Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-05-17
THE DISTRICT COURT.
Trial and Conviction of Jas. Stroll, for As
sault with Intent to Kill.

~ numerous, tnaC III created intense
excitement in the community, and there
was manifested more than usual inter-
est in the detection and punishment of
the criminals. The advent, simultane-
ously with the crime, of Stroll and his
pal, Rourke, alias Henderson, with the
well known desperate character and
criminal record of the former, naturally
directed popular suspicion toward these
parties Tn the absence of evidence
connecting them with the assault. they
were committed to jail ten days for va
grancy. In this interval, facts came to
light that not only showed the motives
which Stroll could have for the COM
mission Of such crime, but also showed
that he had actually threatened ON sew
eral occasions to have revenge against
Sidney Toman. OF these threats, how
ever, the victim nor any of his friends
had anything but the vaguest sort of
intimation, until brought out in the
evidence. Other facts and suspicious
circumstances were developed, all tend
ing to indicate the probable connection
of Stroll, Rourke and an unknown par
ty with the murderous attempt.
An exhaustive preliminary examina-
ton was had, which only served to
strengthen the chain of circumstances
around the accused parties, and they
were fully committed for trial, under
bonds of $4,000 each The trial of
Stroll commenced last Wednesday, as
already recorded in these columns The
District Attorney, Mr. Powers, assisted
by H. W. Holman Esq, represented the
State, and M. V. Cannon Esq, of DAY.
export, and G. E. Ransier, of this city,
conducted the defense. The trial con-
sumed four days and nights, during
which time large number of witnesses
were examined and their testimony
thoroughly sifted. This does not pre-
tend to be minute account of the trial
and we cannot therefore make mention
of anything but the general features of
the evidence.
That introduced by the State showed
that Stroll had, in the presence of DIFF
ferent parties, and at different times,
indicated his purpose to murder young
Toman and other members of the fami-
ly, in revenge for articles in this paper,
referring to his criminal career. 1t
showed his arrival in this city from the
west, at an early hour Of the evening of
the day of the attempted murder. Part
ly by their own admissions, it traced
Stroll and Rourke from the Burlington
railroad up round the Court House,
thence to the neighborhood of the Cen
trail depot, where another person, as yet
unknown, had joined the party. In this
vicinity both Stroll and Rourke were
recognized by different parties, and aft
erwards identified, and here they were
seen, just before the time at which the
crime was committed, going in the di-
rection of the scene of the assault, and
one of them was heard to say, Come
on, boys, or we will not be in time to
head them off, " or words to that effect.
The clothes worn by Stroll were iden-
titled by Toman as very similar to those
worn by his assailant; his neck
tie and breast-pin being also
accurately described 1t was
shown that subsequent to the crime, two
parties answering the description of
Stroll and his pal were seen hurrying
down a by-path. leading from the Ill.
Central r. r. bridge to the Burlington
depot, in the direction of the latter, and
here, half an hour after the assault, the
same parties were seen by the station
agent, washing their handkerchiefs at
the atcr-tank, and moved off at his ap-
proach. 1t was shown that overcoats
claimed by Stroll and Rourkc, in the
pockets of one of which was a cap, were
the same evening found secreted under
the platform of the mill; that the cap
was similar to that worn by the man
who made the assault, and that it show
ed by the cobwebs attached to it that it
had been on the head of it's owner when
he went under the platform. 1t was in
evidence, also, that wet handkerchiefs
were found in the pockets of the over
coats, and that they showed blood stains
imperfectly washed out Confrmatory
of the theory of guilt to which this
chain of circumstances pointed, was the
direct testimony of two other witnesses,
one of whom, who had been an inmate
of the penitentiary with Stroll, testified
that he had seen Stroll in the jail few
days before the trial, and that the latter
had said to him, in effect, that the kill
ing had been only half done this time
but that he (StrohD would "finish" To-
man the next opportunity that offered
The other witness referred to was an in.
mate of the Jail for some weeks after
Strohl's arrest, and testified that on one
occasion, when whisky was conveyed in.
to the jail, not for the purpose, as
stated by our contemporary, OF getting 9
confession from anybody, but surrepti
tiously, and without the knowledge OF
consent of the Sheriff Stroll acknowl
edged having been present when the at
tack was made, that Rourke was the
party who rode on the rear of the bug
gy to the Central depot, and that he
(StrohD hung on behind, and never
took such id long steps in his life"
This, in brief, is the outline of the cv
idence for the prosecution. That fol-
the defense was mainly intended tt
throw discredit upon the witnesses an(
testimony introduced by the State, ant
to establish an alibi. In pursuance Of
the latter effort, two witnesses, one /;
boy, were put upon the stand, WHIT
swore that they saw Stroll in town
about 7 o'clock p. NJ, or one-half tt
three quarters of an hour before the as