull in 1909 when he worked for John Higbee, a neighbor. Our acquaintance ripened into brother love. In the spring of 1910, at my solicitation, Arlie came to work for me. I engaged him before the school term closed. Arlie was making his junior year at that time and he told me he was 17 years old. He was large, raw-boned, strong and industrious. He remained with me until the next fall when school opened at Crawfordsville. He then on my advice came to the Crawfordsville HS. In the spring of 1910, when he was plowing in the field, he stopped near the horse barn and told me he had something on his mind he would like to tell me. He told me he was not the son of John Stull as was commonly supposed but was the son of Ed Spinning who had at one time lived at Wallace. He told me that his father and mother had always treated him with less consideration than they did their youngest son Eston. He said his father had told him that he could not help him through school. “He also told me that John Higbee had mentioned it to him and he told Higbee that if he ever told it he would get him or kill him for it. I advised him not to heed the matter, that a man in this world was what he made of himself. With this in mind, I came to Crawfordsville and interviewed the principal of the high school in his behalf. I also spoke to Mr. Jones, my attorney about Arlie and Mr. Jones gave him employment as janitor in his office. After he graduated from Crawfordsville he came to our house and worked for me until the opening of the school year the following September. We discussed his further education and he talked like he wanted to go to DePauw university. I told him I would pay his way and he went to Greencastle and looked over the situation but was not satisfied. I realized a little spirit about Arlie that was hard to control, he let the physical side of his life predominate over his mental. I spoke to Mr. Shuler about Arlie and he agreed with me on the subject. I advised him to go to Notre Dame, because I knew if there was a school anywhere in which disciple was used, it was at Notre Dame. Therefore I wrote to Father Cavanaugh about Arlie. I received a reply from Father Cavanaugh Aug 30, 1911 and Arlie left for Notre Dame the first week of September At the end of the school year in 1912 Arlie did not come back to Waynetown but went to Niles, Mich. He wrote me and said the people around Waynetown knew too much about him. He did return, however, in the fall just before the school year opened in 1912. Arlie though young in years was mature mentally and we often discussed his future. When he was at our home we always considered him as a member of the family. His pleasure and happiness were always taken into consideration. He always entered into the spirit of our home life. His trunk and clothes he always kept at our home. Stull told me that he never had any pleasure in going with a girl. He said that he felt he was taking undue advantage of a girl by keeping company with them and they not knowing the illegitimacy of his birth. Stull also told me that Ed Spinning, his real father was a detective in Pittsburg, PA. He said that he felt Spinning owed him a debt and that he felt like going to Pittsburg and make Spinning take him in his employ as he wanted to be a detective. In referring to a letter written by Stull to Runyan in which Stull said, “I was just about to take pen in hand and cut the heart strings with my friends. I had intended to do this and drop into a world unknown to them. Runyan said he understood by that that Stull intended taking his own life. This was written Nov 26, 1911. Stull in the letter said he was about to do it, but changed his mind when the news came that his financial condition was on the ride. After little Byron was born in Feb 1911, Mrs. Runyan’s health was very poor. Her health continued bad until after her trip to the west in 1911. She made this trip on the advice of Dr. Hurtt and Dr. Hamilton. I borrowed the money, $200 to send her west, giving my note to my father-in-law for it. The note is still outstanding and unpaid. Mrs. Runyan and Byron were gone about three months, returning in September.
Rosie Hart was visiting around Waynetown for about six weeks in 1911. She was there part of the time while my wife was gone. She visited at my house while Aunt Lottie Groves kept house for us. Roxie left for her home about July 11. The time Mrs. Runyan returned from the west was in Sept. You may tell the jury Walter whether or not you ever had any criminal associations with that girl. I did not. Did you ever violate her chastity? I did not. Radical Change in Stull – “The first radical change I notice in Arlie’s demeanor was about three months before this tragedy. He seemed to worry about his birth more than ever before. Once quoted me some scripture from the old bible in which it stated that a bastard could not enter the kingdom of heaven even his children unto the 10th generation. He followed this period about going to school and seemed despondent. I encouraged him about going to school but he felt that he ought to stay out until he had enough money to pay his entire way. “Arlie had always been very frank with me but for about two months before this tragedy he would not look me in the eye. When I would look at his he would drop his eyes. It seemed that he did not want to carry on a conversation with me. When he did talk it was in parables. He said to me once when we were sowing wheat, I wonder what we will be doing this time next year? I don’t know Arlie, why? He said, I don’t know but coming events cast their shadow before them. In describing Stull’s strength Runyan told of having seen Stull three or four weeks before the tragedy pick up a 280 pound barrel of salt and carry it in the barn. Runyan also told of Stull throwing both he and Leslie Hayes in a wrestling match. Stil also had a book which he read about jitsu, the Japanese art of wrestling. A story, The Man Animal by Emerson Hutt to which Stull is said to have compared his life was read to the jury. The story dealt largely with a man who had been lost in the wilderness. The man in the story made his own way providing food, clothes and shelter. The story was published in the Sat Eve Post Oct 20, 1906, 7 years and 4 days before the tragedy. It is the first time that a like incident ever happened in a trial in Indiana. In a