Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-04-05
Tfrom the Blairstown Gazette I
Correspondence.

into this county by rea son of a change of ven
ue is one ,ha, bat creates disgust iu the minds
Of all honorable people, and sense Of loath-
ing for the man who would he guilty Of COM
hitting the crime The details are revo!ting
and sickening; and yet it is intended 10 have
him cleared on the grounds of insanity; while \
we respect the attorneys for their efforts to \
clear him yet if he is cleared, on those grounds 4
We sha soon expect 10 lear that Satan him
elf was gone crazy and consequently is not |
esponsibe for the wickedness in tue world
The jurors are j. L. Bigley, selim George,
Loyal +. North J. ID. Spencer, Joseph Carriher
Valentine Boy le, W. L. ". Burke, J. NJ. Sher-.
ry G. ". Sheets Warren Elliott, Matthew
Brown George Hatfield.
u II. Scott, District Attorney, and Ex-Judge
Hubbard are prosecuting u ease, which is
defended by I. NJ. Preston and J. II. Murphy.
Below we give synopsis of the testimony
already given to the jury, condensed from the
written report.
n. Fisher called and sworn says:
| II am Coroner of lama county, Iowa; have
known tht defendunt for the last ten years.
On the Sth day Of October, 1866. vas called
10 hold an inques, on body which was badly
burned; the right leg having been burned off
by the knee; the clothes had been burned Oft;
it was the body of a woman; the scalp was
taken off by DR.. Daniels, which showed the
skull badly fractured
DR. Daniels called and sworn, said:
Il live in Buckingham and have known the
defendant for ten years; | knew his wife and
the coroner a. Fisher. Was called to make
an examination of the body of the wife at the
residence of Mr. Thomas; the body was burn
ed and the features entirely destroyed; the
skull was badly fractured, from near the cen>
ter Of the head to the extremity OF the skull
and another fracture from the same point to
the eve and another to the left ear the trac-
ture was about two inches in length and about
au inch and half in width there were 10
other marks of violence, except from the fire,
upon the person; the wound was sufficient to
/ cause Inconsistencies Immediately; found
a ring In the ear and fastened 10 the ear OF
the deceased; (which was here produced IN
open court) l suppose it is blood on it (ii
answer to question: l took it out OF thu
deneaseds ear; know Rvbeeca Feltervery we'll
she has not seen the ring since il has been II
i, my possession which has been since took j
from the ear of the deceased: l found TO 9th
er iewelry on tn. boly have had no conver
sation with the defendant in regard TO tn
murder. lie said he wanted to scare her wa
the reason he shot at her; he wanted to de
stroy everything SO she could not get il wa
the reason he burned the house.
CROSS EXAMINATION.
Il is about two miles from where live I
the place where the examination was held
made the examination on the 9th OF Octooe,
| saw the body on the 9Th Of October lynn
- some FIVE or six rods from the house; mad
no examination on the Sth, merely saw til
body; il was evident the head was injured {
re the hair was burned off from the front part
- the head and from around the wounds so ihi
they could be seen without difficulty Messf
Jaaue, Merits end Mcdowell were rresel
when passed the body on the sth; remail
went home, some of the by-s,anders leayil
,E at the same time; il was about o'clock.
IN. when was there; the house, winch was
frame building about one and hall stor'
y high was burned down; the body on the
was about two miles from where ii was on I
S,h; the clothing was all burned off; the h;
was burned from the front and sides Of I
head but not from the back Of the head; 9
res foot was entirely off, separated at the AM
1T joint; there were some bones about . or
feet from the building.
saw the defendant on the Sth some Q
n rods from the house lying near hay sta
feeble f, ON the loss of blood which came II
wound in the throat; his pulse indica
ur- that lie had lost great deal OF blood; he
led partly covered by al army blanket which
out around his head and shoulders leaving
olly lower part of the body exposed; | took av
the blanket to see who it was; might Il
toll! without but wanted to be certain; {
somo blood there but more at the house
no, trace the blood from TIE house to the
stack: the most blood was near the bon
dent there was a pool of blood which looked a
- it came from the dead body, rs from
wound In the head it would have bled |
rent fuselv: there was more blood or 10 fee,
which must have come from some other S
iect; this was towards the hay stack; the
~ PENDANTS clothes were bloody, his coat
vest being saturated with blood; the condi'
of the defendant was pale feeble, weak
awake: 1 asked him to take some stimult
which he did he was taken away by g
a. others, not by myself; his hair and whisl
- we're singed and there was blister on
lIr nose: I did not notice whether his clio,
were scorched or not had bandage
around his neck, as saw his throat was
after the stimulan,s we're given; l turned
his whiskers and saw the extent of the wo
which was about nine inches in length an.
inch and half in width did not prot
aves to see how deep it was; it must have
!. n. done with a sharp knife as the whiskers
~. =. cut on the left side, which think hind
the cutting or the wound would have
$3.50 more serious; I next saw the defendant
7,4O .o - Nr E,,,.r a;s,.nt from the .
p. NJ. "o"ss = 49,,
,v;rr woroo. 7 want IN dress the wound: there