Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1893-05-19
MoXLEY CASE AFFIRMED.
Marion Moxley, the Wife Murderer, Must
Serve the State Fourteen Years.


The Moxley case is familiar to nearly every
citizen in Charlton county, having been in
the courts for more than seven years.
Mr.. and Mrs. Marion Moxley resided near
Pee Dee. this county. Their domestic rela-
tions were not of the most pleasant ma
ture. and on the night of October 1 9th, 1885.
Mrs. Moxley died very Unexpectedly. Her
remains were deposited in an adjacent ceme-
terry. Some OF the neighboring women who
hid prepared Mrs. Monkeys body for burial
noticed, as they expressed it, that ''her neck
was limber,- and from this, suspicion OF foul
play continnd to grow until finally the body
OF the dead woman was exhumed by DIR. r. b.
Philpott, coroner. who held a post mortem
examination, ard found that the woman's
neck had been broken.
warrant was then sworn out for Moxley,
who, in the mean time. had gone to the In
dian Territory. and was stopping at his
father-fn-law's, John W. Richardson's. The
papers authorizing Moxley's arrest were
placed in the hands OF Sheriff Moore, who
quietly left for Indian Territory and returned
In few days with his maa, and lodged him
In iuil.
The next grand jury returned an indict
msnt against Moxley for murder in the first
degree, but the case did not go TO trial until
April, 1887, when the defendant was convict
ed of murder in the second degree and SEN
fenced to thirty-three years in the peniten-
tisry. This verdict was subsequently set
aside by Judge Burgess on the grounds of n
detective indictment.
The next trial took place in October, 1888,
end again resulted in a verdict OF guilty, and
the sentencing of Mo1ley to twenty years in
the penitentiary.
An appeal was taken by defendants at
tornsys to the supreme court, Moxley GO
ing on to the state prison pending the decis-
Ion OF the higher court, which thirteen months
afterward reversed the decision of the lower
court and remanded the case back to this
county for trial. Moxley then returned from
the penitentiary and gave bond for his ap-
pearance at the next term of circuit court.
The case next went to trial in April, 1891, q,
and resulted in the sentencing OF Moxley to
the penitentiary for fourteen years.
An appeal was again taken to the supreme
court, Moxley giving bail pending the result,
and on last Monday the decision OF the lower
court was affirmed. and Sheriff Dempsey was
telegraphed by Attorney General Walker to
arrest Moxley and hold him for further or
ders. The arrest was made by Deputy Sher-
in Dempsey at q late hour Monday night.
md on Wednesday morning Supreme Court
Marshal s. Z. holland arrived from Jefferson
City and returned with MoIley on the 11:25
east-bound train the same morning.
During some time last year Moxley was
married to a Mrs. Cook. Notwithstanding the
serious charges against him. and OF which he
had been convicted three times in the lower
court. MoIley Is now 40 years OF age.
In the affirming decision OF the supreme
court, handed down Monday by Judges Sber-
wood and Gantt, Judge Sherwood is quoted
as saying that he would not disturb the ac-
ton OF the jury, but at the same time init
mated that had he been on the jury he would
have probably been for acquittal.
This seems to be rather q queer iungling OF
the merits OF the MoIley case to us, as we
had always supposed that the higher courts
were for the purpose Of correcting the mis-
takes OF juries in courts below and righting
the wrongful or unjust decisions OF lower
court judges.