conversation with Arlie one day he told me that John Stull killed Charlie Ellis but that he thought it was accidental. Arlie said when he aunt, Lillie Picket had some trouble with a man that John Stull carried a revolver and was going to kill the man on sight. He said John Stull laid for the man several weeks. Arlie laughed about it and I wondered that he would value life so lightly. Arlie told me about having the trouble with the Kentuckians and that he whipped two of them and offered to whip the third one but he wouldn’t fight. He seemed to be proud of the fact that he whipped them. Arlie also told me of the trouble he had with Joed Swank. When he came home from work I noticed some blood on his shirt and saw a cut over his eye. It was when I asked Arlie what caused it that he told me of it. He said Joed Swank had struck him over the eye with the pitch fork. Arlie said he ran to the engine and got the ax and would have cut Swank in two with it but some of them took the ax away from him. Arlie was not of a forgiving disposition. He had an inclination to hold a grudge. Arlie was going to whip Steve Davis, the Waynetown druggist because he had hear Davis told the Roxie Hart story. Arlie told me about it. It was concerning the letter writing and buggy riding and I told Arlie that perhaps what he had heard was only half true. After persuading him he dropped the matter and never carried out his threats against David. Arlie told me he got his fight blood from the Spinnings. He said Bill Spinning was his uncle and that he had killed two or three men. Arlie seemed proud that he had fighting blood in his veins. He said the first blow was the one that counted. He said that whenever he had a fight he was going to win by either fair or foul means. These things he told me made no impression on my mind at that time but when he and I became engaged in the difficulty they all recurred to me and made a profound impression. Arlie did learn of the correspondence between myself and Roxie Hart. He also learned where I kept the letters. I kept them under the floor in the attic upstairs. Arlie told me a short time after he came to our house in the summer of 1911 that he had found the letters. I only kept three letters. They were the ones I wrote to Allie Lewis the one I received from him and one from Roxie. The first difficulty I had with Arlie was on Oct 10, 1913. I was out about the barn helping Mr. Rusk repair a gasoline engine. Mrs. Runyan came out to the barn and said a few words and we started to the house. I took hold of her arm and she jerked away from me. I went on in the house and worked around a while when I noticed Edith was crying. I asked her what was the trouble and she told me she had found the letter. I __ it and tried to make it good and strong and asked her to show the letter. We both went upstairs and she got the letter out of my pocket. I recognized it as one I had received two years before. Edith demanded an explanation but I refused to make one because I felt it would make her unhappy. When Arlie came in from work, I whispered to him and told him that Edith had found a letter in my pocket and that she was going to ask him about it. I told him her future happiness depended on what he told her. He laughed in a peculiar manner and said, “Leave it to me, I’ll take care of it.” I went to an ordination service that afternoon and took Byron with me. When I was going home that evening my father-in-law met me and he asked about if we were having trouble over to our house? I said no, why? He told me Arlie had been there and told him we were having trouble. I then told him of the letter writing with Roxie Hart. I wanted him to go home with me and he said it was a matter between Edith and myself. I went on home and Edith was crying. I asked how she felt and she said she felt pretty blue. I started to tell her about it and she told me not to tell anything until Arlie came in. I called Arlie and he paraded in front of me and I told Edith all. I asked Edith if she wanted me to leave and she said she did not know but that she thought I ought to tell her folks about it. I pleaded with her on my knees for her mother’s sake not to tell them Arlie, however, said don’t let him work any sympathy racket, Edith, make him tell them. Arlie said there is another thing I want settled, You have been telling something I told you not to tell that is about my birth. I told him I had not and he said yes you have. He said he was going to ask down at my father in laws if I had told them. Runyan then related the trip to Squire Rusk’s home on the night of Oct 10 which was materially the same as was told by Mrs. Runyan and Lennie Osborne. You may state Mr. Runyan whether or not you had any ill feelings against Arlie because he had told Edith?
I did not. I was really glad Edith knew about it. Runyan then continued to narrate the happenings about his home and Stull’s action up to Thursday evening Oct 16. The story told by Runyan of these events were substantially the same as was told by his wife, Mrs. Edith Runyan.
Source: Same p 6
The defense in the Walter Runyan case, according to reports is trying to establish the fact that the defendant was so impressed by the things his wife told him concerning Arlie Stull that a great fear impelled the shooting. This defense suggests just the least bit of a tendence to place the blame on Mrs. Runyan. We suggest that her burden is plenty as matters stand. There are men, who, if members of a jury would be much more impressed if the direct claim of self-defense were made. If Runyan believed his life was in danger and if Stull was the stronger man no better defense could be found for the shooting. If the evidence proves beyond doubt that Runyan killed Stull in defense of his home, believe that his life and those of his wife and child were in danger, there seems to be no reason why the killing should be attributed to fear that was created by Mrs. Runyan. The theory of the defense suggest cowardice on the part of Runyan. To a layman it seems that both the state and the defense in the Runyan case have gone a long way around in order to get the truth of a tragedy that is not so very mysterious.
Source: Same p 6
If Walter Runyan had not flirted with a young woman his word would never have been questioned. This teaches us that the best of a reputation can’t survive a flirtation.