The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-12-18

shANoycnbcr TcFm sf Cedar
District CouPt.
(Reported expressly for the ADvERrrsER.l
The State Of Iowa, District Court
W. Cedar Co, Iowa.
J. F. Muxzy and
Chas. Ridgeway. November Term.
The trial began on the afternooa OF
Tuesday, Dec. I'd, and closed with
the argument Of Mr.. Cook at 3:4j p.
NJ. Of Thursday Dec. 4th.
The testimony was begun by ,he
prosecution by introducing J. l.
Rowell, who, being duly sworn, testi.
fed as follows:
Resided in Upton last April At
time Of robbery. Was engaged in
the ewclry and school book business.
On the morning Of 9th Of April last.
Hicks came to my house aud said
somebody had gone through my
store; got up and come down as soon
as could and found that stone had
been thrown the window Of the front
door, and the doors opened SO that
they had clear sweep through the
store; that they had picked q hole
in safe, put in powder and blown it
open and taken out the goods. Left
shop evening before between ? and
10 o'clock-windows down and every
thing fastened up MS usual. The
property stolen belonged TO myself
and to customers, watches were most
" customers, finger rings. bracelets,
&C., were mine and kept for sale.
Thirty-four watches were taken the
probable value Of which was e250-
bracelets were worth probably e50-
finger rings probably &l5--I also had
in the neighborhood Of 800 worth
Of old silver taken and little old
Din with it. Got the property all
back again, except two watches, from
Sheriff Shearer next Tuesday after
l left this property in safe
the evening before burglary; found
the building open when went down
after burglary; the glass had been
picked out and the Burglars had
crawled through and unscrewed the
catch on the door, let themselves in.
went to back door and opened that
and had clean sweep through the
the safe had been blown
open. The burglars had pick and
drill: made hole in door of safe
near lock, put in powder and blew the
door open; found a pick there next
and screw driver, / think
also q sledge hammer and brace
that belonged To- the blacksmith here
in town.
Wm. Cro,ctosu'---Was acquainted
with Joseph Muzzy, and had been
personally, since last March (1873) !;
was induced to come here by letters
from Muzzy; came with intention and
for the purpose of robbing the safe in
Treasurer's Office. Answered letters
| received from Muzzy; received two
o. three letters before came out:
have one Of these letters he wrote me
but have none OF those l wrote him;
l wrote three or four to him prior to
out; do not know where these
letters (my letters to him) are, unless
he has them; he acknowledged to me
that he received them. The let
ters written in answer to those re-
ceived from NJ. were signed either
Joe or Joe Wilson. ! answered the
first one latter part Of Jan'y, thst was
the introducing NJ; received I'd let
Ter shout the middle of Feb'y and
immediately answered il; got third
letter about 1st March, that letter
brought me out here: the 18th letter
received some 10 days before l
came out here last time. Started out
here immediately. Letter dated
Feb'y 26, '13, shown witness. That
10 letter that brought me here, Re-
,cived it about LIST March from my
wife; That is the same signature that
was on the others except they were
signed in full; the first was signed in
full-the others were l think, but
we're not SO hard to make out as this
1ne; we had trouble making this one
,ut. Had . conversation last March
With NJ. and he said he had received
nv letters, or I would not have come
,ut. Inever knew NJ. before, never
Knew there was such man before
asst Christmas. The first letters /
received from NJ. l destroyed, sup
pose; don't know whether ] or my
wife destroyed them, think l did.
That letter (the one produced) | gave
o q man named Fraleigh. That let
;e- was brought here by my friends
md given to my wife. Think l gave
Fraleigh the letter in Little Falls.
New York; that man John Fraleigh
,ame with me when came here last
March. Just before last Christmas,
was in New York City and friend
If mine named Dean showed me let.
;er written by Muzzy.
The defendants attorneys object
ng to witness testifyipg to the letter
written to Dean, the Court ruled that
t was inadmissable, and the witness
proceeded to answer questions legit-
allowable rs follows:
received the 1st letter sometime
about the latter part of Jan'y; sup
pose that was destroyed, think /
burnt it right after reading in Roch-
ester. Ny wife got it and brought
i to me. The I'd letter was received
n Little Falls, my wife handed it to
wife got all my letters first.
The Sd and 4th letters / received in
Little Falls. Think l destroyed the
lst and I'd letters, gave the Sd to
Fraleigh and that my wife destroyed
the 4th. The FIRST letter Of NJ. to me
said "that he had had a letter from
Frank Dean and that Frank had rec
him to me and he wanted
to know if l would come out here to
Iowa and conduct job" That was
about the contents of LIST letter. ]
answered the letter and said ! would
II it was . big thing and inquired
what it was. He wrote back and
said i was the county Treasury, and
said sebod in good place and was
easy got; that there was q safe and
vault and in March and April there
was never less than from 10000 to
lOO, 600 dollars in the safe and that /
should bring good kit of tools. l
then wrote to him and requested .