Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-09-24
THE TURNER CASE.

| The trial Of NJ. " Turner, for the murder Of
Maria J. Waple, ended at Lock Haven on satur-
day last in verdict of aequittal. The case was
tried before Judge Mayer and jury Of twelve
citizens Of Clinton county. II lasted eleven days.
The proof, on the part Of the Commonwealth,
consisted of surgical testimony, showing tha, the
woman came to her death from two gun shot
wounds, one on the top of the head from load
of buckshot, and the other through the lung and
heart from rife ball of large size, and that the
shots by which these wounds were inflicted we're
heard from LIS to 1870 on Friday afternoon,
Nov Sd, 1876. Tho testimony directed to con.
meet Turner with the murder, consisted Of proof
that he had, from 1869 to June 1876, been hor
paramour, and that In that month they had
quarreled because Turner had whipped her boy
for taking down lag on the railroad, which had
t..- ri-.-a .L~-~ - ----- a--i~- - a--s--. mL-
defense met this by proof that the quarrel was
not serious one, and that the intimacy contin-
uei repeatedly un til The very week of tho woman's
death, so Is to show that there wal no motive for
him to kill her. The Commonwealth traced the
murdered woman on the day Of her death from
the railroad depot where she OF of the eleven
o'clock train, to go to her own house, and proved by
two young ladies', one Of whom was brought from
Iowa, that Turner went up the street after her,
toward her fathers house, and stopped and spoke
to her at her own cato. This was denied, and he
proved by one witness ard by circumstances that
ho did not speak to her and that the young ladies
we're probably mistaken in the day. Il was
proved by John Rice that Turner got up from his
dinner first, went out of the house, and was seen
by Rice no more about the house until In the
evening, when he told him he had been out hunt
ing that day and had good shots, but got nothing.
Turner denied this, and at the inquest swore that
be told Rice be was hunting on Thursday and
not Friday. Rice was attacked, and his strength
as witness broken down. for it came out that
his real name was not John Rice, but was Alex
Levey, and that he had deserted wife aud child
10 the State Of New York. lie denied this on the
stand but was confronted with his former wifewho
produced her marriage certificate, and thus his
credibility was badly damaged
Turner also proved by three witnesses that he
did not leave the house, but was there engaged
at a sand pile and handing up boards from l
o'clock to 1:I5. Williams and his wife testified
that Turner was out hunting on Friday, as he
was at their houae with his gun about o'clock
in the afternoon and said be had been hunting
but the defense called Urich and his wife, who
lived within sight Of Wlliams,' and they testi-
fed that he was out on Thursday called at their
house with his gun and Mrs. ulrich swore that
she was where she would have seen him on Fri.
day If he had passed between and $3.50 O'Clock,
and ho did not pass. She also named people
who actually did pass, which Mrs, Williams
could not do
1t was proved on part Of the prisoner by five
witnesses that he was at wallaceten from LIS to
205, and, therefore, could not possibly have been
the person who fred the shots heard at l'lb to
lao.
The Commonw wealth also proved certain tracks
leading from the body in the direction Of VIII.
Jams, which they said were Turner'S, and liii
on The heel Of his boot was said by some Of the
witnesses to be visible In some Of these tracks.
The testimony on this subject was rather inde6n-
ite. Il was proved by Lyman, one Of the
Commonwealth witnesses, that he and Turner
were out hunting in that locality on Wednesday
before the murder, aud thus all certainty as to
the tracks being those Of Turner'S, made on the
day Of the murder, was lost.
Il was proved that Tarner had said, in August
1876, in the hearing Of Mrs. Gray, to Mrs Wa
pie, whom he gave her 50 in Goss' store, that !
the asked him for any more money, he would
blow her brains out but don, who was in the
store then, swore he heard no such conversation
and saw no such money paid. Grafius testified
to Turner talking to him about what his wife
would swear, and saying that everybody, ever
the Almighty, was down on him, end be did mol
care what became Of him that this conversation
was In Joe Miller's barn and they had liquor
and Turner was crying. II was also proved thai
Turner talked recently to Snyder yet Snyder
was not called to prove what 1t was about koyei
swors that Snyder said the man he saw on Friday
afternoon, near his aeld, looked like Tom Waple
and Snyder sworc that Strickland took the Hts
OF Turner's boots after be was arrested, and said
that heel wouldn't do for the track.
The Commonwealth put in evidence Turner'S
gun as the instrument Of the crime, and also hi'
boots and the clothes Of the murdered woman. Dr.
Reed testified that the wound In the tody was a
large one,andtha at the po'i morism be had intro
duced his fingers into the entrance and er, Of The
ball, until they nearly met. The waterproof
cloak and clothing showed hole made by q lafs'
bullet. The defense produced the gun, and
proved by Snyder that II was Turner'S gun, and
then produced bullet Of the siro that would a
the gun, which the me dieal experts testified wal
too small to make the wound, as the bullet wal
In fact but large buck shot, ll2 to the Poand
} The ride barrel was an exceedingly email one, an'
} whilst the straighteut barrel was very iarg'
one, a bullet from It would have made muei
larger opening than was found in the body.
, Judge Mayer delivered an impartial aud able
I charge to the jury on Saturday morning. Th'
J Jury was out Abort two and one-bslf hour, wbe'
! they retu rned a verde, Of "Not guilty I" Tn
Court room was dsassly packed, and the verde
was arplsudsd by tho audience but 'he's mani
fe.,ations we're quickly stopped BY tho oeart-
Turner Is acquitted after being nine hundrea
. days 10 jail. aud the mystery Of the murder .
Maria J. wApls is stiil unsolved.