Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-12-10
WILLARD MURDER CASE.
JURY SECURED AND TRIAL BEGUN
The Court Room Crowded-Opening
Addresses by the Opposing Attor-
neys-Testimony Taken.

All day Monday and yesterday up to thre
O'Clock were occupied in getting a jury in tn
Millard murder case. which is now on tria
In the Kent Circuit Court Seventy sum
mons were issued. and after the rejectio,
OF %, jury Of twelve good men and tru
were finally secured. They are Milo Edison
OF Walker township. Warner West. of Alpin,
and james DeKeator, Byron Sprague, 4. q
Warner, Geo. l.. Freeman, John Daily. Elol
u. Eaton, James McKeeyer. Andrew j. An
ker, G. L. Love and I. wv. Greenley. of thi.
city. The trial is attracting considerable at
tenilon, the court room being crowded al
day long. 1t was patient, anxious. well.
behaved crowd, and embraced all grades O,
occupation and social standing. Inside O,
the rail were seated the attorneys for the
prosecution and defense, all from Ionia. In
the row of chairs just inside of the railing
sat the respondent with his young daughter
sitting upon his knee. while around him SAT
over dozen lady witnesses from Palo.
the respondents home. Immediately
after the jury were sworn Mr.. Nc
Geary, one of the attorneys for the
prosecution stated the history of the case
from their standpoint of observation. He
informed them as to the great responsibility
they were under, cautioning them to Judge
according to the law and evidence. The
prosecution had the burden of proof and the
despondent should have the benefit of every
doubt. The jury must guard his rights with
sacred care; they were the mirrors which
must reflect the evidence in the case. The
prosecution will endeavor to satisfy the iurv
that Mrs. Millard was murdered: will try
and satisfy You that she came to her death
by poison feloniously administered by the
respondent. The evidence of the prosecu-
tion Is not direct but purely circumstantial,
ana that evidence is such as must establish
beyond all reasonable doubt the guilt of the
accused. Convicted on the former trial the
case was appealed to the Supreme Court. the
verdict set aside and the respondent properly
moved for change of venue. The defend
ant mas been engaged in business of manu-
featuring wagons and farming. The
prosecution will endeavor to show cir
cumstances In his conduct prior to the sick
ness of his wife which will verify our view of
the case; that shortly after her death he
went to the undertaken to get arsenic, repre-
senting that he wanted it to embalm the
body, stating that he wanted to
urd Iror ~sfhs-eo oos "a ~i.>,- p>4-as4 and
dertaker's caskets. The undertaken hesitated
q hnnf fbo
nine and the respondent requested him to
say nothing about it to anybody. The prose-
cution will prove other circumstances by
witnesses, such as the respond
ent's associations with other parties, and
principally that his conduct toward his wife
before and just after her death indicated.
within reasonable bounds, his guilt, which
will be substantiated by the evidence. Mr..
McGrary' IS remarks covered the whole ground
and outlined every detail embraced in the
plan of the prosecution, the main tenor of
which was that the evidence would adduce
such proof as would thoroughly establish
their claims. As soon as Mr.. McGeary sat
down Maj. A. B. Morse arose and presented
the view of the defense to the jury. An ac-
quaintance with a man is either one of
enmity or friendship. This jury knowing
nothing of the facts in the case, their minds
are like piece of white paper, the mind be-
ing clear of any mark for or against the re-
spondent, and he stands innocent until
proven guilty. 1t will be the duty of the de-
Tense to meet some of the facts claimed
against this man by the prosecution. II
will be the duty of the jury to scan closely
every particle of evidence and to see that
malice has not interferred with the
truth. The defence will show by
the friends and sister and relatives the
relations between the accused and his wife
were of the most tender, close and loving
nature. 1t will be proven by witnesses who
ought to know about il. that the character of
the principal witness is bad, that he is a con-
victed thief, that he was in the employ of the
respondent and. discharged, and that his
action in the case is prompted by venom and
malice, that he endeavored TO set the wife of
the respondent against her husband by writ
ing anonymous letters accusing him of hav-
ing sexual intercourse with Miss Mitchell.
That when this letter had no operation upon
the woman's mind he sent another letter
the respondent with not only hav-
ing sexual intercourse with Miss Mitchell.
but also other women IN Palo. When that
failed he sent another letter stating that the
respondent visited houses Of I'll fame while
away from home. The defense viii show
that the relations between the witness and
were friendly up 10 the time Of
his discharge that the testimony of Some Of
the witnesses is prompted by malice and ven
ONO diseased imagination that the woman
was in i'll health and suffering from diff
Guilty from which she was liable TO die at any
time. That she wss taken sick the
day before her husband came home That she
had symptoms similar 10 any other sickness
Mr.. Morse asked the jury 10 pss psrficalsf