Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-01-05
ACQUITTED.
why Ia0c Willtamh, OF COlumisi
Co, WIS, Killed Her Father.
a Wisconsin Jury Agrees That There
IN ~ Just Limit 10 Human
Endurance.
And We Think our Readers will
Agree With Them.

SolutilUit tOuhth. w 49, VII 'litTSt vi
killing her father, by stabbing him &c
the heart with a pair of shears. OF
large scissors. on the 18th of August
last, has just concluded at Portage
The defendant was allowed to make
in court statement in her own be.
half. the substance of which we give
below, simply adding that her story
accords with the attendant circuln.
stances. and that a number of wit
nesses testified to having heard the
deceased. on previous occasions
threaten to kill Jane and other mem
bers of the family. James testimony
was in substance as follows:
Our family. since my mothers
death. has consisted of my father. my
brother William. and myself: my
father was almost always drunk
when not drunk he used to be kind 10
us all when drunk he was often very
violent: he often cursed me. anI
Knocked me down. and threatened Ia
kill me; (witness narrated .circum.
stantially a number of such occasions :,
on Thursday, week before this oc.
currence, he had knocked me down
with pitch-fork. and threatened to
run the tines through me my brother
William aud my sister-in-law wert
present: ] was so injured and fright
ened that | was sick for week. and
could not work. One day about that
time. the cattle got into the oattield
he blamed me for it, and said he
would cut my head off with the AK
and kick ii into the street: the neNt
night he got mad at my sewing ma.
chine. because il disturbed him: Ii,
called il Il hfesliing-nacllinc." and
threatened to ..kick the d----n thing
out of the house, Saturday l went
down town to get some things for the
family: willie 1 was in Anderson
store saw father go into liardege's
saloon | WGni III ,here. and for III
excuse to get him out asked him tC
carry home the things ! had bought
he wanted 10 know why coIlldn'l
carry them home myself; told him
j had to go around by my sister's, and
get a pail of bnttermiik: when got
home after going to my sisters ]
found my father home: my brother
was reading to him something from 6
newspaper; when ii began TO grow
dark i got up 10 light a lamp, so thai
| could see TO do some mcnding; by
and by my brother stopped reading
then | said. 80 deur. Wishliat grave
was fixed: :" ] meant q taiiol's grave
next TO my mothers in the graveyard
so that ! could go and plant some
flowers on my mothers grave; then
father said l;--d d--n yaur soul IL
hell you're all the lime 9oin" nf
about that grave; yon will be i'll hi
in half an hour" then he jumped NJ
and came toward me: my brother
asked him what he was going to do
he said :"BV is Gh---st I'm going tt
kill her." he ran to me. and jerEed mt
down, and kicked me in the side:
yelled "Murderm my brother seizcC
my father asollpd the waist and held
him back !; got up and started iol
the door to go ont he seized me by
the hair and asked me where | wa
going: said down to my sisters; Ia
said no | wasn't was @oin" Ia bel
in just about a minute: said lac hat
been threatening 10 Kill nae Ions
| enough. now he was going 10. do il
but was goin to beat me biarlser than
andy d--n nigger ever was. iiPsi. nay
brother again seized him about til,
waist and tried to drag him away:
went 10 the stairway and sal down OF
| the bottom, stair; ! was not going up
stairs. was going Out of doors, but
was so tired and hurt and frightened
! that ! had to sit down: 4 was holding
III, l~r,a1. flt ,pi
pushed the door open; he had a kniit
i'm his hand. and swore he was going
to kill me said he wonld cut my head
J Off: he took me by the hair and held
my head back with one hand. holding
! his open knife i'm the other: he cursed
and sworc III me, and tried to spit to-
bacco spit in my face, and tried IL
spit in my eyes, but shut them sc
! that he couldn't do that: gave ,
1 spring and jerkcd away from him
and ran under his hand into the kitch
en-: AS jumped he struck at me witt
the knife, and cut me in the back ol
the head felt the warm blood run.
ming down my neck and back whei
4 ran 10 the kitchen he followed me
and corncred me in the corner where
1 the sewing machine, and other thing
had been work with, were Their,
were some shears there--therc wer,
three pair of shears and scissors abou
the house: had pair Of shears il
my hand, but don't know whether
I picked them up then or had had then
! in my hands ever since ! had been a
work mending: was so confused
and frightened my father knocked
me down and pounded my head witt
his feet !: my brother was doing all ht
could 10 pull my father away from
me: that gave me Il chance to get up
and l ran for the door; my father go
hold Of me again and held my heat
back, feeling for my throat with TIN
other hand-the one that had his opel
knife in; j know cried murder,
| but l don't know what did what
did to my father don't know; wa
scared to death---thought ] cds dead
when the nelghbors came in ] don
know what ] said to them then Capt
Deering arrested me and put me in
the calabOose.'
Her brother William tcstimon,
corroborated the girls statement, ant
the jury, after few minutes absence
brought i'm a verdict OF acquittal.