The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-04

"No, sir"
"Do you hold any county, state or fed
eral office"
mo"
"Do you know any reason why you are
incapacitated for serving as juror at
this trial?"
"Only that have done jury service in
this county within two years"
will you serve impartially and decide
the case according to the law and the
evidence?"
eyes, sir"
Mr.. Hungate was challenged by the
prosecution. The questions and an
swers of the others were much the
same. They had all read the JOURNAL
accounts except two.
One Man Hadn't Heard of It.
During the long series of examina-
tions one ideal juror was found. He
was Samuel Oldfeld, who lives up on a
little farm two miles from Rossville.
Mr.. Oldfield neither reads nor writes,
and had therefore not read the newspa-
per accounts of the murder. He didn't
know there had been a killing until he
was called on for jury service.
His only disqualification was that
Chief Wilkerson, the leader of the pros
ecution, once threw him out of
the house when he (Wilkerson)
was sheriff. For this the osecution
feared that Oldfeld might be prejudiced
against Mr. Wilkerson's testimony and
he was challenged.
According to the Kansas law in crimi-
nal practice the defense has twelve
rights of challenge and the state or pros
ecution has six.
The original jury as they first went
into the box were:
William Reeder, Peter He'll.
W. Il. Burton, W. H. Troutman,
S. T. Cromwell, John Whitlow,
Jacob Harris, c. E. DeLong.
r. y. Black, A NJ. II. Claudy,
James Jordan, C. l. DeRandamie.
Jurors Challenged.
During the examination the following
jurors were either disqualified or chal-
lenged for cause: Peter He'll, c, G.
Blakely, W. w. Phillips, j. ]. Schneider,
w. H. Burton, w. II. Troutman, 81. D.
Bailey, A J. Hungate, George Bradford,
B. 7. Payne, S. T. Cromwell, John Whit
low, James Dwyer, E. E. Straight,
c. E. De Long, J. F. Dumont, Sim
Watts, F. 0. Black, C. L. De Randamie,
Willis Edison, Samuel Oldtield, Hira N
Higgins, j. B. Sims, Albert Earnest.
At the opening of the trial of Frank
Nevels this afternoon all but one of the
jurors had been selected The state had
=
defense had taken advantage of eleven
of their twelve challenges. A. K. Full =
ford was selected as the twelfth juror
and the jury was completed. The per-
sonnel OF the jury as it will remain dur
ing the trial is:
The Jury.
William Reeder, Jerome Long,
G. @. Wagner, A. c. Hayes
C.. w. Wright, Jack Harris,
J. w. Keck, S. III. Crockett,
A N. H. Claudy, A H. Slayton,
James Jordan, A be Fulford
At 2:15 County Attorney Stafford be-
gan his statement of the states case to
the jury. He had a chart made on a
large sheet of white paper showing the
plan of the Matson house. Mr. Stafford
reviewed carefully the particulars of the
finding of Mrs Matson's body on Dec
30. Then he went into the nature of the
evidence against Nevels and related fully
what the prosecution expects to prove.
Mr. Stafford recounted first the conf CT
ing and false stories which sent the Off
cers on false chases all over Kansas and
into Missouri and Texas. Then he told
how doc" Ward found the slung-shot in
the apron that was wrapped over Mrs.
Matson's head and traced the ownership
of it to Nevels beyond all doubt
''We expect to prove that Nevels was
party to the crime" Mr.. Stafford said in
in closing, ''and if we do so we expect a
verdict of guilty whether Nevels struck
the death blow or not
The attorneys for the defense made no
statement.
A young man named W. NJ Rupp, one
of the most important witnesses for
Nevels is in Kansas City, Mo-, and the
defense claimed they could not proceed
unless he was present. Judge Hazen
issued an attachment for the missing
witness.
At 900 the examination of the states
witnesses was commenced. Police Ser =
geant Tim Donovan was the first witness.
WILL BE BRUCELYNCH
1t Is Said Gov. Morrill, Will Make Him