Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-06-29


witness in the Mead case Harris is
now serving a life sentence in the state
prison at Waupun where he was sent a
few years ago for the murder of q
farmer in the town Of Lind, Waupaca
county.
Harris has said on more than one
occasion that he knew something about
the murder, but Prior is the only one
Of the present defendants that his state
ment connects with the crime.
! The cross eXamina ton of Sherman
was resumed this morning. The wit
ness said that when he went to work
for Sam Stout soon after the murder he
held his place as bartender only a
short time as Stout accused him of
eaVesdropping. Sherman said it was
true that he played the eavesdropper
and admitted that he had had trouble
with both Sam and Frank Stout.
He was asked to describe the circum-
stances under which he found the bloody
| trousers in Sam StOut's ice-house, and
he found them when he was shovel
ing away the sdwdust in order to get
out some ice for the saloon. There
was blood on the front of the trousers,
he said, and after he made the discoy-
! cry he saw Sam Stout take them into
, the house and go toward the stove.
He was not positive whether Stout
put the bloody clothing into the stove
or not, but not long afterward he heard
conversation between Stout and E. c..
Bronson in Il StOre-rOOm behind Stout's
bar, and overheard Stout say he had
burned the trousers. He could not re-
member anything said by Bronson on
that occasion.
! Judge Cate got through with Sherman
shortly before neon and Mr. Quarles
then took the witness in hand for re-
direct examination. He repeated his
statement that he was under the inf1u-
ence of liquor when he testified at the
preliminary hearing of Prior in New
London and said that the liquor he
drank was given to him by Frank
Stout,
The witness said the offense for
Which he was sent to the state prison
was stealing four bottles of beer in
lola. When MI Quarles got through
questioning Sherman Mr. Fell1er took a
turn at cross examining the witness.
One OF the sensations of the trial oc-
CURED when Sherman blurted cut in re-
spouse to question put by Mr.. Felker:
Frank Stout gave me $3.50 to skip the
country and not come back to Wau-
paca.' This remark and one that
Sherman followed it with telling of the
fear that imPelled him to lie at New
London caused considerable confusion
in the court room, which made ,gudge
Bardeen decidedly angry and caused
him TO silence the crowd an a peremp-
tory manner. Sherman then left the
witness stand and was taken back to
Jail,
! MIS-. OrlOndo Bills was the meXt wit
ness and the prosecution expected her
! to testify regarding q conversation be-
! tween Banker Mead and Bronson, but
she declared she c0uld not remember
anything about such a conversation
The attorneys for the state were some
what put out by this and sought to
question Mrs. Bills regarding the state
ments made 10y her before the grand
jury. The defense objected to this pro
ceeding, and fudge Bardeen ordered the
jury withdrawn from the room while
the point was argued.
Clarence Sherman has been the sub.
ject of more conversation and the OBJ
5ect of More attention than anybody
else concerned i'm the gfead case, since
sle gave such damaging testimony
against Prior, Stout and Bronson
1 Women went JEp and shook hands with
4 him after court adjourned and flowers
were bestowed upoR him and he
seemed TO rather enjoy it all. This was
: before Judge Cate began to crOss-ex
| mine him.
J When the grim old lawyer put Sher
man on the gridiron Elis situation was
robbed Of all ITS pleasant features and
he sweat like a man IN a Turkish bath
! Judge Cate has as little sense of humor
as a dried herring, and he does not
! conceal his contempt for the pleas
{ ant1y and Chaff that other lawyers in
J trGduce TO vary the tedit1m of court
i proceedings
s He is tremendously in earnest. and
q witness whose story is at all shaky
becomes a webbing object of pity
when the judge gets after him. Sher
man held a handkerchief in his hands
and tugged at it nervously while he
was on the stand. When Attorney
F'elker Numbered at him Did you Kill
Mead*' he was disconnected feg a mo-
ment and stumbled for an answer.
Sherman has stuck through thick and
tlnn to his statement that Prior and
Stout came into the Fulton livery barn
on the night of the murder and washed
themselves. He seems to have been
consistent on this point in nearly all
Of the stories he has told at differ
ent times, some Of which he confesses
were lies told for purposes Of his
own
The defense will attack his credibility
as witness and also that OF Jerome
Naylor, the old man who said he was
present when Bronson borrowed Abel
Barnes gun. Sherman once tried to
escape from Waupaca jail, where he is
now a prisoner, but stuck fast between
two window bars and could neither
get out nor in He made an outcry and
the sheriff came and eXtricated him.
San Stout once had Sherman arrested
on charge of breaking into his saloon
and stealing cigars.
The defense will endeavor to prove
an alibi for each Of the three defend