Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-12-19
THE STILLWELL MURDER.
DR.. French, Formerly of This City, is
10th to Believe the Hearnes
Guilty of the Crime.

Guilty of the Crime.
DIR. Pinckney French in the st. Louis General
Practitioner.
On August IS, 1895, the Grand Jury
at Hannibal, Missouri, returned an in
dictment for murder in the first de-
gree against DIR. ]. G. Hearne and wife,
for the murder of MI. Amos j. Still
we'll several years ago. At the time
of the murder, the present Mrs. DIR.
| Hearne was the wife of Mr.. Stillwell,
who was murdered by a blow from an
ak at the dead hour of night. Within
a year after this terrible affair, DIR.
Hearne and Mrs. Stillwell were mar
ried; already under suspicion, this act
served to increase the indignation and
melted the people of Hannibal to al
most open threats of violence. DIR.
and Mrs. Hearne then removed to st.
Joseph, Missouri, and subsequently to
San Diego, California. About one
year ago the San Francisco Chronicle
published a review of the celebrated
murder in connection with the report
of the divorce proceedings between
| the doctor and his wife. DIR. Hearne
| was greatly incensed at the reflections
and intimations cast upon him in the
article, and promptly sued the paper
for damages. The great metropolitan
paper, backed by influence and wealth,
instigated the accumulation of testi-
mony which resulted in the Indictment
referred to above.
The murder was singularly atrocious
and brutal. Mr.. Stilwell was a repre-
sentative citizen and probably the
wealthiest resident of Hannibal; he
was a business man of rare ability,
and one of the most useful men in that
little city, and the citizens were deep
ly outraged at his untimely and brutal
death.
DIR. Joseph G. Hearne was n of the
most prominent medical men in the
State. He was appointed by Gov.
| Marmaduke a member of the State
Board of Health, and was elected its
first Secretary. He was also Chief
Surgeon of the Hannibal & st. Joseph
railroad, and as a physician he was
exceedingly popular, numbering
among his patients many of the best
families of Hannibal and Northeast
Missouri. With more than average
ability, with a well-earned, extensive
and lucrative practice his position and
surroundings were such as to cause
his friends to have high anticipations
of his future career. Like most men,
DR.. Hearne is not without fault; i'm
petuous TO a high degree, he is given
to hasty speech and injudicious action;
of a defiant and %intolerant spirit he
invites opposition and antagonism,
which menace his professional sue
cess; and yet, the writer never doubt
ed the purity of his motive or the in
tegrity of his character, and will be
slow to believe him guilty of such an
unprovoked murder.
1t is exceedingly unfortunate for DR..
Hearne, for the community in which
he lived, and the profession to which
he belonged, that such a grievous
charge should be laid at his door. The
medical profession of Missouri deeply
regret his indictment; they had hoped
in the face of newspaper vltuperation
and misrepresentation that the doctor
would escape this humiliation. The
writer prefers to believe in his in
nocehce, and while aware that many
things said and done by the doctor in
relation to this deplorable affair have
been imprudent and discriminating, he
still fears that the people of Hannibal
are hardly fair in judging his guilt or
innocence. So far as the doctor is
individually concerned, the situation
is full of gravity, embarrassment and
irreparable injury; and it is sincerely
hoped for the sake of his children, his
friends and his profession that the
trial will result in establishing his in
nocence.
For a number of years Mrs. DR..
Hearne, as Mrs. Stillwell, was one of
the most attractive ladies of Hannibal;
she was queen of an elegant home,
and the central figure among a circle
of fashionable ladies, noted for their
refinement and culture. She wore the
c~ostliest apparel and most beautiful
gems, and being a handsome woman,
naturally attracted attention wherever
she went; she was the mother of in
teresting children, and the wife of a
man who made her recipient of every
comfort wealth could supply. Is it
possible that this gentle woman, ten
der wife, afectionate mother, under
Christian influence and surrounded by
af1uence and the luxury of a happy
home could commit unaided (if at all),
such a brutal deed? 1t will be difficult
to convince the writer, and he is per-
suaded that the evidence must be I'M
confictingly clear to convince others.
Let as hope, for the sake of true
womanhood, that she is not guilty.
AS we wish to close out our toys we
will sell them regardless of cost.
THE FAIR,
d3t-wlt West Side Square.